Special to The PREVIEW
Photo courtesy St. Patrick’s
St. Patrick, aka Fr. Doug Neel, is ready to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Sunday, March 17, beginning at 2 p.m. The church will host a parking lot party, complete with refreshments, music, dancing and other fun activities. The public is invited to bring canned food to donate to the church’s food pantry and enjoy the festivities.
This year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday. While this would be a cause for a more subdued celebration for some, the folks at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church see things a little differently.
“This is our patron feast day,” says Fr. Doug Neel, rector of St. Patrick’s. “Since our Chamber has chosen not to have a parade, we decided to kiss the Blarney Stone and do our own celebration!”
Traditionally, St. Patrick’s float has led the downtown parade, with Fr. Doug portraying St. Patrick, wearing a green bishop’s mitre and cope. Last year, one of his parishioners made a beautiful new cope and mitre for the occasion. When the parishioners were told this year that the town would not have its annual St. Patrick’s parade, they took matters into their own hands.
“We are Episcopalians,” said Fr. Doug. “We stand on tradition!”
Jim Dorian, the town’s bagpiper, and his wife, Becky, gathered the troops and came up with a new plan. “We are going to have our own St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” said Dorian. “We don’t have time to put together a full blown parade, but we can have a heck of a party.”
On Sunday, March 17, beginning at 2 p.m., St. Patrick’s is going to have a parking lot party, complete with its own St. Patrick’s float, and St. Patrick himself piped in with bagpipes and dancers. There will be music, dancing, food, drinks and lots of fun. Nonprofits are invited to come and set up booths to hand out information, and invite the public to come and enjoy the fun.
“We are asking participants to bring a few canned goods to contribute to the food pantry at the church. Beyond that, come and have a great time!” Dorian said.
For more information, call St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 731-5801. The public is invited to join the festivities!