4 Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Gastonia, NC
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and with it comes a multitude of ways to celebrate. Here are several ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day locally by wearing green and doing other Irish traditions, including everything from obstacle course runs to food and much more.
Emerald Isle will host its 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day festival this weekend. According to Festival Director Alesia Sanderson, the event was created to boost the economy in what is called the shoulder season, the time before the traditional tourism season that begins with Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. It was themed around St. Patrick’s Day as an homage to the name of the city, Emerald Isle.
The festival will include two live stages of entertainment, according to Sanderson. There will also be a beer garden, crafts vendors, a “dozen or so” nonprofits and 18 food vendors selling everything from corn beef to crab cakes. The festival will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. All the crafts sold are handmade or hand-authenticated.
The presenting sponsors, Transportation Impact, will be randomly giving out Uber ride coupons as part of a “Sip Smarter Drive Less Initiative.” According to Sanderson, this was inspired by a company member’s spouse being hit and seriously injured by a drunk driver.
Also unique to this year’s festival will be a noontime moment of silence on Saturday to honor the late Atlantic Beach Fire Chief Adam Snyder, Sanderson said, who died March 11 from injuries sustained in a skiing incident. The moment of silence will be followed by bagpipers playing a tribute melody.
Local Harley-Davidson dealerships will host a Sham-Rock & Roll Ride this weekend, a St. Patrick’s Day-themed fundraiser involving motorcycles, dice and lots of green. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, starting at the New River and Carolina Coast Harley-Davidson locations.
Riders can sign up on the day of the event by going to whichever dealership is closest to them. The cost is $20 for one rider, $5 for a passenger and $5 for an extra shamrock. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.
The sixth annual St. Paddy’s Engineer Challenge 5 mile will be hosted by the Marine Corps Community Services at 8 a.m. on March 16 at the Courthouse Bay aboard Camp Lejeune. The course was designed by the Marine Corps Engineer School, according to MCCS spokesperson Ralph Lewter, originally for the Marines’ use. But in 2013, the course was offered for the MCCS to use. Each year since then, the Engineer School has built new obstacles for the course.
To sign up, visit the MCCS Camp Lejeune website. While it is too late to sign up for base access for the event, those who have base access are welcome to sign up as late as the day of the event.
The Angry Ginger Irish Pub will host a three-day St. Patrick’s Day festival beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday. The festival will include a karaoke contest, live music, vendors and plenty of green beer. The Sunday part of the festival will be family friendly and will include rides and amusements. Reservations are not accepted for the festival. It will operate on a first-come first-serve basis. Carolina Ale House will host a Kegs and Eggs event at 10 a.m. on Sunday, serving green beer and eggs with live music.
Dukenfields Tavern will host their annual St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl beginning at the bar’s location in Half Moon. The event is $45 and includes a seat on the bus, Jell-O shots, a pub crawl T-shirt and beads.
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