Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Sure the city of Akron’s celebratory parade was Saturday, but that just means we can celebrate St. Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints, twice!
The holiday is celebrated on the Emerald Isle where it originated with considerably more reverence than on these shores where it’s sometimes reduced to an excuse for overindulgence of alcohol, terrible attempts at an Irish and Celtic brogue and cheap green beer that looks and often tastes the same coming up as it does going down.
We want readers to party as heartily (and as safely) as possible so here are some suggestions as to how and where to get your party started.
First you could go to Mass.
Cleveland parade
Akron held its 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday — a few days ahead of the actual day.
But if one parade isn’t enough, partake in more St. Paddy’s Day revelry beginning at 1:04 p.m. Thursday. Cleveland will hold its 149th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade with all the usual pageantry, including the O’Hare School of Irish Dance, several pipe and drum bands, the Irish Setter and Irish Wolfhounds of Northeast Ohio, area school bands and Cleveland Pioneers Total Abstinence Association among many others.
The parade begins on Superior Avenue and East 18th Street and will last about two hours, giving presumably non-working revelers plenty of daylight for maximum indulging in what has become one of America’s favorite drinking holidays.
Pints and music
After spending two hours watching the Cleveland parade, you can continue the celebration downtown.
The House of Blues at 308 Euclid Ave. is holding its 12th annual St. Patrick’s Day Party.
The “pints, partying and music” begin at 8 a.m. and will feature the Prodigals jig punk Irish band along with some DJs in the Music Hall, and in the adjacent smaller Cambridge Room will be the Pogues tribute band the Boys From the County Hell at 9 a.m., followed by Irish-American band Marys Lane and finally DJ Gene.
Akron venue
If you’re looking for an authentic Irish/Celtic atmosphere and music in Akron, the downtown venue and bar Jilly’s Music Room, 111 N. Main St., is playing host to the long-running (they still have a MySpace page!) area old-school Irish/Celtic band The Mickey’s.
The band will perform from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
If that show is after your St. Paddy’s Day bedtime, you can also catch them earlier in the day when they perform from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ancient Order of Hibernians, 2000 Brown St., Akron.
Kegs and Eggs
For folks who like to watch the sunrise with a pint in hand, the Barley House, 222 S Main St., in downtown Akron will open its doors and taps at 6 a.m. for “Kegs and Eggs.”
If you and your crew are still ambulatory in the afternoon, you can sing-a-long with the Shaffer Brothers at 2 p.m.
Early risers
Brubaker’s Pub, 357 S. Main St., in Akron is likewise inviting everyone to an even earlier — take that Barley House — start of the day at 5:30 a.m. with breakfast until 11 a.m.
To go with your eggs there will be kegs of green beer and plenty of Irish cocktails.
If you are one of the early birds who starts throwing back Guinness and Jameson shots early enough, your friends and neighbors will have an opportunity to listen as 98.1 WKDD will be doing a live remote from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Brubaker’s is offering a free shuttle to all of its pubs from noon to 7 p.m.
Irish music
Things will be hopping at Sully’s Irish Pub, 117 W. Liberty St., in Medina. The pub opens at 7 a.m. and has auctioned off some of its prime real estate (booths and tables) in three-hour increments to raise money for the Trinity Rose Foundation. At 1 p.m., LochErie will share its blend of Irish, Celtic, folk and maritime music.
Magazine party
Area arts and culture magazine The Devil Strip is celebrating its first anniversary with an official The Devil Strip’s St. Patty’s Day 1st Anniversary Party at downtown live music spot Musica, 51 E. Market St.
The St. Paddy’s part seems more like a result of calendar happenstance than any specific Irish cultural celebration. Happy hour begins at 5 p.m. with DJ Blues4Bird and later at 8 p.m. DJ Steve Savanyu takes it old school with a mix of 12-inch vinyl and late 1970s dance music throughout the night.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758. Read his blog, Sound Check Online, at www.ohio.com/blogs/sound-check, like him on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1lNgxml and/or follow him on Twitter @malcolmabramABJ.