RICHMOND, Va. — A small army of volunteers is preparing thousands of pounds of food for the return of the Irish Festival on Church Hill in Richmond.
The 35th Annual Irish Festival starts on Saturday with a parade at 10 a.m. and extends until 6 pm.
Sunday's festival hours also run from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. at 25th and Broad Streets.
Everyone from the traditional Irish musicians, bagpipers, dancers, bands, and vendors volunteer to make the event a success.
In addition to entertainment, there will be plenty of family fun, including children’s games, face painting, and Irish-themed crafts.
Food and refreshments will also be available in addition to more than 30 Irish vendors.
CBS 6 caught up with the Ladies of St. Patrick’s as they worked tirelessly peeling 1,000 pounds of potatoes.
They had just wrapped up preparing 1,000 pounds of corned beef.
Self-proclaimed head leprechaun and festival organizer Stokes McCune said it takes a village to make this event happen.
He said the festival was started in the 1980s to keep St. Patrick’s Church alive.
“Once we were able to do that, then over the past several years, we've been able to give back to different neighborhood groups in the community,” McCune said.
Proceeds benefit the St. Baldrick’s Society and their fight against childhood cancer, the Church Hill Association, the Church Hill Crime Watch, Richmond Hill, Child Saver’s Clinic of Richmond, St. John’s Church, the St. Peter’s Meals Program, Stone’s Circle of Friends and many other neighborhood causes, according to a press release.
Proceeds also benefit the historic preservation of St. Patrick’s Church, a “little church with a big heart” built in the 1850′s by Irish Immigrants, and its outreach programs.
A $5 donation will be collected at the gate. No pets are allowed.
A Hill Topper 5k is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday.
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