34TH ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE IN ALEXANDRIA, VA TO BE HELD MARCH 7, 2015

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Ballyshaners
Contact:Leslie Hutcheson
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Leslie.hutcheson17@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2015

34TH ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE IN ALEXANDRIA, VA TO BE HELD MARCH 7, 2015

Alexandria, VA – The Ballyshaners 34th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held in Alexandria on Saturday, March 7, 2015 and will feature a Car and Dog Show prior to the Parade kick-off.

Residents and tourists are encouraged to come early to enjoy these events, at one of the DC area’s finest Parades.

Alexandria boasts the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the DC area. Traditionally, this parade is held the first Saturday in March, and with no conflicts, it serves to attract the finest entries. The Parade will feature over a dozen marching bands, and other groups celebrating their rich Irish heritage.

The Parade is led by an honor guard representing all the armed services, as a show of patriotism to the United States.

The theme of this year’s Parade is “Women of Irish Heritage”, and fittingly, the Parade Grand
Marshal is Laureen O’Neill-James, owner of the O’Neill-James School of Dance, and member of the Irish Cultural Hall of Fame.

Ms. O’Neill-James will be installed as the Grand Marshal over dinner, to be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites, Alexandria on Friday, March 6th – a black tie event to honor the Parade’s many sponsors and volunteers. Tickets for this prestigious event are now on sale for $80, and can be purchased on line. Please click here to order tickets. Tax receipts are available.

As part of the Parade festivities, the day’s events include a Classic Car Show, located on Pitt St. between King and Cameron Streets. The cars are on display at 9:00 AM with judging to begin at 10:00 AM. Immediately following the judging, the winning entries join the parade line-up for all to enjoy!

The “Fun Dog Show” will be held in Market Square beginning at 11:00 AM. The dog show is an
annual favorite, this year, benefitting the Alexandria Animal Welfare League. Local pet owners are encouraged to dress their dogs in Irish finery, and help lead the parade.

All events on March 7th are free to the public.

The parade will officially start at the corner of King St. and Alfred St. at 12:30pm and proceed east on King St., finishing at the corner of King and Lee Streets. With thousands of spectators and participants expected, parade goers are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation. The closest Metro is the blue line, King Street/Old Town. There is a free trolley from the Metro, or the activities can be reached by a short 10 minute walk down King St.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is organized by the Ballyshaners, (Gaelic for “Old Towner’s”). The Ballyshaners is a not-for-profit group that seeks to promote and preserve the rich Irish heritage through organization of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Alexandria, and the Ballyshaners Festival, held every summer. Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are still available, by contacting Parade Chairman, JJ Kelly.

This year, two social events are being organized to help fund the Parade. For a suggested
donation of $10, you will be able to enjoy traditional Irish entertainment, food and revelry.
Sunday, January 25 – 4-7pm – Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, 713 King St., Alexandria

Sunday, February 8- 2-5pm Fiona’s Irish Pub, 5810 Kingstowne Center, Alexandria

Visit www.ballyshaners.org for more information about the day’s events.

http://www.ballyshaners.org/documents/ParadePR20150112.pdf