5th Anniversary of Downtown Lee’s Summit’s Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Downtown Lee’s Summit’s Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, 2010. This year marks the 5th Anniversary of the event.
“Show Me Your Heritage – What’s in Your Irish Stew?” is the parade’s theme. Businesses and families are encouraged to showcase their Irish Heritage or illustrate their family’s cultural mix, whether through decor, music or some other sort of expression, and boast about it as they parade through Downtown Lee’s Summit.
The parade is expected to be bigger and better than ever, says Chuck Denton, owner of Doherty & Sullivan’s Irish Goods and chairman of the parade. Denton, with the help of Mary Pechar of Green Beauty Salon & Day Spa, has grown the parade and helped Lee’s Summit celebrate all things Irish. “Together, we’ve helped the parade to grow from a few fun folks to last year’s gargantuan event. We had 800 people actually IN the parade. I cannot tell you how many came to watch it, but the crowd as you turn the corner of Green and 3rd Street is simply breath-taking. It makes me tear up every year. I love my parade and I love Lee’s Summit. That’s why I participate.”
This year’s Grand Marshall is Kathy Smith. As president of the Lee’s Summit Historical Society and the Lee’s Summit Historic Preservation Commission, Kathy knows a thing or two about heritage. The committee cited Kathy’s community involvement as the main reason for their choice, but her involvement with and knowledge of Lee’s Summit history fit the theme nicely too.
The parade is an event of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown Lee’s Summit. Parade entry forms are now available on the events page of http://www.downtownls.org/, or by calling 816-246-6598. Entry forms are due by March 1st.