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A Guide To A Family Friendly St. Patrick's Day

By Anna Berend

You don't have to have Irish blood running through your veins to enjoy St. Patrick's Day here in the Twin Cities. St. Patrick's Day is always a great excuse for a fun day of learning and exploring with the family. While green beer isn't on the agenda for a family friendly St Patrick's Day, there are plenty of other activities that will set your feet to dancing.

You'll find a festival with music, dancing, lectures, food, crafts and more; a festive and entertaining parade through St. Paul, authentic and tasty Irish cuisine and even a family run. So, don your green and get out there and enjoy the Irish.

The Local
(credit: www.the-local.com)

Monday – Friday: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Why not start the day off with brunch at a traditional Irish pub in downtown Minneapolis. The beautiful stained glass and carved wood makes for a lovely brunch setting with some of the best pancakes I've had in the Twin Cities, plus there's several traditional Irish items like bangers and mash and a breakfast shepherd's pie as well as other American brunch favorites too. And don't forget to give the succulent fish and chips a try.

St. Patrick's Parade
(credit: St. Patrick's Association)

St Patrick's Day Parade
Downtown St. Paul
Noon, Saturday, March 17
http://www.stpatsassoc.org/

The parade runs from Sibley and 4th St. to Market and 4th St. through downtown St. Paul. The parade is replete with law enforcement organizations and bands, honorary Irish royalty, various clans, bands, entertainment, city officials, Irish dancers and musicians and various corporate sponsors. The parade is quite entertaining and fun for the whole family.

Irish Music & Dance
(credit: Irish Music and Dance Association)

Irish Music & Dance Association St. Patrick's Day Irish Celebration
Landmark Center
Downtown St. Paul, MN 55102
Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
http://www.irishmusicanddanceassociation.org/stpatricksday/317irishcelebration.html

Before or after the parade, head over to the Landmark Center for the 31th Annual Irish Music & Dance Association St. Patrick's Day Irish Celebration. There will be a wide variety of Irish culture represented here, including Irish dance, music, crafts, cuisine, entertainment and educational seminars. There will also be an Irish Marketplace with merchants and artisans.

St. Patrick's Day Human Race
5K, 8K & Youth Run
Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN
Sunday, March 18 – starting at 11:40 a.m.
http://tslevents.blogspot.com/p/st-patricks-day-human-race.html

Bring the whole family down for a fun and healthy run at the 40th Annual original St. Patrick's Day race and extend your celebration of St. Patrick's Day to Sunday. This race starts at midday to ensure ease of transportation for racers and churchgoers in the area. Runners and walkers, young and old, serious athletes and those simply trying to stay fit are all welcome at this race. The course starts at University of St. Thomas, goes down Summit Ave. and back again to UST for the finish.

Anna Berend is an attorney and the author of Motherly Law Blog. On Motherly Law, Anna writes about legal issues that affect families and offers tips and resources that pertain to those legal topics. On occasion, inspiration strikes and Anna writes about something totally unrelated to the law.You can find Anna at www.motherlylaw.com, on Facebook at Motherly Law and on Twitter @MotherlyLaw.

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