Fort Collins residents can start celebrating the upcoming green-spirited holiday early with a parade and party in Old Town.
Lucky Joe’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been happening for over 30 years, according to Hayley Gomoll, event coordinator for the Downtown Business Associations. This year the event will be held Saturday. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on N. Walnut and travel south in both lanes of College Ave. The parade will end at the intersection of Remington Ave. and Mountain Ave.
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“This is the Downtown Business Association’s oldest event,” Gomoll said. “It actually started before there was a Business Association.”
According to Gomoll, there will be a variety of floats, from dance and cheer to the Colo. Eagles. One entry has even included building a Leprechaun house with a giant pot of gold. For the most part, all entries pass out candy.
According to Joe Vader, manager at Lucky Joe’s, the sidewalk saloon has been the title sponsor for the event for the past 17 or 18 years.
“It’s a great time to enjoy the community,” Vader said. “It’s a good time for everyone.”
Lucky Joe’s will be opening at 9 a.m. March 14 and will stay open throughout the parade and party.
CSU junior music major Adrienne Harlow has gone to the parade in previous years.
“I would encourage people to go,” Harlow said. “It’s a great representation of the Fort Collins community and how well everyone gets along with each other.”
An Irish party follows the parade at Linden and Walnut until 5 p.m., where there will be food, beverages and live music for all ages.
Odell Brewing Company and High Country Beverage will provide beer and drinks, according to Gomoll. In addition, there will be face painting, yard games and activities for all ages.
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“I enjoyed seeing all of the families that live in the Fort Collins area,” Harlow said. “I’m so used to the college kid atmosphere.”
For the 21+ crowds, there will be green beer and giant beer pong played with trashcans and a volleyball.
Along with drinks and fun activities, there will lots of great food.
“The party is a good opportunity to experience some of the food shops,” Gomoll said.
There will be eight food trucks at the Irish party after the parade.
Parking will be difficult, as there are multiple events happening during the day. So, people are encouraged to carpool, bike or use the Max or Transport to avoid traffic, according to Gomoll.
Collegian A&E Writer Natalie Wendl can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @NatalieWendl.
