Happy St. Patrick's Day
Showing posts with label St. Patrick's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Patrick's Day. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Secrets behind McDonald’s Shamrock St. Patrick’s Day milkshake - SEE VIDEO
The charitable background to the St. Patrick's Day special
By CATHY HAYES, Staff Writer
Finally the secrets behind the McDonald's best-selling Shamrock Shake have been revealed. Strangely, the bright green minty treat dates back to the 1970, and its story is based on charity.
The Shamrock Shake was developed in 1970, according to McDonald's. However, according to reports on Delish.com, Harold Rosen, who owned a McDonald's in Connecticut, claims he invented the popular holiday drink in 1966.
The McDonalds website says, "It all began with a little girl, a football team, and a visionary doctor."
The Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment. The Hill family were camping out in waiting rooms in hospitals and saw other families doing the same. They realized that many families travelling long distances to visit their sick family members had nowhere to stay and could not afford hotel rooms. The Hill family did something about it.
Hill and his team decided to raise some funds. The team's general manager, Jim Murray, called a friend in McDonald's advertising and suggested the team on the next promotional push. It just happened to be St. Patrick's Day.
The Shamrock Shake raised enough money to buy a four-story house which was the first Ronald McDonald House Charity.
Imagine -- the Shamrock Shake now has 21,500 fans on Facebook and is second in popularity only to the McRib, and that sandwich had a "Simpsons" episode dedicated to it!
Here’s a hilarious ad for the Shamrock Shake from 1983:
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saint Patrick's Day Drinks
A wise man once said that anyone acquainted with Ireland knows that the morning of St. Patrick’s Day consists of the night of the 17th of March flavored strongly with the morning of the 18th. So yeah, one can infer there’s definitely some drinking going on. But the real question is, what do you drink?
read more | digg story
10 Best St. Patrick’s Day Festivals in the U.S.
St. Patrick’s Day started out as a religious holiday commemorating the patron saint of Ireland. Today “St. Paddy’s” in America has become a celebration of Irish food, culture, and drink, as well as anything having to do with the color green. Typically observed with loud music, dancing, parades and green beer, St. Patrick’s Day festivities happen everywhere in the country, and they are perfect opportunities for beer enthusiasts everywhere to come together and have their fill.
No matter where in America you live, chances are there’s going to be a festival in a city near you come March 17. Below is a list of what we think are the top 10 St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S.
1. Downtown Chicago
Downtown Chicago hosts one the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country. It begins with the world-famous dyeing of the Chicago River. The huge, vibrant green river flowing through the middle of the city is a must-see sight.
After the dying of the river, people cluster up along Columbus Drive to witness the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, replete with pipe bands, giant floats, Irish dancers and tons of other entertainers commemorating Irish culture. Then it’s on to the nightlife, as the party continues in the many Downtown Chicago bars and nightclubs.
2. Boston
St. Patrick’s Day first came to America in 1737, and the holiday was first celebrated in none other than Boston, Massachusetts. Over 850,000 people show up every year to this Irish bash, many of them from out of state. And with the population of the city being 16% Irish, Boston hosts one of the most enthusiastic St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country.
Boston starts partying a full week before St. Patrick’s Day. This year, the city will host the fourth annual Gaelic Gourmet Gala, featuring top chefs from Ireland and Boston. Throughout the week there will be Irish band concerts as well as beer and food specials at bars and restaurants, like the 75 Chestnut, for those who dress their Irish best. On the 15th, South Boston hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country, with an estimated 600,000 people showing up.
3. Washington D.C.
There are many, many celebratory events and activities throughout the Nation’s capitol come St. Paddy’s Day. The most famous of these is probably the Shamrock Festival at the RFK Stadium. It happens on March 14 and it’s an all-day event showcasing over 50 Irish bands, dancers, games and other activities.
There’s a huge parade the following day, featuring bagpipe players, and Irish folk dancers, as well as the required floats and marching bands.
4. New York City
New York City has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a parade since 1762. They expect well over 1 million people to show up. There are over 150,000 marchers alone. Green beer and the sound of bagpipes will be everywhere in the streets of NYC.
If you get there a few days earlier, take the time to make the pilgrimage to the beautiful St. Patrick’s Cathedral as well as the many Irish Pubs and Bars scattered throughout the city.
5. St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is by far the best mid-western city for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. To start, Michelob sponsors a 5 mile run on the 14th. There is then a huge St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown St. Louis, featuring character balloons, Irish dancers, equestrians and large floats.
At night, the celebration crescendos as people head off the many bars and pubs in the area offering festive drinks, plenty of green beer and Irish food.
6. Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with parade since 1825. What started out as a modest affair has turned into one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country. Savannah’s parade draws crowds of over 400,000 people.
Dying the city’s fountains green is one of the traditions unique to the city. Seeing the green fountains, as spring starts creeping up on the Georgia city is one of the most enjoyable sights you can witness.
7. San Francisco, California
In the western United States, you won’t find a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that’s bigger or richer in history than the one that takes place in San Francisco. Called one of the most fashionable parades in the country, San Francisco’s St. Patrick’s Day parade follows the city’s iconic trolley tracks.
Afterwards the nightlife gets livelier throughout the city’s many Irish bars and pubs, as the celebration draws thousands of people from all over the state.
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has been celebrating the famous Irish holiday since 1771. The city’s annual parade is the second oldest parade in the country, and it is organized by the Saint Patrick’s Observance Association. The parade draws about 500,000 people and this year, it will be held on March 15th. There will be thousands of marchers and CBS will be broadcasting the event live.
9. Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City first held a St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1873. Today the event draws a crowd of about 200,000 spectators. One of the things unique to this particular parade is that the grand prize winner of the procession gets an all-expense paid trip to Ireland, so participants really give it their all.
After the parade, head over to Westport, where you’ll find some of the best post-parade drinking and partying establishments in town.
10. Dublin, Ohio
There are nine cities in the United States named Dublin, but Dublin, Ohio is the one that lives up to its name the most, especially when St. Patrick’s Day comes around. The city hosts a miles-long parade featuring floats, bands and leprechauns. There are plenty of post-parade bashes to attend.
If you are in the mood to explore some of the city’s Irish heritage, you can head over to the Historic District, and enjoy some Irish food and Celtic music.
The Sexy Girls of Saint Patrick’s Day
www.gunaxin.com — sexy-st-patricks-day-girls-135 Top o’ the morning to you! For most people St. Patrick’s Day is about two things, the wearing of the green and getting drunk (forget the corned beef and cabbage). Now we have a whole category on this site devoted to beer, so I think the latter part is well covered. ...
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