Downtown Emporia will be adopting an Irish theme Saturday, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Members of the St. Patrick’s Benefit Committee were guests on Wednesday’s Talk of Emporia discussing the final preparations for Saturday’s activities. Barb Ternes-Lowery says the committee gathers, at 9 am at Town Royal, to set their final game plan.
The beer garden at Town Royal will open at 10 am and the St. Patrick’s committee will have a table set up to sell raffle tickets, t-shirts, beads, and other swag. The Leprechaun Dash 5K – a part of the ERC Super Series – begins at 10:30.
Trey Sommers and Lowery encourage people to take part in the festive run.
Registration starts at 9:30. The 25th annual St. Patrick’s Parade begins at 1 pm, and runs north up Commercial from 4th Avenue to 12th. Sommers says to expect bagpipers before, during, and after the parade. The bagpipers will also be with the Benefit committees float, to close the parade.
The committee has named the late Michael Turnbull as the parade’s Grand Marshall. Sommers says Turnbull was a long-time supporter of the committee but had turned down being the Grand Marshall for several years. An empty car will lead off the parade, to honor Turnbull.
The Benefit Committee is looking to raise $30,000, to benefit 24 local organizations, and have raised over $20,000 through their auction and other activities.
The raffle drawing will take place at Town Royal between 3 and 3:30 pm, and you need not be present to win. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20. There are three prizes: A 55-inch TV from Triad Leasing; a side of processed beef from the Lauer-Robbins Ranch; and a night’s stay at the Gufler Mansion.
