BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//artshound.com//NONSGML iCalcreator 2.6// VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:Calendar of artshound.com X-WR-CALDESC:In this calendar you will find information about events that y ou did save X-WR-TIMEZONE:US/Pacific BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20120210T215426CET-3607OikjaU@artshound.com DTSTAMP:20120210T205426Z CATEGORIES:Personal CLASS:EVENT DESCRIPTION:Event Name: 50th Annual Houston St. Patrick's Day Parade\nEvent Url: http://www.artshound.com/event/detail/20423/50th_Annual_Houston_St_P atricks_Day_Parade\nEvent Date Begin: 2009-03-14\nEvent Date End: 2009-03- 14\n\nErin Go Braugh and Texas Forever: A Celebration of Our Heritage with the Houston St. Patrick's Day Parade! 2009 marks our 50th Annual Parade! The 2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Saturday\, March 14\, 2008. The 50th Annual Parade starts at 12:00 pm in Downtown Houston. The p arade starts and ends at Minute Maid Park at the intersection of Texas and Hamilton in downtown Houston.\n\nWe are planning the biggest parade ever! You can enjoy form a comfortable seat or You can be in the parade!\n\nGra nd Marshall - We will be honoring all Past Parade Marshalls. Always a free event\, the two-hour parade has historically been one of the largest in t he U.S. and plans to include over 100 entries to delight the Irish and Iri sh-at-heart.\n\n'The St. Patrick's Day Parade gives everyone a chance to b e Irish\,' said Pat Duane. 'It's one day when the sounds\, sights and cele bration transcend all nationalities and people come together to celebrate the spirit of the Irish.'\n\nThe Houston St. Patrick's Day Parade Commissi on presents the parade.\n\nThe St. Patrick's Day Parade-A Houston Traditio n:\n\nHouston's St. Patrick's Day Parade is rooted firmly in the city's he ritage. The first parades date back to the 1880's when the parade (always on St. Patrick's Day) started in 'Irish Town' by old St. Patrick's Church\ , which was located on Harrisburg. \n\nFlags\, bands and marchers would ma rch to Market Square for a day of fun\, games\, music\, food and drink. Th e people spilled in and out of the various pubs in Market Square. \n\nAt a n earlier time\, Dick Dowling\, the Civil War hero\, had a bar named the ' Bank of Bacchus' at the edge of the square. It was a favorite gathering pl ace.\n\nThe parade continued until World War I\, when the Irish scattered all over the growing city. The Depression and World War II took priority i n the people's lives and the parade disappeared. \n\nHowever\, interest in the Irish and their happy ways were awakened when Houston oilman\, Glen M cCarthy\, built the Shamrock Hotel in the late 1940's. The Shamrock was th e center of Irish culture throughout the 1950's and the Irish were associa ted the good times again.\n\nIn 1960\, radio personalities\, Tim Nolan and Bob Bryant announced a St. Patrick's Day Parade for Downtown Houston on M arch 17th. This little parade was only a few blocks long\, but it was the beginning seeds of the current St. Patrick's Day Parade. \n\nIt has grown into one of the city's largest parades. It was always carried the theme th at 'Everyone is Irish-If only for the Day'. It was a day for all to celebr ate the fact that we are all Americans.\n\nOf course the Parade had to hav e an organization behind it\, so Channel 2 turned it over to a small group of Irishmen called the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The parade blossomed in the early years but it was a financial hardship on the AOH. \n\nIn the 1970's when Dr. Edward Kearns became Parade Chairman\, he went to Michael Griffin\, owner of the famous Grif's Inn to form a group to finance the pa rade.\n\nThat was the beginning of the 'Original 45'\, a group of business men and interested citizens\, who got up the financial backing for the par ade. Under the 'Original 45'\, the Houston St. Patrick's Day Parade grew i nto the 4th largest parade of its kind in the nation.\n\nIn the late 1980' s\, the parade needed more financing . Silver Eagle Distributing Company c ame to its rescue and the Parade was moved to Richmond Avenue. The Parade never quite found its home on Richmond because its heart was always in Dow ntown Houston.\n\nIn the year 2000\, the parade returned to home. Once aga in\, the responsibility for financing fell on a revised version of the 'Or iginal 45'\, currently named the 'Irish 100'.\n\nThe current Parade Chairm an is Mr. Sean Kearns. Other key members of the Parade Commission are Pat Duane\, Michael Griffin\, Head of the Executive Committee and Jeannie Kear ns\, Parade Treasurer\, Jennifer Kearns\, Judging Coordinator\, Mary Kearn s\, Parade Coordinator.\n\nThroughout the 49-year history of the parade\, a handful of people have run the parade with the high standard that the pa rade is a showcase of Irish fun and Culture of the whole family.\n\nAll as pects of Houston's diverse population have been represented as Grand Marsh al. Movie personalities\, Dennie O'Keefe and Dennis Day were among the fir st to serve as Grand Marshal. Astronauts Robert Crippen and Brian Duffey r epresented NASA\, as well as George Abbey\, Director of NASA and Gerald Gr iffin\, former NASA director.\n\nOther Grand Marshals include football gre ats\, Dan Pastorini\, Jim Kelley\, and Coach Kevin Gilbride\, business lea ders\, Jim McIngvale and Glen McCarthy\, Jr.\, local politicians\, Johnnie Goyen and Mayor Jim McConn\, Dr. Denton Cooley\, Dr. Joseph McFadden\, fo rmer president of St. Thomas University.\n\nAlso the St. Patrick's Parade has honored local Irishmen such as: Burke O'Rourke\, Pat Patton\, Jim McNa mara\, Larry and Kathleen Miggins\, Jay Dooling & Pete Little\, Tom Horan and Dr. Edward Kearns and his wife\, Jeannie Kearns.\n\nMrs. Kearns was th e first woman to become Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.\n\n Start time: 12noon\n\nLocation: The parade starts and ends at Minute Maid Park at the intersection of Texas and Hamilton in downtown Houston. DTSTART:20090314T000000 DTEND:20090314T000000 LOCATION: SUMMARY:50th Annual Houston St. Patrick's Day Parade TRANSP:TRANSPARENT END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR