Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 02/26/2011 07:21 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/19/2011 12:24 AM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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It's Here.....Celebrate Murphys Irish Day Saturday, March 19th~With Photos/Video Enclosed For Your Viewing Pleasure!
Murphys, CA....Celebrating its Celtic heritage, which dates back to the Gold Rush era, the town of Murphys each year stages one of the most popular events in the Mother Lode. This year’s Murphys Irish Day will be held Saturday, March 19th. The day will begin with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Congregational Church on the corner of Church and Algiers Streets. Presented by the Murphys Business Association, the Main St. festivities will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. There is no admission charge.....
Click Below for 700 Photos/Video Enclosed....Now That's a Pot O' Gold, ThePineTree Way!
More than 100 vendors offering fine arts and crafts, home-baked delicacies, Irish Day t-shirts, souvenirs and many tasty things to eat and drink will line the street.
Among the items available for purchase will be handmade jewelry, wood and metal art objects, pottery, glasswork, sculpture, paintings, photographic prints, clothing, and antiques.
Local churches and community organizations will have baked goods, including Irish soda bread and several kinds of cookies, ready to take home.
A wide variety of foods, including corned beef sandwiches, Mexican dishes, Greek gyros, Irish nachos, corn dogs, pulled pork wraps, and hamburgers will be available when hunger sets in. There will be items to satisfy the sweet tooth such as kettlecorn, handmade caramels, and green cotton candy. Beverages on sale will include fresh lemonade, Irish coffee, and beer. The Calaveras Winegrape Alliance will be selling a variety of fine local wines.
There will be pony rides and face painting to entertain the young folk.
In addition, all the shops on Main St. will be open to explore and appreciate.
Live Entertainment.
Live entertainment with a decidedly Irish theme will be presented throughout the day on two stages and along Main Street. Bagpipe music by the White Hackle Pipe & Drums and the Ripon Police & Fire Pipe Band will fill the air. The Tommyknocker Cloggers will set everyone’s feet a tapping. Among the other performing groups will be Sequoia, Matt Cullen & Friends, Jim Bailey’s Plan B, and the Calaveras Community Band.
Parade at 11 a.m., to the swirl of bagpipes, the Murphys Irish Day Parade will make its way down Main St. Helping to create a Celtic atmosphere will be the White Hackle Pipe Band, and The Irish Cultural Society of Stanislaus County. Providing music will be the Bret Harte High School and Avery Middle School bands, and strolling trumpeter Dr. Jay Grimstead. Al Lehr’s circus wagon calliope will join the parade and serenade the crowd.
Young people of the area will be represented in the parade by members of the Brownies, Cub, Boy, and Girl Scouts, Murphys Preschool, Puzzle Pieces Playschool, and the Michelson Extended Day program. There will be several equestrian units including the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse, Rehorse Rescue Ranch, and Horse and Barrel. Among the other animals taking part will the canine members of the Sierra West Bernese Mountain Dog Club and the Calaveras Humane Society, and the Friends of Clarissa.
Local organizations participating will include the Native Sons of the Golden West with their giant California flag, Ophir Bear Mountain Masonic Lodge, Ebbetts Pass Veterans, Relay for Life, Mother Lode Madams, and the Calaveras Democrats.
Announcers Dave Bowman and Jim Bailey will be stationed along the parade route to describe each entry as it passes.
Win a Trip to Ireland....The luck of the Irish will take on special meaning for one happy couple when they are transported from a gold rush town with Irish heritage to the fabled land of shamrocks and leprechauns as grand prize winners of the Win a Trip to Ireland raffle. The prize includes roundtrip airfare to Dublin or Shannon, a rental car, hotel stay on arrival, and five nights in a variety of bed and breakfast locations sprinkled throughout the country. As is usually the case, some restrictions apply.
Specially created vacation prize packages will be awarded to three runners-up.
The first includes two nights lodging at Milfiori, an historic country retreat in Murphys, breakfast at the Murphys Hotel, dinner at Mineral Restaurant, golf for two at Sequoia Woods Country Club in Arnold, and cave and mine tour activities provided by the Sierra Nevada Recreation Corp.
Another package includes two nights lodging at the Cottages at La Honda Park in Murphys, lunch at V Restaurant, dinner at Grounds Restaurant, golf for two at Sequoia Woods Country Club, and kayak or snow shoe rental from Sierra Nevada Adventure Company.
The third prize package encompasses two nights lodging at one of the Murphys Vacation Rentals, breakfast at Aria Bakery, a catered dinner by Melanie Klann from Newsome Harlow Winery, golf for four at Forest Meadows Golf Course, and mine tour activities provided by the Sierra Nevada Recreation Corp.
Raffle tickets are five dollars each or five for $20. They are available at the Calaveras Visitors Bureau in Angels Camp, and at several locations in Murphys including the Spice Tin, Sierra Garden Center, Creative Cookware, Sierra Nevada Adventure Company, Marisolio Tasting Bar, Bandera Outfitters, Jillian’s Day Spa, Solomon Tasting Room, Tanner Vineyards, Murphys Suites, Tea AnTiques, and NEXT. They also will be available along Main Street during Irish Day.
The winning tickets will be drawn at 4:00 p.m. The winners need not be present.
Free Parking & Shuttle Service....Free parking will be available at Ironstone Vineyards on Six Mile Road. A free shuttle bus, provided by Ironstone and the Murphys Business Association, will run between Ironstone and the Arbors parking lot at Jones and Scott Streets. Shuttles will leave approximately every 20 minutes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Weather permitting, paid parking will be available close to the event off of Big Trees Rd. and Main St. and free parking will be available at the Black Bart Playhouse parking lot on Algiers St. around 12:30 p.m. after the parade has finished and cleared. Handicap Parking will be located in the Arbors parking lot at Jones and Scott Streets.
There will be no parking from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Main, Church, Algiers, Sheep Ranch, Scott, and Jones Sts. and Six Mile Road. When traveling to the event motorists should use Highway 4, and not Murphys Grade Road.
Main Street will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the event. Traffic will be detoured along Church St. and through the Bret Harte Center from the intersection of Main St. and Murphys Grade Rd. to Highway 4.
