For more than two decades, Hilton Head Island has found that the best way to usher in spring is with a bedlam of Irish revelry. This year will be no exception.
The 27th annual Hilton Head Island St. Patrick's Day Parade kicks off, rain or shine, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 14.
“Even here there's a little bit of cabin fever in the winter, and this event is kind of a rite of spring,” said Betty Dirosse, spokeswoman for the parade committee. “It's the first sign of warmth, and the perfect time to see friends you haven't seen in a while because you've been inside.”
Among the more than 100 entries expected to be in this year's ode to St. Patrick are a furry band of animal orphans from the Hilton Head Humane Association, a flotilla of Shriners, a troupe of Irish step dancers and a wee procession of miniature horses from Bits of Love, an equine therapy program. A color guard from Fort Stewart and the Parris Island Marine Band also will be part of the parade, which will step off from the Coligny Beach public parking lot onto Pope Avenue, make its way to Office Park Road and end at Park Plaza.
Charles Perry, co-founder and past president of the Island Recreation Center, will serve as grand marshal.
Dirosse refers to the shamrock-laden event as “the parade that almost wasn't” since restaurateur Tom Reilley and a handful of folks with a firetruck and dalmatian in tow were stopped in their rain-soaked tracks for not having an official permit 27 years ago.
“Fortunately, the Irish have been blessed with the gift of gab and the original participants talked their way into finishing,” Dirosse said.
Since those days, the parade has gone on to become the island's largest free event, attracting more than 20,000 revelers.
Due to its popularity, approximately 50 Beaufort County sheriff's deputies and S.C. Highway Patrol troopers will be stationed along the route and at businesses serving drinks.
To help curb underage drinking at bars and restaurants that turn their parking lots into mini Irish festivals, Capt. Toby McSwain said he'll be meeting with owners to encourage selling wristbands to folks who have been ID'd and plan to consume alcoholic beverages.
“It's not a state requirement or law, but it's something that will help the law enforcement out,” McSwain said. “This really ends up being two events in one, because the parade will long be over with and we're still making arrests of people who are drinking too much and causing problems.”
Aside from getting to the parade early and finding a parking space that is not along the route, McSwain's advice to those planning to partake in the festivities is to stick to the designated areas.
“If you're going to drink, it's illegal to consume alcohol outside the parking lots of those bars and restaurants,” he said. “It's not worth the fine. I promise it will be the most expensive beer or wine you've ever had.”
15th Annual “Running of the Green”
Mardi Gras has its unspoken code, but to earn beads on Hilton Head Island for St. Patrick's Day, prepare to sweat.
The Hilton Head Island Shamrock 5K Run and Health Walk will start at 8 a.m. on March 13 in front of New York City Pizza at Heritage Plaza. The flat course will take runners down Pope Avenue, North Forest Beach Drive and then Lagoon Road to the finish area at the corner of Lagoon Road and Pope Avenue.
Pre-registration is $25 until March 8 and $35 on the morning of the race; the event benefits The Mental Health Association of Beaufort County. All participants receive a Shamrock Run T-shirt and green beads.
Details: Bear Foot Sports at 757-8520; www.bearfootsports.com
Want to be in the parade?
Entrants and volunteers are needed for this year’s Hilton Head Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade. To rent a commercial float, call 304-4956. Entry forms can be obtained by calling either 304-4956 or 394-4035.
For more information on this year’s parade, visit www.stpatricksdayhhi.com
SAVANNAH
If you don't get there early, you're going to need the luck of the Irish to navigate the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah.
As the second largest shamrock celebration in the United States, more than 400,000 revelers are expected to fill the Hostess City's streets on March 17, beginning with a consistently maxed-out 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The parade kicks off at 10:15 a.m.
“We might not have the biggest parade in the country, but we certainly have the best,” said Copie Burnett, general chairman of Savannah's greenest day of the year. This will be the city's 186th nod to St. Patrick.
In addition to nearly 50 bands, including pipe bands from Ireland, New York, Chicago and Boston, 320 parade units will be marching through Savannah's Historic District. Among the main attractions will be more than 1,000 Army rangers and other uniformed officers, who traditionally receive kisses from lipstick-wielding strangers.
“There won't be a person sitting down when the military come by,” Burnett said.
Since the parade falls on a weekday, Burnett expects the crowd will be a lot closer to home than it has been in previous years.
“This is the year to come, because there will be more of a local flavor to it,” he said. “There seems to be less tension than when it's on a weekend.”
To get your pre-parade on or continue the fun long after the floats have been disassembled, check out the Savannah Waterfront Association's St. Patrick's Festival on March 16-18 along River Street. Games, food, live entertainment and green beer will be on hand.
For more information about both of Savannah's tributes to all things Irish, go to www.savannahsaintpatricksday.com or www.riverstreetsavannah.com.
