St. Patty's Day gives 'going green' new meaning
Kevin Bonneville
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Entertainment
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It is St. Patrick's Day in the U.S., but, it's a national holiday for the people of Ireland.
The Irish culture-rich holiday has many different levels of importance for people celebrating in the U.S.
"The purpose of the day for me is to wear green.
"There's a sense of cultural pride for people and even though I'm not completely Irish, I am part Irish," MCC student Aaron Schwartz said.
Others feel that the holiday is a day to go out and have a good time with friends and loved ones.
Going to a local pub or bar is a very popular attraction for some.
"It's a great holiday to go out with friends and drink green beer. Mingling with the ladies and getting dressed for the occasion is always fun as well," MCC student Jeff Kurth said.
"It's a fun celebration to have, drinking or not," Schwartz added.
The big St. Patrick Day events are most famously known to be held in cities like Chicago, New York and Boston.
Chicago dyes the Chicago River green, while
New York and Boston have massive turnouts at their local parades and fairs.
However, despite its overall small Irish population, the state of Arizona still holds its fair share of events to celebrate the holiday throughout the state, ranging from Sedona all the way down to Tucson.
On March 15, the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Irish Faire in Phoenix will be celebrating its 25-year anniversary.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. on third Street in downtown Phoenix.
It will last for approximately an hour with marching bands, Irish step dancers, and bagpipers highlighting the event.
The parade will be followed up by the Irish Family Faire at Hance Park, which lasts until 5 p.m.
The Faire will offer a wide variety of food and entertainment for both children and adults.
The admission is $10 for adults (12 and over), $1 for kids, and kids under age 6 get in for free.
The Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix is also holding their yearly festival for the holiday with the center opening at 10 a.m.
There will be Irish music played and food will be served throughout the day.
A St. Patrick's Night Ceili dance will also be held at 7 p.m.
For the music lovers out there, St. Patty's Day has something to offer them as well.
The Irish American punk band, Flogging Molly, will be in the Valley on March 16-17.
They'll be performing at the Tempe Marquee Theater on March 16 with performances by The Reverend Payton's Big Damn Band and The Cherry Cokes.
The show starts at 7 p.m. and is opened to all ages.
The band will also perform at the KEDJ St. Patrick Day's Bash at Tempe Town Lake.
The bash, which is a 21 or older event, starts at 5 p.m.
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