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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. The 23rd Annual Peekskill St. Patricks Day Parade will be this weekend, kicking off a week's worth of festivities.
The parade will start at 3 p.m. Saturday at the firehouse on South Division Street.The procession will be as follows: A left on First Street, a right on Union Avenue, a right onto Central Avenue, left on North Division Street, right on Main Street., right on North James Street, then right onto Brown Street. The reviewing stand will be on the corner of James and Park streets.
Elizabeth Mitchell Marques, a BOCES television and film instructor for more than 20 years and former cable TV producer, will serve as the Grand Marshal. Her four aides, also being honored for their service to the community, are community volunteer Frances Catalina, Assumption Church Rev. John Higgins, Peekskill Police Lt. Cathy Johansen and The Stadium sports bar owner James Walsh.
Were it not for Marques, todays cable television coverage of the Peekskill St. Patricks Parade would not exist. In 1990, she produced the first live TV coverage of the parade, according to former Grand Marshal and former colleague Bill Powers.
Liz prefers to be behind the scenes, but I am happy that she will get her moment in the spotlight as Grand Marshal - she deserves it, Powers said.
The parade will be preceded by a special St. Patrick's Mass at Assumption Church at 1:30 p.m. The Mass will feature bagpipes, Irish tenors and con-celebrants from St. Columbanus.
This year, there will be a brunch at 11:30 a.m. at the Peekskill Elks Lodge on Brown Street. The brunch is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. The brunch is $15 for adults and $5 for kids under 12.
Other St. Patricks Day events of interest happening in the coming week:
- 12 Grapes will hold a brunch before the parade from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, with dinner service thereafter. Call for reservations. On St. Patrick's Day they will have a special event with Irish fiddle player Kathleen Parks and Irish dinner specials. Admission is a $10 entertainment fee or $5 with a dinner entree.
- The Peekskill Brewery will host its annual Kegs and Eggs brunch with traditional music starting at 9 a.m. on St. Patrick's Day. The event usually sells out quickly. The brewery will also have the band Billy and the Barfights that night starting at 9 p.m.
- The Paramount Center for the Arts will be hosting a performance by Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers on St.Patrick's Day itself, March 17, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and $45.
- The Quiet Man Pub will have live Irish music and food specials after the parade starting at 4 p.m. On St. Patricks Day itself there will be live music begins at 1 p.m. On March 19 the Quiet Man will host Ireland's own The Druids from 8-10 p.m. The $20 admission goes towards funding this year's Hudson Valley Irish Festival.
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