By Bell Sports on March 17th, 2010 / Add a Comment
Filed in: Festival, Festivals, bicycle events, biking, general biking, holiday
Top O’ the morning, err, evening to you and happy St. Patrick’s Day! While most of the 2010 parades took place over the weekend, today is the public holiday on the island of Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland).
St. Patrick’s day is widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
We’re not going to go into the specifics about the history of the holiday, as you can find that elsewhere on the Web, but here are a few options for some of best bicycling (and non-bicycling)-related events taking place across the US.
The Wheeling Wheelmen of Buffalo Grove, IL are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Ride on March 21. With the slogan “What the heck … anybody can ride when it’s warm!” these Illini Wheelmen (and women) will ride 36 miles through beautiful, but cold, Northeast Illinois. Cost is $10 and children under 12 are free!
In Terre Haute, Indiana the 30-mile NRBC St. Patrick’s Day Ride takes place March 21, 2010.
In an effort to raise awareness that drunken driving is preventable, the Milwaukee County Transit and MillerCoors are teaming up to provide free bus rides from 6pm until the end of regular service on Wednesday night to those celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. (WinonaDailyNews.com)
In Los Angeles the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade has been suspended for 2010, however the city was determined to have some sort of celebration, so a St. Patrick’s Day Festival at L.A. Live is scheduled to take place today from 11am to 3pm, with a stage ceremony at 12:30pm.
In Ft. Lauderdale, MI the pedicabs come out in full force for St. Patrick’s Day. These “St. Patty peddlers” adorn shamrock shirts, and leprechaun beards in full spirit of the Patron Saint of Ireland, so if you’re out enjoying drinks for the holiday be sure to patronize one of them.
Photo found on TransitMiami.com courtesy Ocean View Rickshaw
Looking for something to do in the Portland, OR area? Check out PDX Pipeline for what they consider three of the best celebrations.
In San Francisco, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in North Beach shuts down Green Street at Columbus on the 17th for an all night festival of beer and Irish music and dancing. This event did not take place in 2009, but was brought back by popular demand! (SF.FunCheap.com)
For anyone looking for a fun time out, there are food and beverage specials, as well as bicycle rides and marathons in just about every city and every town. We hope you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year and in years to come with a bicycle ride! Let us know how you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by leaving a comment below.
