Family Friendly St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in the Detroit Area

Family Friendly St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in Detroit

Once considered a Catholic feast day honoring the life of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is now typically celebrated by those who are looking for an excuse to drink green beer in excess and eat what the revelers think are traditional Irish dishes. However, if your family happens to include small children, this type of celebration may not be what you are looking for. However, there are a few ways here in the Detroit area to introduce your children to St. Patrick's Day festivities that are age appropriate.

All children love parades, and there are a few this year in the Detroit area. This year, St. Patrick's Day Parade returns to its Royal Oak home. The parade will be held March 15 at 11 a.m. starting at Royal Oak Middle School (formerly Dondero High School). Marchers will then head south on Washington Avenue toward the downtown area. The parade took a brief detour last year to Ferndale, when Royal Oak was undergoing major street reconstruction, but is now returning to Royal Oak. This parade is sponsored by the south Oakland Chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. For more information, please call Carolyn at O'Brien Services, 248-541-2501.

Of course, the really big bash will be held in downtown Detroit the following day. The 50^th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, March 16 in Detroit's Corktown area (Michigan Avenue). This is a popular parade so getting to the site early should be a top consideration. Corktown businesses will be happy to provide assistance. You can find more information at www.detroitirish.org.

In addition to these local parades, there are also parades in Bay City, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. But perhaps your children aren't into parades, or perhaps the weather will be inclement that weekend. There are still ways to hold a St. Patrick's Day gala in your own home.

First off, get some books from the library and read about the holiday. You'd be amazed that children are interested in the origins of our holidays. Of course, you can also serve "green" food on St. Patrick's Day, just by adding a bit of food coloring to pancake mix or milk for cereal. For dinner, serve the traditional corned beef and cabbage. You can spend the afternoon doing crafts, such as making shamrocks and leprechaun traps. Rent out "Riverdance" or "Lord of the Dance" to get into the mood with Irish music and dancing.

The following web sites offer a wealth of ideas for your own personal St. Patrick's Day celebration:

http://parenting.families.com/blog/st-patricks-day-family-fun

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/stpatricksday/a/aa022601a.htm

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/specialfeature/stpatday_sf/stpatday_sf.html

No matter what your plans, your entire family can enjoy St. Patrick's Day.