Rockabilly Redheads on St. Patrick's Day

Rockabilly Redheads? What could that possibly mean?

It's that time of year again when people line up in droves to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parades here in the United States.  They don their green shirts and beer goggle glasses, plan on attending a parade and then drinking for the rest of the day.  I never really was one for the drinking part of St. Patrick's Day myself, but from what I understand I'm certainly in a minority there. Americans truly love to drink alcohol on St. Patrick's Day. It's a far cry from the way the holiday is celebrated in Ireland. 

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I was working graveyard shifts last year on St. Patrick's Day so I didn't get to do a whole lot.  It was the first time in years I hadn't been involved in any St. Patrick's Day parades

At one time I even worked for the company that organized a parade or two in Los Angeles, Bell Event Services.  I always had fun helping to organize the events and coordinate with the participants.   For two years after I left that job, I was asked to be a participant in the parade.   For 2015 I drove a city official through the parade in my brand new Mazda MX5 convertible.  In 2016 I had the distinct honor to drive the Consulate General of Ireland in the Hermosa Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade in my Mazda once more. 

Finbar Hill was a delightful man.  He and his wife were both from Ireland and were among some of the most accepting and generous people I'd ever met.  They even went so far as to invite me to their "after the Parade" party in Hermosa.  Of course I went.  I even had a beer with them.  It was probably one of my most memorable St Patrick's Day parade events ever. It even beat out the year my episode of Extreme Makeover aired on be Irish holiday.

Read More: Where is the oldest St Patrick's Day celebration in the world?

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Finbar Hill 2016 St Pats Parade.

This year we're putting together a group of Rockabilly Redheads in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The Rockabilly Redheads will be representing Marilyn's of Manitou Springs, but also the great organization Redheads Unite!™, who are actively trying to end redhead bullying and fight human trafficking. 

The parade will be a first for the organization AND for Marilyn's, who only recently changed ownership.  Their grand opening will be March 5th, and as it tends to be for the start of all new restaurants, they're very excited about the big day.  The parade, for them, will be a great celebration of what they've managed to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. 

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Marilyn's of Manitou Springs for the St. Patrick's Day Parade

The Redheads Unite!™ team will have their Rockabilly Redheads early registered participants dressed in matching green Pinup style dresses provided by Glitz Glam and Rebellion, while the rest will come as their own versions of Rockabilly guys and gals.  Many of the participants live their lives in the Rockabilly style every single day, so this promises to be a sight to behold!  They opened up the event to include Rockabilly children as well, and the parade is expected to have a few thousand spectators.  The Rockabilly Redheads will be on their feet the entire length of the parade, raising awareness for a great cause, bringing attention to a great restaurant, and showing the great beauty of great redheads!

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Redheads Unite Logo for St Patrick's Day

We've asked a professional photographer to capture the event with his camera, so there will be plenty of photos on the Redheads Unite!™ website afterward, but I have a feeling some of them might just end up here on IrishCentral.com too.  We're secretly hoping for more participation in other cities in following years.  How cool would it be to have a national organization of Rockabilly Redheads?

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the Rockabilly Redheads group in a St. Patrick's Day Parade, please contact Redheads Unite!™ before the event.

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