Let's All Be Irish for Pinckney's Parade!

St. Patrick's Day means green beer, corned beef and cabbage -- and marching in Pinckney's St. Patrick's Day parade.

Livingston County Democrats plan to turn out to march in the annual event, which this year will be held at noon on Saturday, March 15. We will march behind our banner, wearing green derby hats and carrying green balloons.

St. Patrick's Day parades are important to all Democrats, even those who are not of Irish descent. That's because our party historically was the first to welcome 19th century Irish immigrants to this country. While much of the nation was discriminating against them, Democrats sought the votes of the Irish.

Welcoming the Irish turned out to be a good deal, not only for the Democratic Party, but also for the nation. Irish labor helped fight our Civil War, lay the rails for our transcontinental railroads, and build our cities. So marching in a St. Patrick's Day parade is a way of not only saluting Irish Americans, but also recognizing the roots of our own party and our nation.

Marchers should begin assembling for the parade at 11:15 a.m. in the parking lot of the Pinckney Elementary School, 935 W. Michigan State Road (M36). Marchers need to be in line by 11:50 a.m.

This year's parade honors Michigan's Military Moms. Following the parade, ceremonies will be held in the Putnam Township Square in downtown Pinckney with speakers addressing the sacrifices of Michigan's Military Moms. Please contact Livingston Dems at (810) 229-4212 or livcodems@sbcuc.net if you plan to march with us!

The parade will be preceded by the first-ever Pinckney bed race. Livingston Democrats plan to enter a five-person team in the bed-race. We need four people to push the bed and one to ride in it. If you can't race yourself, how about enlisting a child or grandchild to do so? This promises to be great fun and would be a great way to introduce young people to the fun side of politics! Please contact us if you'd like to participate.

In honor of Irish Americans, Michigan's Military Moms, the roots of our party, and the people who helped build our nation, let's all be Irish on March 15!