St. Patrick's Day Celebration 2011
Lake of the Ozarks
One celebration that paints the world green, literally, is St Patrick's Day. The event, in remembrance of the patron saint of Ireland, is now being celebrated in various parts of the world, thanks to the Irish outreach. In the Lake of the Ozarks, which can be called "the land where celebration never ends", St Patrick's Day is another reason to celebrate and make merry.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations at the Ozarks are second only to the ones held in Ireland, which takes pride in honoring its patron saint. Thousands of visitors from various parts of the globe plan their holidays to the Ozarks around this time to witness the grand celebrations. Many prominent people from various parts of the world are invited as special guests to this event. This is another reason for the increased inflow of people since they get a chance to meet the personalities they idolize.
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St. Patrick's Day Celebration - Event Photos
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The Bagnell Strip Association is responsible for conducting the parade and the various events associated with the celebrations. This strip is closed for the general public for the two days that the event is on. One of the most prominent personalities to take part in the parade is the Miss Missouri title winner crowned in that particular year.
St. Patrick's Day celebrations at the Ozarks bring out the true Irish spirit and salute their culture. The Irish parade, complete with floats and marching bands, is flagged off by the Grand Marshall of the event. It starts from Bagnell Strip and traverses through various part of the Ozarks distributing candies, trinkets and other goodies to eager onlookers before reaching the point it started from, four hours after flag off. Prizes are given away to the best floats and best costumes on display during the parade.
There are innumerable food booths set up at the Ozarks to cater to the thousands of visitors who pour into the Ozarks for the celebrations. Bagnell Strip Association ensures that there is no dearth to food or drinks during the celebrations, irrespective of the time of the day or night.
The Irish Idol contest is also held as a part of the celebrations at the Ozarks. The contestants of this event will have to display their musical talent by singing songs that have an Irish origin or are based on Irish themes. A personal audio system, is addition to a CD player, is provided to each contestant so they can come up with their own background music. The winner of the contest is decided based on their musical talent, originality, on-stage presence and how well they keep the crowd entertained. This is one of the key highlights of the St Patrick's Day celebrations at the Lake of the Ozarks.
All the participants of the parade get a chance to participate in various other competitions that are conducted all through the day. You can contest in the best floats competition if you or your company has sponsored a float. You can register for the best costume event if you have donned a costume that stands out from the rest of the crowd. The best Irish theme competition is another event that you can try your hand at.
If you are wondering if the celebrations are on only during the day, wait till you read this. Lake of the Ozarks turns into a playground for adults in the night which is when the St Patrick's Day Pub Crawl commences. With children out of sight, it is no-restrictions event for adults who set a new meaning for "drink and go crazy". Drink, dine and make merry just like the Irish do, but in the heart of the United States.
To witness all this fun and more, make a beeline to the Ozarks on March 12th, 2011 and be present at the Bagnell Dam Strip by 1pm which is when the celebrations for the 27th Annual St Patrick's Day kicks off.
