Irish taking over downtown for St. Paddy's Day parade

With a wee bit o' Irish luck, a red state will turn green this weekend.

Thousands are expected to turn out for the 2009 St. Patrick's Day parade, a bagpipe-blarin', tartan takeover of Salt Lake City's downtown Saturday.

"There's that old saying," Joe Brown, the parade's chairman said, "everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day."

The parade starts at 10 a.m. and will follow the same route as recent years. From the intersection of 400 West and 200 North, all units will "march with great precision smartly south on 400 West," turn west at 50 North and then south on Rio Grande, through the center of The Gateway.

It will be the 30th year the Hibernian Society of Utah has held the event, and the parade has enjoyed its share of growth during the decades, Brown said.

The 1979 parade featured about a half dozen charter members marching down State Street, he said. The number of entries has grown to 134 this year, said parade co-chairman Greg Neville.

"And we're still accepting entries," Neville said with a laugh. "We had a cutoff date, but we'll take anybody right up to the last minute. It's a parade for everybody."

The parade will feature Irish families, step dancers and local dignitaries, including Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, University of Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham and Catholic Bishop John C. Wester of the Salt Lake Diocese.

Mac's Band, known for its satirical take on current events, will also perform.

Dr. John Wilson, one of the parade's original participants, will be the grand marshal.

Following the parade, the Hibernian Society will host its Siamsa, a daylong gala of music, dancing, food and drinks.

The performances start at 10:30 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 279 S. 300 West.

For more information, visit www.irishinutah.org.

E-MAIL: afalk@desnews.com