February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The parade, hosted by the Ballyshaners group and the City of Alexandria, bills itself as the first major St. Patrick’s Day parade in the calendar. This year’s event will take place Saturday March 7th in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
The parade will be preceded by a variety of events with the parade itself starting at King and West Streets at 12:30 p.m. It will then follow a route down King Street, past the reviewing stand at North Royal Street, and end at the corner of King and Fairfax Streets. The parade is expected to conclude by 2:30 p.m.
The Ballyshaners, an Irish play on “Old Towners,” is a not-for-profit group that organizes the Alexandria Saint march in conjunction with the City of Alexandria.
“The goal of the organization is to promote and preserve Irish heritage. This is done not only through sponsorship of the parade but also the Alexandria Irish Festival held in the summer,” the group said in a statement.
Details on the parade are available at www.ballyshaners.org.