The 40th annual St. Patrick Society Grand Parade will take place March 14. The day begins with Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church in Rock Island, Illinois, at 10 a.m. The parade will start at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of 4th Avenue and 23rd Street in Rock Island. The parade will travel across the Talbot/Centennial Bridge to Third Street in Davenport and proceed east to the RiverCenter. A post-parade bash will take place at the RiverCenter from 1-4 p.m.
Iowa-bound traffic on the Talbot/Centennial Bridge will be detoured to the Arsenal Bridge or I-280 from 11 a.m. to approximately 1:30 p.m. Illinois-bound traffic only will proceed to the Illinois-bound lanes from the on-ramp to the bridge at W. 2nd Street and Brown in Davenport.
Parade organizers are most interested in participants expressing the spirit of St. Patrick and Irish heritage. Family walking units and Irish-themed decorated floats are welcome. Applicants of a purely commercial theme, or no theme at all, are not permitted. For more information visit stpatsqc.org or email the parade committee at spsparade@me.com.
On March 13, the Grand Marshal, Irish Mother of the Year, and scholarship recipient will be introduced at the Gathering of the Clan Luncheon at the RiverCenter. For luncheon reservations contact Vic Quinn at vicquinn2016@gmail.com.
The St. Patrick Society is seeking applications for Irish Mother of the Year through Feb. 28. All nominations must be original letters of approximately 150 words. A nominee should be involved with family, church and community, have a good sense of humor and demonstrate pride in her Irish ancestry. The nominee must be able to attend the St. Patrick Society Gathering of the Clan Luncheon on March 13, and the Grand Parade and the post-parade bash on March 14. Mail nominations to St. Patrick Society Attn. Irish Mother Nomination, P.O. Box 4487, Davenport, Iowa 52808. Please make sure all contact information is legible.
Students interested in applying for the $1,500 scholarship can pick up an application from their high school counselor, from Matt Wissing at wissingm@yahoo.com or at stpatsqc.com. Eligible applicants must be related to a current member of the St. Patrick Society and be able to give evidence of the ability to pursue a college or university education, as substantiated by grade point average, class standing, and SAT/ACT scores. Involvement in extracurricular school and community activities also will be considered. Letters of recommendation from educators, counselors, employers and others are helpful. Applicants are not judged on basis of need. Applications should be mailed to St. Patrick Society Scholarship, P.O. Box 4487, Davenport, Iowa 52808. Applications received by Feb. 25 will be considered.
Details for all St. Patrick’s weekend events can be found at stpatsqc.com.
