Dan's Papers - March 7, 2008 -

The first sign of spring in Westhampton Beach is the green stripe painted down the middle of Main Street. It's parade time again! The 41st Annual Westhampton Beach Saint Patrick's Day Parade is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 at noon. But it's not just about the parade anymore - Westhampton Beach has an entire weekend devoted to Irish fun!

Kicking off Irish weekend on Friday, March 14, the Westhampton High School All-Star basketball team takes on the Harlem Wizards at 7 p.m. at the high school gym. Dubbed the "best basketball show on earth," these comedic kings of the court try to score against hometown favorites. Tickets are $15-$20. Then head to the Great Lawn, Main Street, for a free fireworks display that starts promptly at 9:30 p.m.

Up for more? Check out the best Irish rock band this side of the Atlantic, Fathom, which will play at Finn McCool's (101 Old Riverhead Road) beginning at 10:30 p.m. with free admission all night.

Before the parade Saturday, grab a traditional Irish breakfast at Finn McCool's starting at 8:30 a.m. At noon, the big St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 379 Mill Road and travels south on Mill Road, before turning onto Main Street. You'll see Irish step dancers, bag pipers and local favorites, the Coneheads. This year's Grand Marshal is community leader Sheryl Heather. "Sheryl is a great pick for Grand Marshal," said Tim Laube, Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee President. "Sheryl is a great person to have on your community fund raiser because she can do it all. She's the one who stays up late creating posters, newspaper ads and radio spots for good causes and takes care of all the details."

After the parade, head down Main Street to St. Mark's Church's Corned Beef and Cabbage Lunch from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. For only $10 get a heaping helping of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread, dessert, coffee and tea. Children's menu includes hot dogs, chips, dessert, juice and soda for $5.

The kids carnival on the Great Lawn, right across the street, starts at 2 p.m. But don't stay too long because Mike Mancuso's Aerobatic Stunt Show begins at 3 p.m. at Rogers Beach. A Westhampton Beach local, Mancuso is known as the best aerobatic stunt pilot in the nation with his dives and spins. For more information about this free show call 631-998-4021.

Finally, catch the romantic comedy David & Layla at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Visit whbpac.org for more information. For more information on Westhampton Beach's Irish Weekend go to www.whbstpats.com.

Can't get to Westhampton Beach? There lots of other St. Patrick's Day celebrations and events.

Hampton Bays will host its Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 29 from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. The parade starts at the Elementary School on Ponquogue Avenue, turns west onto Montauk Highway, continues through downtown and ends at the Atrium parking lot.

Montauk's Friends of Erin 46th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Sunday, March 30th at 12:30 p.m. on Main Street. Join the estimated 40,000 people who start their spring with this joyous celebration.

Events leading up to the Montauk parade include the Grand Marshal's Luncheon at Gurney's Inn on March 23 from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets are $40. Call for reservations: 631-668-2257.

The Gala Cocktail Party is an event for everyone Irish and those who wish they were! Join the Friends of Erin on Saturday, March 24 from 4 - 8 p.m. at Gurney's for food, refreshments, and live music by Gravy. This is the main fundraiser for the Montauk Friends of Erin who use the funds to host the parade, and for scholarships and little league events. Advance tickets, $55, are available by calling 631-668-1578, at Becker's Home Center, and at the Montauk Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are available at the door for $60.

This weekend enjoy the Montauk Friends of Erin's 4th Annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner at Ruschmeyer's Inn on March 10 from 5 - 9 p.m. Enjoy music, raffles and prizes. Tickets are $15 per person and $5 per child.

If Irish music is your thing, head to "Parlor Music Concert of Irish Songs" at the Bridgehampton Historical Society on Montauk Highway. Terry Sullivan will sing and tell tales of Irish history and folklore on Saturday, March 8 from 2 - 4 p.m. Reservations required, call 631-537-1088. $5 donation.

For more music stop by the "Everyone's a Little Irish" benefit concert featuring two of Ireland's finest musicians on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Whaler's Church at 44 Union Street in Sag Harbor. John Morrison will sing beautiful Irish ballads, accompanied by Eamonn O'Rourke, a world-class fiddle, mandolin, and violin player. The Mulvihill-Lynch Champion Irish Step Dancers will perform a selection of jigs, reels and sets. Tickets are $30 online at projectmost.com and $35 at the door with proceeds benefiting Project Most and the Kendall Madison Foundation.

For more Irish music, check out "Songs of Six Celtic Nations," a concert of traditional folk songs sung in their native languages with Willard Greene and Sandra Reed, at Rogers Memorial Library, Coopers Farm Road in Southampton, Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m. Free.

On Tuesday, March 11, the Naked Stage Series at Guild Hall will present a reading of Irish playwright Brian Friel's masterpiece, Dancing at Lughnasa. Winner of the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play, and Best Play awards from the Outer Critics Circle and New York Drma Critics Circle, it's the story of five sisters in a small Irish village in 1936. Cast includes Peter Fitzgerald, Tanya Tavereau, Morgan Duke, Minerva Scelza, Sarah Sander, Josh Gladstone, Joe Pallister, Susan Galardi and Josh Perl. In addition to the reading, live Irish music will be presented. Admission is free. Boots Lamb Education Center, Guild Hall, 158 Main Stree, East Hampton, 7:30 p.m.