By Tyler R. Morrissey
Each month we will highlight a few events happening in each of the communities William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty serves.
As the calendar flips from February to March, there are plenty of activities to take part in. Below are just a few events that will have you feeling lucky all month long.
Westchester
Irish eyes will be smiling down on White Plains for their annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday, March 10th. The 21st edition of the yearly parade will begin promptly at noon in the downtown section of town. Beginning at the start of Mamaroneck Avenue, the parade will continue along this road before concluding in front of City Hall. Similar to prior years, the parade will feature bands, floats and local organizations from the community. In 2017, the parade featured over 26 musical performances and 90 marching groups. The grand marshal of this year’s celebration of Irish heritage will be Mary Broderick Ryan. For more information on this event, click here.
Fairfield County
On Sunday, March 4th the 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor the best films of 2017. While most of the glitz and glamour of the evening will transpire at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, there’s a bit of red carpet buzz happening right here in Westport. The Westport Cinema Initiative is hosting a gala event from 7 p.m. to midnight at Birchwood Country Club. After a walk down the red carpet, watch the Oscars and enjoy hors-d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner and an open bar. There will also be prizes for the best actor/actress impersonator. For more information and tickets, click here.
Litchfield County
In the spirit of the season, the Warner Theatre in Torrington is hosting a performance of the uplifting musical “The Irish…and how they got That Way.” The 90-minute show runs from Saturday, March 10th to Sunday, March 18th, and is a celebration of all things Irish in the tumultuous 20th and 21st centuries through the eyes of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt. McCourt’s razor-sharp wit, coupled with his trademark bitter irony and his boundless love for the Irish are all underscored by musical numbers such as Irish folk ballades and World War II standards from films of the era. For more information on the show, click here.
The Connecticut Shoreline
The sixth oldest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the nation can be seen right here in Connecticut. On Sunday, March 11th the Greater New Haven Saint Patrick’s Day parade will step off from the corner of Chapel Street at 1:30 and will conclude at the intersection of Grove and Orange Street. The St. Patrick’s Day parade tradition was born in New Haven on March 17, 1842, when about 90 members of the Hibernian Provident Society, a mutual aid organization formed the previous year, marched through the city streets behind a banner made especially for the occasion. Historically the parade has seen over 3,100 marchers and more than 250,000 spectators along the parade route in a given year. It has received national recognition in the Library of Congress, in a project entitled “Local Legacies,” which commemorates and celebrates America’s richly diverse culture. Should you want to enjoy this year’s festivities from the comfort of your own home; the parade will also be broadcasted on WTNH. For more information of this event, click here.
The Berkshires
In addition to Saint Patrick’s Day, there’s another tradition synonymous with March. The beginning of March signifies the start of “Sugaring Season,” which is the process that turns tree sap from maple trees into the delicious product we know as maple syrup. There are many local farms and sugarhouses across the Berkshires that offer the chance to see how maple syrup is made. The Massachusetts Maple Producer Association (MMPA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of maple sugaring in Massachusetts, has declared March 17-18 as “Maple Weekend.” Mill Brook Sugarhouse in Lenox is participating in Maple Weekend, allowing patrons to visit their expanded sugarhouse from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to see how sap is collected through a vast tubing system. For more information, click here.
