Community Corner

Royal Oak's St. Patrick's Day Parade Marches Forward in the Green

Thanks to the generosity of members of the community, the parade will step down Washington Avenue for the 11th year.

Royal Oak's St. Patrick’s Day parade will march forward, thanks to an email address book and the generosity of its entries.

When Shelly Kemp, executive director of the , sent an email to pals for ideas on how to save the St. Patrick’s Day parade — which was grappling with funding — little did she know that less than two weeks later, the organizers of the parade would announce to City Commissioners that they were well on their way to reaching their $3,000 goal.

Instead of ideas, Kemp got cash.

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The parade used to get most of its funding from the Norman O'Brien Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and its bingo proceeds, said Carol Hennessey, one of the parade’s organizers.

“When the AOH shut down its bingo games, there was no money left to fund the parade,” she said.

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Thanks to the generosity of the community, Hennessey said, the group has half the money it needs.

“With more donations and a fundraiser, we’ll have the money we need,” she said. “And if we don’t, we’ll do another fundraiser. Everyone has been so generous so far.”

So the St. Patrick’s Day parade is on.

Save the dates

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

  • Where: , 214 E. Fourth St.
  • When: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 16.
  • Price: $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 10.
  • What’s included: The evening includes spaghetti, salad and bread, and Irish entertainment. Homemade baked goods will be available for purchase.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

  • Where: The parade begins at and heads south down Washington Avenue to Seventh Street and continues west and ends at
  • When: 11 a.m. March 10.

Be part of the parade

Call 248-541-2500 or email s2600z@yahoo.com for information on how you or your organization can be a part of the parade.

Make a donation

Send donations to AOH St. Patrick’s Day Parade, P.O. Box 1520, Royal Oak, MI 48067-9988. Make checks payable to “AOH.”


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