How much St. Patrick's Day spirit does Spokane have?
Apparently, a lot more than its sister city Limerick, Ireland.
Limerick doesn't even recognize the feast day with a parade.
Eighteen years ago, the maiden St. Patrick's Day Parade in Spokane reached its climax when beer trucks showered downtown streets with green beer.
Indeed, the St. Patrick's Day Parade once glorified the rowdy, drunken behavior for which the holiday is notorious.
Patrick Ball wears many hats.
He's known as the world's premier Celtic harp player. He's also an adept storyteller of old Irish folklore and history. And at concerts, including last year's at The Met, Ball seamlessly merges the two talents.
Promoter Terry Grob is an instrumental figure in the local music scene. He fell into the role of promoter because "I wanted to hear music I liked," he says. Photo by Joe Ehrbar/The Spokesman-Review
Barbershop music is an all but forgotten American music derivation.
Long replaced by boom-boxes and roadside prophets, the '30s and '40s a cappella-style chorus music once wafted from urban street corners.