March 4, 2003 – Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, or at least on St. Croix they are, according to one of the coordinators and founders of the annual Christiansted parade and street party now in its 34th year.
What is now one of St. Croix's most revered holidays began on a "lazy afternoon" over drinks at the old Office Bar (now Paradise Café) on the corner of Company and Queen Cross Streets, according to Kathleen Sullivan Gross.
Gross recalls that she, her husband, Daryl, and several customers were sitting around discussing the fervor about holidays in the Virgin Islands. "We couldn't figure out why we shouldn't introduce another one," Gross says. With no template for beginning a new holiday celebration but a passion for St. Paddy's Day, she says, the group organized a time for everyone to gather and wear as much green as possible.
"One of the members had a flatbed truck, and we put the piano on top of the truck — which ruined it, by the way — and I sang songs and played," Gross says, as the group paraded throughout Christiansted town. They decorated the truck with green, orange and white streamers, and any number of people in town stopped what they were doing to join in the fun.
"It was very congenial, or, you could put it that way. People actually followed the truck and came back to the Office Bar," Gross says. The next year, they had a block party after the parade and gave away hotdogs and sodas.
However, that first impromptu parade spawned a tradition. The celebration has now grown to be a much-anticipated event with a mission — brotherhood among people of all cultures and creeds, Gross says.
The St. Patrick's Day celebration also has raised funds for local charities through the sale of commemorative T-shirts. Over the years, Gross says, thousands of dollars has been given to the Queen Louise Home for Children, St. Croix Animal Shelter and many other groups.
She says this year's beneficiary has not yet been decided upon.
So far, about 30 entries have signed on to vie for awards in several categories in this year's parade. The theme is "Irish heart; Crucian soul," and winners will be chosen in both children's and adult divisions. Criteria for the judging include how much green is worn, music, costumes, creativity and originality.
For those unfamiliar with St. Paddy's parades, Crucian style, Gross points out that they are not quite on a par with this year's 50th anniversary Crucian Festival processions. An island Irish parade "only lasts about 45 to 50 minutes," she explains.
Although St. Patrick's Day is March 17, the 2003 parade will be held on the preceding Saturday, March 15. It's to start promptly at 11 a.m. The floats are to line up near Fort Christiansvaern. They will proceed up Company Street to Market Square then down King Street to the judges' panel that will be seated above FirstBank, formerly Chase Manhattan Bank.
The grand marshal of this year's parade is St. Thomas resident Thomas "Eddie" Donoghue, a native of Montserrat, which has a strong Irish element in its cultural heritage.
Gross points out that the celebration "won't stop right after the parade." Several bars and restaurants will be featuring St. Patrick's Day food and drink specials and music, and the revelry will likely continue well into the afternoon.
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