HOUSTON – Deck out in your best green outfits and experience the luck of the Irish at the 63rd Annual Houston St. Patrick’s Parade! It starts at noon on Saturday, March 16 in Downtown Houston.
Did you know the parade is a family tradition passed down for generations?
Houston’s St. Patrick’s parade had a rich and complex history before it became the beloved family tradition it is today.
The first St. Patrick’s Parade was held in the 1880s. The parade continued for many years, but its popularity declined during the Great Depression and World War II.
However, the Irish spirit never faded away. The parade was revived in the 1940s when a Houston oilman named Glen McCarthy built the Shamrock Hotel in Houston.
Then, in the 1970s, Dr. Edward Kearns became parade chairman, the start of the family heritage. Doc Kearns was instrumental in forming a group known as the Original 45. This group included businessmen and citizens who helped contribute to the parade’s planning and financials. Today, they are known as the Irish 100. For more about the parade’s history, click here.
The Kearns family hosted the Annual Houston St. Patrick’s Parade for over 60 years. They’ve honored Irish celebrities and Houston’s greats. Actors Dennie O’Keefe and Dennis Day were among the first to serve as the parade’s grand marshal. Last year’s grand marshal was “The General” John McLain and the co-grand marshal was Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.
This year’s grand marshal was nominated by popular demand. You might recognize her from the Stage’s production of “Sister’s Irish Catechism: Saints, Snakes, and Green Milkshakes.” The Sister, played by Denise Fennell-Pasqualone, revealed how she was named the 63rd Annual Houston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade official grand marshal on Houston Life last week. Watch when she was on Houston Life as the Sister here.
Fennell-Pasqualone was back on Houston Life today with Sean Kearns, the parade chairman, and his son Connor Kearns, the junior parade chairman. Watch their full interview in the video above.
For more information about the committee organizing this event, click here
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