The 29th Annual Irishpalooza St. Patrick’s festivities in Martin City kicked off Sunday, March 13th following the 4th annual Whiskey Run 5k race. While it was overcast most of the day, the temperature was in the 60’s so it turned out to be a great day! After the race, the furbabies got things started off.
Best Dressed Dog Contest
The Martin City Animal Hospital coordinated the Best Dressed Dog Contest with their own Dr. Libby as the emcee. The contest began at 11:30 a.m. in the event tent. There was a great turnout and we saw some pretty cool costumes! There were even a few that went along with the Ewoks and Shamrocks theme and had Star Wars costumes on!
TOP DOGS
First place went to Duke, the 7 1/2 year old male Great Dane. Second place went to Annie, the 8 year old Pomeranian Irish Princess Leia. Third place went to Ashley, the 11 year old English Bulldog.
Prince & Princess Contest
Once again, the Prince and Princess contest brought out the cutest of the cutest, all with the hopes of being crowned as the new Irishpalooza Prince and Princess. We had quite a few Star Wars characters among the contestants, keeping with this years theme “Ewoks and Shamrocks.” Sponsored by The Gerber Insurance Group, Commerce Bank and Martin City School K-8, this is one of the most popular highlights of the day!
Congratulations to the 2016 Irishpalooza Prince and Princess!
St. Patrick’s Parade
The 2016 Parade was a party this year! The Grand Marshals were Dana Wright and Scott Parks of the Dana and Parks afternoon show on KMBZ radio. Dana had her English bulldog, Tank, with her and Scott had his family ride along.
The 2016 parade judges included Thomas Bias, Owner of Premier Mazda; Katie Van Luchen, former executive editor of KC Magazine; Kevin McManus, City Council representative of KC’s 6th District; Dr. Ginger Stiver, owner of Dental Care Center of South KC; Kimberly Winter Stern, award-winning food, travel and lifestyle writer. Our fantastic emcee for the parade was John Holt, Co-Anchor for Fox 4 News.
The parade began at 2:00 p.m. and it was such a nice day outside that people came out early to have lunch in Martin City and claim a spot to watch the parade. A BIG Thank you goes out to the KCMO Police Department for doing such a fantastic job regulating the huge crowd we had this year!
We had over 60 entries – a great mix of floats, individual family entries, drill teams, auto clubs, dignitary cars, kid’s clubs and animal groups.
Parade Winners
Overall best parade entry = Red Bridge Winding River Pet Village ($600 Prize)
Overall best 2nd place parade entry = A tie between Ewoks & Shamrocks and River Ridge Homeowners Association ($300 Prize)
Overall best 3rd place parade entry = Pier Masters/KC Master ($100 Prize)
RC’s Best in Show = Ewoks & Shamrocks
Don Harman Most Humorous Entry = To Day Is My Lucky Day sponsored by Rub Bar B Que
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO OUR 2016 PARADE SPONSORS!
All Seasons Event Rental
Central States Beverage
City of Kansas City, MO Neighborhood and Tourism Development Fund
Coffee News
Commerce Bank
Eagle Gymnastics
Fireball
George’s Import
Hangers Cleaners
Heartland Services, Inc.
Irish Crystal Company
Jack Stack Barbecue
Jackson County Advocate
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jess & Jim’s Steakhouse
KC Running Company
Martin City Animal Hospital
Martin City Brewing Company
Martin City Community Improvement District (MCCID)
Martin City Sports Complex
Midwest Heating Cooling and Plumbing
MMC Contractors
Pepsi
Premier Mazda
RC’s Restaurant
Rob Sight Ford
Rosehill Gardens
Sidelines Custom Floral
Smithfield Foods
South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Suburban Lawn and Garden
The Gerber Insurance Group
ThinkViral
U.S. Foods
US Toy, Constructive Playthings
Volleyball Beach
Hope to see everyone back next year!
CLICK HERE to view more parade photos.
For more information about parade day events, visit the Irishpalooza parade website. For further information or specific questions about the race or the parade, please contact Martin City’s Executive Director at 816-308-1023.