ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 1997 TAG: 9702260043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: A Cuppa Joe
SOURCE: JOE KENNEDY
Three years ago, Ray Donnelly carried the Irish flag in his first St. Patrick's Day parade in Roanoke, and he didn't like what he saw.
Only about 50 people participated. Only a handful watched.
The next day, this newspaper ran an account that described the wind chill, two "cold and uninterested" toddlers impatient for lunch, and three vendors from Pennsylvania who were angry at their estimated $2 take. It said the parade took just 45 seconds to go by.
Donnelly read the story and focused on the ending, where Laban Johnson, then the city's special events coordinator, said, "It wouldn't be fun if we had to do a lot of work."
His words aptly summed up the larky spirit of the thing. Still, they "got my Irish blood boiling," Donnelly said. "As a first-generation Irishman, I was appalled."
A party to be proud of
Last week, Donnelly sat in a coffee shop on the Roanoke City Market in a much better mood. He and his team, from the Knights of Columbus and the City of Roanoke, have put together a genuine St. Patrick's Day parade for 3 p.m. March 15. They produced a good one last year and the year before. This one promises to be great.
It will feature:
* Seven bands, including Patrick Henry and Salem high schools', the 29th Division Band of the Virginia National Guard and the Virginia Highland Pipe and Drum Corps.
* The Sons of Confederate Veterans, Sons of Union Veterans, the Scottish Society of the Virginia Highlands and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
* Military color guards and a colonial fife and drum group from West Virginia.
* Kazim Klowns and other units, plus floats, families and friends of the Emerald Isle.
* And Shaine Miles, former Salem High football standout and ultimate team player at Virginia Tech, as the parade marshal.
"We are extremely pleased," Donnelly said.
A 30-foot banner promoting the parade will go up across Campbell Avenue next week. A little later, large shamrock flags will be placed on city poles to herald the event.
It will start at Albemarle Avenue and Jefferson Street, head to Campbell and conclude on the Market. When the last marcher passes the reviewing stand, the Roanoke Community Band will gear up to entertain the visitors.
And Donnelly and his friends will beam over their handiwork - a parade the valley can be proud of.
Everyone's Irish for a day
Johnson's accurate quote added to the sting of the 1994 news story, but it also jolted the organizers to turn a casual exercise into the real thing.
Donnelly has been the driver.
He knows his St. Patrick's Day parades. Before retiring to Roanoke in 1992, he lived in New Jersey and worked as an executive in New York for companies that make Arrow shirts, Halston and Munsingwear. When he retired, he was in charge of U.S. operations for the Dawson Group, a Scottish producer of cashmere.
The day we spoke, he was wearing a gold shamrock on a chain around his neck, driving a green car with a sticker of the Irish flag and the license EMRLD-IS and considering traveling to Ireland again. He and his wife have been there five times.
He has two goals: to do the parade right, and to have fun.
So remember the date - March 15. The Shamrock Hill distance run starts at 8:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Valley nursing home, the parade at 3 p.m.
And on March 22, the Science Museum of Western Virginia will have its annual black-tie-optional fund-raiser. The theme: "Lucky Lady Irish Night."
My, but we've come a long way.
What's your story? Call me at 981-3256, send e-mail to joek@roanoke.com or write to P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB