St. Patrick’s Day Parade sign-up underway

You don’t have to have the luck of the Irish to enter Spokane’s 41st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but you’ll need to bring all the charm you can muster for the crowd.

Registration is underway for the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s March 16 parade that will start at the Spokane Arena and snake through downtown Spokane.

Sign-up is free for individuals and community groups and $125 for commercial groups. Online registration at friendlysonsofstpatrick.com will close March 10. On the day of the parade participants can pick up their entry packets, and late registration will be accepted, at a tent set up in the northeast corner of Spokane Arena’s parking lot.

This year’s grand marshal will be Tony Lamanna of Spokane Honor Flight. The Honor Flight provides area veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars with free trips to national monuments in Washington, D.C.

The School on Parade, formerly known as Principal on Parade, will highlight a lucky elementary school.

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick again is using the event as an opportunity to collect food and cash donations to benefit Second Harvest food bank.

The parade started in 1978 with a humble mix of cement mixers, beer trucks and other enthusiasts. It has expanded to nearly 150 entries from across the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas and the Inland Northwest. The parade will be broadcast by Community Minded Television at a later date.