In a weekend filled with Delaware Valley Celtic festivals, New Jersey is not about to be left out.
On Saturday, Garden State Irish can head to the first-ever Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Mount Holly, a fun-raiser to support the Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. And don’t worry about rain … it’s under a tent.
The event is sponsored by the parade committe and Mount Holly’s High Street Grille.
There will be plenty to see and do, according to organizer Jim Logue.
“We’ll have the Birmingham Six, The Shantys, Jamison and Paul Kennedy, along with the Lia Fail Pipes and Drums,” says Logue. “We’re going to have several tables with displays of Irish heritage and cultural groups, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Project Children, and the parade. There’ll also be vendors, and Irish dancers will perform at various times during the day. Food will be available, along with beer and soft drinks. And since it’s enclosed, it’ll be rain or shine.”
The Saturday, September 12, event starts at noon and goes to whenever. It will be held in the municipal parking lot behind the High Street Grille, along High Street. The cost is $10. All proceeds benefit the parade.
And this year, the parade, which costs about $20,000 to produce, needs a bit more of the ready. “This coming year,” says Logue, “we have the same problem the Philadelphia parade ran into last year—we have to pay for police coverage.”
So if you want to celebrate your Irishness on the Jersey side of the Delaware and help out a great cause at the same time, check out Mount Holly.
