Looking for something to do for Saint Patrick’s Day? Plan a green-themed getaway of course. People either love Saint Patrick’s Day, or they don’t seem to think twice about it at all. If you’re of the latter group, we’d like to encourage you to think again about this special, spirited holiday. After all, our small mountain town has a lot going on in celebration of St. Paddy’s Day, and we’d like to invite you to come be a part of the fun. Read this post to learn a bit about the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday, and to learn about what’s happening in downtown Boone, NC.
The luck of the Irish.
It’s easy to brush off Saint Patrick’s Day as a holiday filled with green beer and rowdy debauchery. I’m going to argue that this Irish holiday is SO much more than that. It’s a celebration of Irish culture, after all! The holiday was originally observed as a religious holiday, and was celebrated as a feast for St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Fun fact: the three leaves of the shamrock, the Irish national plant, are said to represent the holy trinity. Emigrants who brought the holiday to the US were said to be the ones who transformed it into a celebration of all things Irish. The first ever Saint Patrick’s Day parade was held in the city of Boston in the late 1700s.
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Boone
This year marks the 3rd annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Boone, NC. The first year that we heard about the parade, we were still under construction at the Horton. But that didn’t slow us down. We fired up our old red Studebaker and adorned her in green. I climbed on board (with several other co-workers) and Fulton (owner) took the wheel, with his daughter Hallie riding shotgun. Of course we adorned ourselves in as much green as we could find, too. We were quite the spectacle as the old car sputtered and bumped along King Street. To be honest, I can’t believe we made it. It was a blast.
Year two came around, and we’d barely had our doors open for a month. But we pulled our staff together and prepared for the parade. Instead of taking the Studebaker out, our excited staff members walked in the parade, while owner/operator Denise adorned herself in costume and jumped on the back of a horse… looking just like our building’s founder did when he participated in Boone’s 1950 centennial parade. It was quite the spectacle.
You’ll just have to wait and see what we have up our sleeves for this year’s parade, which takes place on Saturday, March 14th. The parade begins and 2pm and winds its way down King Street. Trust me, Boone goes all out for this parade so prepare to be entertained.
A green-themed getaway… and more.
There are several other exciting things happening in Boone around Saint Patrick’s Day. If you’re trying to make the most out of your green-themed getaway, plan to attend a few of these other local happenings, too. Of course you’ll be able to find traditional live Irish music in downtown Boone over the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday. Check out Lost Province’s music schedule to learn more. Daniel Boone Rail Jam is also happening on Saturday the 14th! This highly anticipated event takes place at Horn in the West. Read more about it here. We’ll also have some fun Saint Patrick’s Day themed specials on in the lounge, too. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in Boone!
Author: Megan Biddix
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Patricks-Day
