St. Patrick's Day 2008

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, bringing with it a multitude of events. After perusing the web, I’ve complied a thorough list of ways to get your St. Patty’s Day fix.

Sure, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until a week from Monday, but there are many pre-Patty’s Day events all weekend long.

Starting tonight, March 7 at 5:30 p.m., the Miller Time Pub and Westown Association will host ShamROCK, Milwaukee’s annual St. Patrick’s Day kick-off party. The celebration will include exciting giveaways and raffles, Irish music by Ian Gould and Reilly, traditionally Irish eats, and of course, green Miller Lite!

Then, on Saturday beginning at noon, the 42nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will commence a day of even more festivities around the city! Presented by the Westown Association and the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, 120 units including Irish decorated floats, regional pipe and drum corps, local celebrities, Irish dance groups and some 100 NYPDs will march down Wisconsin Avenue and around Old World Third Street, Plankinton Avenue, Water Street and so on, until it ends at Edison Street. For the entire parade route, click here.

If you can’t make it to the big parade, no blarney! There’s a second but smaller parade starting at 4 p.m. in between 51st and 68th Streets off of Bluemound Road. It might be smaller, but the leprechauns know that size doesn’t matter when you’re celebrating with the Irish.

After the parade, there are many post-party activities to keep the spirit alive and the town green.

The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin is hosting a family-friendly event at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center. As the largest parade day celebration, entertainment will be abound and continuous on four stages. The wholesome event will feature music by Finbar McCarthy, Frogwater and Stone Ring, and numerous Irish dance groups like the Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancers who will be jigging the night away. Tickets are only $4 at the door.

Plus, there are dozens of parade day parties at bars and restaurants in the Water Street, Plankinton Avenue and Old World Third Street entertainment districts. Every venue will be complete with a vast selection of Irish entertainment and an abundance of turn-your-tongue-green Miller Lite!

For more information on St. Patrick’s Day parade events and activities, head over to the event page by clicking here.

Milwaukee’s green season celebrations continue into next week as well; after all, both Milwaukeeans and Irishmen supposedly know how to party, right?

On Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m., The Irish Tenors will be live and on stage at the Pabst Theater. During their annual show, Anthony Keams, Finbar Wright and Karl Scully along with a 30 piece orchestra will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with traditional Irish operatic songs and moving melodies. Tickets are $45.

I won't be listening to The Irish Tenors, but I will be heading to the Healthy Gourmet School of Cooking that night to learn the Irish spirit of cooking. Starting at 6 p.m. the Heartland Chef Sandra Hillmer will teach Eric and I and the rest of the students how to cook Murphy's Irish Stout onion soup, chicken casel blue and Guinness applesauce cake. I'm really excited to partake in this hands-on cooking class! Hopefully I'll master the skills so that I can recreate this meal again on St. Patrick's Day.

At 8 p.m. the next day (Friday, March 14), you’ll feel like one with the Irish. With their Celtic rhythms and rock ‘n’ roll influences, Gaelic Storm will be a great way to continue the revelry amid the gorgeous Pabst Theater. Tickets are $24.50.

Later that night, celebrate "St. Practice Day" with Have a Nice Day Cafe and Buckhead Saloon where green beer and Guinness will be flowing for only $1 until 10 p.m.

Finally, on Saturday, March 15 beginning at 11:30 a.m. the Wauwatosa Historical Society presents the 17th Annual Blarney Run/Walk. For $18 in advance and $20 the day of, you can participate in either a 3.1 mile (5K) run or two-mile walk. Don’t forget to stick around afterward for refreshments and awards. Note, the first 700 participants get a commemorative T-shirt and all proceeds go toward preservation and educational activities involving the Wauwatosa Historical Society. For a map of the route or to register, look here.

Also, on March 15th the Guinness Tour of Secret Hopper Stops rolls on! The secret representative will make surprise stops at Trinity, Mo’s (in Milwaukee), The Irish Pub, County Clare and Paddy’s Pub and will be tossing out Guinness gear and 102.9 the HOG prizes. Plus, you can register to win a four day/three night getaway to Big Powderhorn Lodging to cure your cabin fever! If you show up at any of the aforementioned pubs, you could be a winner!

That night, prepare your liver for next week's full-day of drinking by participating in the Third Ward St. Patrick's Day pub crawl. For only $25 you'll get a T-shirt and four pints of Guinness. Begin the festivities at the Wicked Hop, and then follow the crowd as they hop bar to bar all night long.

At last, that brings us to March 17, the actual St. Patrick’s Day! Milwaukee has more than enough Eire-blooded activities going on to keep you in the green for as long as you can take it.

If you’re not into green beer and blinking shamrock necklaces, the St. Patrick’s Show with John McGivern offers entertainment for all ages. His show begins at 7 p.m. with the Glencastle Irish Dancers, followed by comedy and stories from Milwaukee’s own John McGivern at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center.

But, if you want to guzzle green beer or delicious Irish imports and party from sunrise to sunset, there are many Irish pubs serving up lots o’ Irish cheer and most will be ready to provide you with your early morning nourishments.

If you've ever been to Ireland, you know the day starts off with a hearty breakfast. Here in Milwaukee you'll find generous helpings of semi-traditional Irish foods almost everywhere you go on St. Patrick's Day.

Last year, my friends and I went all out starting the day at Leff's Lucky Town. At 8 a.m. a group of us met for Leff's non-traditional Irish breakfast, which included corned beef hash, green eggs and Irish coffee. I was amazed by the crowd that gathered there hours before us and the droves of people that continually arrived and the amount of people decked out in green, green, GREEN!

This year, Trinity Three Irish Pub – Duffy’s, Foy’s and Gallagher’s – will open at 6 a.m. Entertainment will begin at 9 a.m. with music by Athas, Reilly, Marc Ballini and Five Card Stud along with the Trinity Irish Dancers. Food such as Irish stew, Reuben, Shepard's pie and other traditional Irish specialties will be served hot all day.

Mo’s Irish Pub will also open at 6 a.m. and will dish-up a healthy serving of traditional renditions of corned beef and live music from Shinigans, Another Pint, Leahy’s Luck, The Orphans and U2 Zoo.

Don’t forget, a fine pint can be found in most places around town, that is, if you can get in! Some other establishments worth a visit include Waukesha’s House of Guinness where the thick Irish stout flows like milk and honey, The Irish Pub in the Third Ward, Slim McGinns where there’s always someone to make a slurry toast with, and County Clare where you’ll be drinking in the midst of the Irish. Or take a look at MKE's Irish Pub Guide to find your favorite.

There are also some St. Patty’s Day events where the wearing o’ the green is a must:

102.9 the HOG and Miller Lite are hosting the Irish, You'd Party with Us celebration. They will be out during the morning craziness and the evening foolishness (I suggest napping during the day at work if you want to keep up). Join my friend Mindy Novotny starting at 8 a.m. at Kelly’s Bleachers where not only can you start your day with a plate of green eggs and corned beef hash, but you can enjoy green Miller specials and win some awesome St. Patrick’s Day swag, well, if you have the luck o' the Irish of course!

Then, from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. you can meet The Gasman at Judges Irish Pub on North Avenue where you can win cool Miller St. Patrick's Day prizes including a $500 Best Buy gift card. Now, that’s a real pot o’ gold!

If you can’t pick just one bar to monopolize your time, there are St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawls all over the Milwaukee area. So, don your favorite green T-shirt and get ready for the best Monday ever! Check out these Miller Lite St. Patty's Day Pub Crawls:

• Downtown Hartford Pub Crawl
  Stop at Hammerin Hanks, Bank Shot, Hank & Hannah’s and The Pour House. Enjoy Miller Lite specials and enter to win tickets to see the Milwaukee Bucks in the new Miller Lite Home Court section.
• Germantown Pub Crawl
  Enjoy 20-ounce tappers of green Miller Lite for just $3 at Barley Pop, Snappers, Sportzone, Sportscorner, Bubs, Doctors, Toms Kuhburg Junction and Ivees
• Pike Lake Pub Crawl to Erin
  Take the "Safe Ride" shuttle to and from The Erin Inn, Noey's, Guerndts, St Lawrence C-Way, Hook Line & Sinker, Pike Lake House Inn and The Reef Point. Enjoy Miller Lite specials and enter to win tickets to see the Milwaukee Bucks in the new Miller Lite Home Court section.

Remember if you’re sampling Irish brews, shooting whiskeys or slamming Milwaukee’s favorite green beer, please consider alternative transportation or take advantage of the Miller Free Rides program, which offers free Milwaukee County Transit bus rides after 6 p.m. Find out more about Miller Free Rides online or by calling 1-800-FREE RIDES.

Have a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day!!!

**If you hear of any other St. Patrick's Day events, please spread the word in the comments section. Meanwhile, I'll continually update this list as I find more information as well.

Comments

[alba]

Don't forget about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Bradley Center that night! That's where I'm going after a couple pints.

[Karen]

Thanks Alba!

I completely forgot about that show, otherwise I would have put it in my "Concert Preview"

[Amanda]

I heard on the news today that there's an Irish fest at the Domes this weekend. I don't know much about it because I only caught the tail end of the story, but I thought you might want to look into it for your list...

[Karen]

Thanks Amanda. I found the info and will add it.

[wfbdoglover]

Discovery World is having Irish Events this weekend too!

Saturday night I am ushering at the Sunset Playhouse and prior to that, I am going to Mo's in Wauwatosa. I have never been there, so It will be interesting. I'm a little nervous, as it is the Saturday to celebrate St. Patricks Day. I hope we are able to get a seat somewhere. Hoping it will be early enough when my friend and I meet, to have time to eat and relax.

[Karen]

My parents used to live a block away from Mo's in Tosa. They really liked it, especially sitting on the patio during a warm night. I'm sure you and your friend will have a good time as long as no one spills their green beer on you (that happened to me countless times last year. Grrr!)

I'm going to look into the Discovery World event. That’s something I might try to check out this weekend. Thanks for the info!