Nobody wants to sit on the sidelines when their favorite holiday rolls around, and they certainly don’t want the day to get away without some form of celebratory recognition. That’s why last year, in March of 2019, John & Colleen Dooley, owners and operators of Dooley’s Lakehouse Pub in downtown New Buffalo unleashed an impromptu party in honor of one of their personal favorite days, St. Patrick’s Day.
Realizing that there was no celebration in town for one of their favorite holidays, the Dooley’s fired things up and by noon that day, the house was wall-to-wall with revel-rousers raising a collective pint to the Motherland of Ireland. Community members as well as city heads were in attendance and what was hatched next at that party was a grand idea to bring a St. Patrick’s Annual Parade and Party to the city of New Buffalo in the years to come.
Fast-forward to present-day 2020, and the vision that was just a small germ of an idea is now sprouting to a full-blown event this year.
Recognizing that when the cold March wind whips off of Lake Michigan, there can be no better way to beat the winter blues than donning your green, gathering for a huge Irish parade and then raising a pint of Guinness with community friends and family, the party is on.
Everyone is invited to join the City of New Buffalo, the owners of Dooley’s Lakehouse Pub and The New Buffalo Beach Club as they present the First Ever New Buffalo St. Patrick’s Parade and After-Party, taking place Saturday, March 7th in downtown New Buffalo.
As a nod to their friends in the Windy City, the Inaugural New Buffalo St. Patrick’s Parade will kick off with an iconic dying of the Galien River green at 9:30am, followed by a traditional St. Patrick’s Parade of over twenty floats, marching bands, bagpipers, dancers, custom choppers, classic cars, street performers and more, all stepping off at 11:00am. The parade will launch at the Whittaker Street Bridge and proceed through downtown, so secure your perfect sight-lines for viewing. The Grand Marshall for the event is the President of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, Dolly Duffy.
Then after the parade revelry, everyone is invited to head over to the “Shamrock Shenanigans” After-Party at Dooley’s Lakehouse Pub which will feature fantastic regional live music programming, a dance floor, traditional Irish Bagpipers, Irish fare, and drink specials, all under a heated, big top tent in Dooley’s parking lot. The Shamrock Shenanigans kick off at 11am and will be sham-rocking throughout the evening. Admission is only $10 per person, and 12 & under are free.
Here’s the entertainment lineup for the day:
- 9:30 Dye the Galien River Green
- 11:00 Parade Kickoff & Dooleys party opens
- 12:30 New Element – Celtic Rock Band
- 3:30 Bag Pipers at Dooley’s
- 4:00 Ginger and her Baked Goods Band
- 7:30 MG Bailey – One Man Band
- 9:00 Red Deluxe Band
Parade parking will be available in the city lot at the corner of Whittaker Street and Red Arrow Highway, on Oselka Drive near the Amtrak Station, at The Moorings and in public parking throughout the city of New Buffalo. Just keep an eye out for the signage.
Dooley’s Lakehouse Pub is located at 310 W. Buffalo Street in New Buffalo, and by phone at: (269) 469-2247. You can find them us online at: newbuffalostpatricksparade.com OR dooleyslakehouse.com or on Facebook and Instagram.
