Here’s the event poster for the festivities downtown this Saturday in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, beginning with a parade downtown, followed by the second annual Irish/American Idol competition at the Grand. Put a green bandanna on your dog and come on downtown!
See Griff’s 60+ photos from the 2005 parade (then called ‘Paddy Dazzle’) or this slideshow:
And see this 2007 video (by Gilly Wigley) of the Folding Chair Precision Marching Unit which included Northfield City Councilors Jim Pokorney and Noah Cashman.
Click to play. 20 seconds.
Get a head start on St. Patrick’s Day by celebrating Finnish / Nordic style!
Join us for the 4th annual St. Urho’s Day Fest/Dance in on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at the Eagles Club Main Hall (with a great wooden dance floor!) at 304 Water Street South in Northfield, Minn. Beginning dance instruction from 7-8 p.m. with Ralph Tutilla and Ruth Sylte. There will be a short program at 8 p.m. with a possible appearance by St. Urho himself, followed by music and dancing with Multe and Finn Hall. There is a $5 per person / $10 per family admission for the evening that goes to support the music.
Because this year’s celebration is on a Saturday, there is no Fish Fry — but there are plenty of great Northfield restaurants within easy walking distance, so come down early and grab something to eat before the party!
FINN HALL includes Johanna Doty (fiddle), Dennis Halme (accordion), Mary Oberg Hanf (bass), Cheryl Paschke (fiddle), Al Reko (accordion) and Ralph (Rauli) Tuttila (mandolin). Most of the band members have deep Finnish roots. They hope to be joined by vocalist Veikko Harala from Finland. The group is dedicated to preserving the music found in most Finnish-American communities from the late 1800s to the 1960s. They have performed nationally and internationally at ethnic festivals and events. Their music is especially appealing to dancers, from the high energy driving rhythms of Finnish polkas, humppas and jenkkas (schjottisches) to waltzes and tangos. They have played thoughout the upper Midwest and Finland. Finn Hall released their first CD, Muistelmia / Reflections, in 2002.
MULTE includes Jon Bjork (five-row chromatic accordion, guitar), Drew Dixon (guitar), Brad Easterson (fiddle, mandolin, recorder), Andrea Een (fiddle, Hardanger fiddle), Eric Paulson (bass), Ruth Sylte (piano accordion, melodeon, vocals) and Virginia Windschitl (fiddle). They play acoustic music from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faeroe Islands and Greenland) and their immigrant communities in North America, most of it dance tunes. All have deep Scandinavian roots and together they represent more than eight decades of experience playing traditional Nordic folk music. Members of Multe have performed at folk music/dance venues in Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the USA, including the American Swedish Institute, Musik ved Siljan, Nisswastamman, Nordlek and Norsk Hostfest.
For more information, see http://www.multe.org
There are TWO days to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Froggy Bottoms: Corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash are on the menu all day for both Saturday, March 15, and Monday, March 17. But the Party Day is Saturday, featuring Karaoke/DJ with Shannon Mills starting at 8 p.m. Shannon has something she is calling “The Wheel of Torture.” (Your guess is as good as mine—calling all masochists!) But prizes are also involved, free stuff and Guinness specials as well.
And über-Irishman Jim Bohnhoff (& Co.) will be lunching at Froggy’s around 11:30 on Saturday before the parade, so stop by and congratulate the 2008 Grand Marshal Mary Jo Feehan-Flockhart.
The O’Hvistendahl clan welcomes you to all the hoppings at Froggy Bottoms this Saturday and Monday!