Monday, January 17, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
No More Wristbands for River Street Revelers
Savannah City Council voted on Thursday to eliminate gating and wristbands on River Street during the St. Patrick's Day festival this year. Since 1999, the city had gated River Street and required revelers wishing to consume alcohol to purchase a $5 wristband.
Savannah Morning News article: Wristbands snipped for St. Pat's
Personally, I never saw the point in gating River Street and requiring wristbands in order to drink outside. The intent was to contain the crowds. However, open-container is allowed in the downtown area year-round, and underage people were still allowed to go down on River Street, so nothing was really being "contained." The revenue from the wristband sales was only enough to pay for the gating and the security needed to enforce the gating. Therefore, it seemed like a wasted effort and I'm glad the city made the decision to do away with it.
Below is a picture of the River Street crowd during a recent St. Patrick's Day festival.
Savannah Morning News article: Wristbands snipped for St. Pat's
Personally, I never saw the point in gating River Street and requiring wristbands in order to drink outside. The intent was to contain the crowds. However, open-container is allowed in the downtown area year-round, and underage people were still allowed to go down on River Street, so nothing was really being "contained." The revenue from the wristband sales was only enough to pay for the gating and the security needed to enforce the gating. Therefore, it seemed like a wasted effort and I'm glad the city made the decision to do away with it.
Below is a picture of the River Street crowd during a recent St. Patrick's Day festival.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Brief History
Savannah's Irish lineage can be traced back to 1812, with the founding of the Hibernian Society of Savannah by 13 Irish Protestants for the purpose of offering aid and assisstance to needy Irish immigrants. The following year, in 1913, the Hibernians held the first private procession on St. Patrick's Day in Savannah. Six years later, in 1818, a local military group, known as the Fencibles, held the second private procession.
The first public observance occured on March 17, 1824, when the Hibernian Society issued an invitation to the general public to celebrate the feast of the patron saint of their native Ireland. Members met at the City Hotel at 10:00 AM that morning for business and then processed to the Roman Catholic Church at 12:00 noon for a discourse delivered by Rev. Doctor John England. The announcement in the previous day's newspaper invited the citizens of Savannah to join the Hibernian Society at the Church. Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee recognizes this event as the first "parade." Only six times since 1824, has a parade not taken place in Savannah.
The first Grand Marshal appeared in 1870. In the early days of the parade, the Grand Marshal was actually responsible for organizing the parade and it was not uncommon for the same person to serve as Grand Marshal for multiple years. Over the years, Grand Marshal became an honorary title bestowed upon a deserving gentleman by his fellow Irish-Americans.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee was formed in 1926 in order to officially organize the parade and elect the Grand Marshal and continues to do so to this day. What started as a simple private procession in 1812, has grown into world class parade of over 350 units, enjoyed by half a million people!
For a complete history of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah, try getting your hands on a copy of The Days We've Celebrated by William L. Fogarty. It was published in 1980 and is currently out of print. Or try this coffee table book that was published in 2009.
The first public observance occured on March 17, 1824, when the Hibernian Society issued an invitation to the general public to celebrate the feast of the patron saint of their native Ireland. Members met at the City Hotel at 10:00 AM that morning for business and then processed to the Roman Catholic Church at 12:00 noon for a discourse delivered by Rev. Doctor John England. The announcement in the previous day's newspaper invited the citizens of Savannah to join the Hibernian Society at the Church. Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee recognizes this event as the first "parade." Only six times since 1824, has a parade not taken place in Savannah.
The first Grand Marshal appeared in 1870. In the early days of the parade, the Grand Marshal was actually responsible for organizing the parade and it was not uncommon for the same person to serve as Grand Marshal for multiple years. Over the years, Grand Marshal became an honorary title bestowed upon a deserving gentleman by his fellow Irish-Americans.
The St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee was formed in 1926 in order to officially organize the parade and elect the Grand Marshal and continues to do so to this day. What started as a simple private procession in 1812, has grown into world class parade of over 350 units, enjoyed by half a million people!
For a complete history of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah, try getting your hands on a copy of The Days We've Celebrated by William L. Fogarty. It was published in 1980 and is currently out of print. Or try this coffee table book that was published in 2009.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cead Mile Failte!
That means, "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!" in the Irish Gaelic language.
The city of Savannah, Georgia hosts one of the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the world. This blog will be dedicated to providing news, information and insight on everything that makes Savannah the best place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
The city of Savannah, Georgia hosts one of the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the world. This blog will be dedicated to providing news, information and insight on everything that makes Savannah the best place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
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