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March 10th, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 860-608-4901
Contact: Neil Ryan
Mystic Irish Parade Foundation Announces Schedule of Events
The Mystic Irish Parade Foundation proudly announces our annual Irish weekend events.
On Friday March 20th, the Foundation will be hosting a Benefit Concert at the Seaman’s Inne. The featured musicians of the evening will be the Dublin City Ramblers. The Dublin City Ramblers have thrilled audiences worldwide with their unique blend of Ballads, Folk, Humor, Wit and foot-tapping music. Their impressive career has spanned more than 35 years, with over 30 albums, top ten hits, several awards for best Ballad/Folk Group and, to top it all off, 8 Gold Albums. It is certainly no wonder that they are classed as Ireland’s Number One Group!
Doors open at the Seaman’s Inne March 20th at 7:00 PM. Ticket prices are $25 and a Lite Fare will be available. To reserve early please purchase your tickets at Puritan & Genesta in Mystic or call Tom Taber at 860-536-4904. Depending on capacity, tickets may also be available at the door.
On Sunday March 22nd, the fabulous Fishing with Finnegan Band will be the opening act of the parade Yes, at 12 pm sharp...they will start the parade off with a rousing concert from 12-1pm right in front of Chelsea Bank on the reviewing stand in downtown Mystic! In addition to this 4 sibling act out of Rhode Island will be a guest appearance by Darren Delaney.
On Sunday March 22nd, the 6th Annual Mystic St. Patrick’s Parade will kick off at 1:00 PM sharp. Over 100 marching units and 22 marching bands will perform along the parade route from Mystic Seaport Museum to the Mystic Art Association. This year’s parade will be the host to no less than 12 Pipe Bands, more than any other parade in the state! Also marching this year are 3 local high school marching bands from Groton, Stonington and Westerly. In addition to these excellent musicians, we’re expecting 1,300 plus marchers including Irish Step Dancers, Fife & Drum Units, Military Drill Teams, Honor Guard Units from several local organizations and Drum & Bugle Corps. The parade will also feature Classic Antique Cars, High-Tech Firefighting Equipment, Police Units, Scout Troops, and colorful floats designed and fabricated by area businesses. The 2009 Grand Marshal will be Edward Murphy, a local resident and businessman who is well known throughout the community. The Mystic Irish Parade Foundation will also be honoring a very special man of Irish descent, the Rev. Theodore J Klein, with the title of Honorary Grand Marshall 2009.
Following up at the end of the parade will be the NASCAR Cup Champoin No. 2 Miller Lite race car, bring your earplugs as the car will be driving in the parade! Kurt Busch’s #2 Miller car is fresh off it’s recent March Victory at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Now spectators get a chance to see and hear the car in the parade. In addition to the parade the car will be on display at Mystic Seaport from 11:00-1:00 on Sunday and 3:30-5:00 at the Shops at Olde Mystic Village. . Spectators will get a second treat on Sunday as the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series East Champion Matt Kobyluck and the #40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet will be in the parade and on hand at the same times and places above. Come see and meet these racing legends!
On Sunday, April 5th at 4:00 PM at the Harp & Hound Pub in Mystic, we will award trophies to the winning participants of the parade. We will also honor all of the hard working volunteers who help make the Mystic Irish Parade the success it is and the stature it is beginning to garner throughout New England. Lastly, we will hold the annual raffle drawing for a trip for 2 to Ireland. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Harp & Hound, Puritan & Genesta, Taber Inne and the Wireless Zone in Groton for $5 per ticket.
These gala events are organized by the Mystic Irish Parade Foundation, a consortium of local residents, businesspeople and volunteers who have joined ranks to make these annual events a community-wide cultural tradition. The parade is funded by proceeds from these events, the generosity of local business sponsorships and individual sale of raffle tickets. Surplus funds are donated to local charities. Last years donations included the Southeastern CT Women’s Center, Mystic Flag Pole Committee, Boy Scouts of America, Groton and Stonington Police Benevolent Associations, Centro de la Communidad of New London Groton Parks and Rec. Mystic YMCA, Salvation Army and Society of St. Edmund’s Retreat Center.
Major event sponsors for the 6th Annual Mystic St. Patrick’s Parade include Levine Distributors, Budweiser, F&F Distributors, Guinness 106.5 WBMW and Jammin’ 107.7. For more information, or to become a volunteer, please visit our website @ www.mysticirishparade.org.
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