St. Patrick’s Day is one of the many holidays that countries around the world celebrate. According to the International TEFL Academy, there are around 17 different countries that celebrate this day. It is mainly celebrated across Europe, but there are also parties in Asia, South America, and North America. This event has been widespread due to the immigration of the Irish population. Many Irish immigrants came to the Americas between 1820 and 1930. In the U.S., there are many Irish communities, including in Iowa. People can find restaurants, shops, and musical groups in their local areas.
The SaPaDaPaSo parade has been a part of Cedar Rapids history for many years. SaPaDaPaSo stands for St. Patrick’s Day Parade Society. It all started with a man named Pat Fitzpatrick. He wanted to bring in community involvement to help celebrate the holiday. In 1975, Fitzpatrick decided to bring a small group of people to walk across the bridge. They carried signs and wore costumes to spread their Irish charm. Everyone met at Ted’s Happy Time before the parade, which is now a very important factor. They have supported the existence of this celebration and helped publicize it by putting the name on their napkins. The celebration has grown greatly throughout the years. This is now the 49th year of the event, and they ensured that it went well. The society part of the parade is one of the most important aspects. There are now around 12-15 people who are involved with the parade society, and the number is continuing to grow. The president of the SaPaDaPaSo parade is Christeen Faille. She has greatly enjoyed her time as president and is always happy to help out the community. Faille has brought amazing changes to the celebration which has helped improve the attendance.
But, not every year has gone as planned. There have been cold, rainy, and windy days for this celebration. Then when Covid hit, it was a whole new ball game. There were many new precautions that had to be followed. No one could leave their houses or interact with others. This was a big roadblock for the event. They had to cancel the parade for that year and start focusing on the next. There were safety protocols that had to be created, and everyone had to wear masks. This was one of the hardest years they had ever had. “We ended up having a race track parade… at Hawkeye Downs Racetrack where we placed all of the floats in the center, and then the cars would drive around to see all the floats,” said Faille. But after everything started to settle, they got to go back to the regular celebration, and this is how the celebration is now. The outcomes of the parade now vary, and it also depends on the year. They had their best year for the parade 12 years ago. “It was 2012. It was almost 80 degrees…and there was an estimate at some point that someone thought there were around 50,000 people,” said Faille.
The parade isn’t the only event that is a part of the SaPaDaPaSo society. They have had euchre tournaments in the past and have now started a new event called Hooley. They hosted the Irish Celtic Band and had silent auction baskets. During the Hooley, they gave away a free trip to Ireland or anywhere of the winner’s choice through a raffle. This is their biggest fundraiser, which helps pay for the police at the event and many other expenses. Because the celebration is only once a year, it can be hard to raise money. There have been some companies that are now involved in supporting the funds for the celebration.
The SaPaDaPaSo parade is an amazing celebration to go to. The board is hoping that it is going to grow more in the years to come. They want to create additional events to bring more of an audience. It is such a fun and family-friendly event and is one that everyone should get to experience.
