Emporia’s annual St. Patrick’s day activities once again saw a tremendous turnout from the local community Saturday afternoon.
As always, the list of events included the annual St. Patrick’s Committee parade, a beer garden at Town Royal and the seventh annual Downtown Emporia Bar Association pub crawl. New to the list of activities this year was Emporia Main Street’s Spring Fling shopping event throughout the downtown corridor.
Main Street Community Development Coordinator Jessica Buchholz says being able to dovetail off an event that is so well attended each year was a great opportunity not only for Main Street but for the various businesses involved.
The Main Street shopping event was just one of the major changes to this year’s activities as the St. Patrick’s Committee decided to move away from its traditional public fundraising efforts. Committee member Mark Kosek says that was not an easy decision to make, however, doing so is allowing the committee to focus more on the community atmosphere and less on money raised.
Kosek also told KVOE News there is a likelihood the committee will continue to support various causes and efforts within the local community, however, that support will likely be more focused on singular projects and causes rather than upwards of 20-30 community groups as in the past.
In addition to the above-mentioned activities, the Kansas City St. Andrew’s Pipes and Drums made their return to the community performing both during and after the parade.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon and Chuck Samples/KVOE NewsÂ
