Tue 3/17
It starts with the first light of dawn. Bars that normally don’t open until late afternoon or early evening are throwing open their doors at 6 or 7am. Soon, people wearing green top hats and plastic shamrock necklaces start appearing on the streets.
Yes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, when everyone might not be Irish but hey, why not celebrate anyway?
Downtown the House of Blues opens at 8am for its 11th annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, plenty of time to get lubricated for the big event: the parade.
That kicks off at 1:04pm from East 18th and Superior in front of the Tower Press Building and ends at East 3rd and Rockside, so you’ve got plenty of vantage points along the route. But be warning: if the weather is at all decent (and even if it isn’t), it gets crowded everywhere.
Who’s marching? Who isn’t! Of course, there will be plenty of Irish dancing schools, high school marching bands, labor union floats and firefighter delegations. The Irish wolfhound and Irish setter clubs are always big favorites. But marchers also include the Lake County Vegan Project, lined up right behind McDonald’s Restaurants of Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Asian Festival, the Cleveland Browns, the LGBT Blazing River Freedom Band , the Burning River Roller Girls and Cleveland State radio station WCSB 89.3FM.
Once the parade breaks up, there’ll be dozens of places to go. If you didn’t catch local Pogues tribute band The Boys From the County Hell at the House of Blues from 9 am-noon they’ll be playing at 9pm at Harp on the near west side. Or head out to Kamms Corners where Marys Lane will be playing at P.J. McIntyre’s Irish Pub — assuming you didn’t catch them during the afternoon at the House of Blues.
Virtually all of the frivolity is free.
facebook.com/The-Boys-from-the-County-Hell/
Photo by Anastasia Pantsios