With the coming of spring and warmer weather, it’s hard to find a better way to celebrate March than with St. Patrick’s Day.
Students and families all around Montgomery County have gathered together to celebrate this traditional Irish holiday in honor of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Here are just a few fun ways for residents to celebrate the holiday with loved ones.
Many families enjoyed the sunshine in honor of St. Patrick’s Day by attending the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 14 at the Lake Forest Plaza. This year marks Montgomery County’s 15th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Friends and family gathered together to enjoy live performances, entertainment, family activities, and wonderful shopping at RIO. In the spirit of the jolly occasion, there were also amusement rides, like a carousel and train, courtesy of the local Shady Grove Hospital.
Another festive way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is through dance. The Union Jack’s establishment at Bethesda hosted a ‘St. Paddy’s Day Celebration party’. The restaurant served a free, authentic Irish breakfast on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day from 8 am-10am and special, Irish-style lunches and dinners, featuring Guinness Irish Stew, Corned Beef & Cabbage, and Cottage Pie.
Montgomery County residents also had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the beautiful mansion at Strathmore for a regal Irish tea festival. Starting at 1pm on St. Patrick’s Day, families came together to taste Irish cuisine, drink Irish tea whilst chatting with family and friends, and dancing to traditional Celtic music.
Finally, after all of the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day draw to a close, students can celebrate the end of the holiday and the beginning of spring with an Open Mike and Potluck Day at The Historic Hyattstown Mill on March 21. All are welcome to gather together as a community to listen to poets, story-tellers, and musicians as we ring in the new spring season.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Akanksha Girish of Richard Montgomery.