28.03.2024

Spirit & Fun Of Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Lives On In Downtown Denver

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, community organizations are still unable to participate in the annual traditions they’ve brought to Colorado for decades including the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.

Those who look to the holiday and parade to come together and generate business hope the progress made responding to the coronavirus will bring back the festivities they love in 2022 while enjoying modified celebrations this year.

“We are more than over the moon to be out performing,” said Linnane Wick, the owner of the Wick School of Irish Dance. “The kids were extremely resilient. They worked very, very hard.”

Wick introduced some of her students as they performed at Q’s Pub and Grille in Littleton, one of many locations across the metro area where dancers showcased what they’ve learned over several months. Wick said they were teaching classes over video conference calls for months before it was safe to get together in-person last year.

“It was just the safest thing to do, and it was really difficult and it really disappointed people and it hurt a lot of businesses right off the bat,” said Elizabeth Price, a board member of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Price recalled the decision they made in 2020 and the similarity to the announcement made for this year based on the factors last fall, when they would have started preparations for the 2021 event. As a nonprofit, canceling your signature event two years in a row is a major financial hit.

The parade committee is likely one of the first to feel the full effect of two cycles impacted by COVID-19. But this year, they said they could keep the spirit of the parade and support local restaurants and bars. They also raised money for the Colorado Restaurant Association’s Hardship Fund.

“The parade is still here. These restaurants are still here. Come support them. Come dine,” Price told CBS4. “Come support and have some fun for Saint Patrick’s Day.”

Organizers hope they can bring the parade back to what people remember before the pandemic in 2022, in time for the 60th anniversary of the event. Those who perform year after year, like the Wick School, say they have their fingers crossed for a comeback but remain grateful to be back out in front of the public again.

“This is mighty exciting right now. We’ve conquered the worst of it,” Wick told CBS4.

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