The annual Hibernia St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place Saturday afternoon, and the occasion signals the arrival of two other downtown events that day: The annual 5-K run and the popular Grillin’ on the Green.
The parade itself begins at 2 p.m. but the day actually begins with a 5K run through downtown beginning with a one-mile run at 9 a.m., and a daylong affair of more than a hundred arts and craft vendors, continuous live music and two dozen grill teams on the Biloxi Town Green, competing for $6,000 in cash and prizes and many selling their brisket, chicken or ribs to the public.
Grillin’ on the Green, a free event produced by Biloxi Main Street and the city taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., has become a hot ticket over the years, with grill teams and vendors reserving all available space on the Town Green a month in advance.
The grill teams are competing for cash prizes that range from $100 to $500. A corps of Biloxi Police will judge brisket entries, while Main Street, Keesler and city reps will decide the best grilled chicken. A couple of food critics and a professional chef will judge the ribs entries.
A children’s area will be offered, for a $5 armband, and commemorative Grilling on the Green shirts will be available.
See the 5K entry form
See the Grillin’ on the Green flyer
See the St. Patrick’s Day Parade route
See the St. Patrick’s Day traffic plan
St. Pat’s parade will limit U.S. 90 traffic
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, scheduled to begin Saturday at 2 p.m., will return to its former route this year, beginning at the Biloxi Yacht Club, which means Saturday afternoon traffic on U.S. 90 in east Biloxi will be reduced to two-way traffic.
Traffic on U.S. 90 between Oak and Lameuse streets will be limited to two-way traffic beginning at 1 p.m., and service drives on U.S. 90 between Oak and Kuhn, where the parade will line up, will be closed beginning at 10:30 a.m. The city announced the St. Patrick’s Day parade traffic plan today.
The parade will travel westward on U.S. 90 from the Biloxi Yacht Club, turn north at Lameuse Street, west on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, onto Howard Avenue at Reynoir, and then north on Caillavet Street and ending a half-block east on Esters Boulevard.
See the traffic plan and parade route
See the St. Patrick’s Day Parade route
Last call for entries to Camellia, Gulf Coast pageants
The 60th annual Mississippi Camellia Queen and the Miss Gulf Coast pageants, which will be presented Saturday, March 31 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, are issuing the final call for contestants, according to Biloxi Lions Club member Jaye Brice, chair of the pageants.
The Camellia pageant and the newly created Miss Gulf Coast Pageant, which is a preliminary to the Miss America pageant, both have a deadline of Thursday for contestants. Those interested can find an application at www.biloxilionsclub.org.
The Miss Gulf Coast pageant is open to females between the ages of 18 to 24. The Camellia Queen pageant is open to females between the ages of 15 to 18.
Winners of both pageants will receive a $500 scholarship to the college of their choice.
For more information, contact Jaye Brice at 228-374-8175 or at jayebrice@cableone.net, or any Biloxi Lions Club member.
News and notes: Free military concert tonight, tree committee volunteers
Free concert tonight: The 41st Army Band will present a free concert at the Biloxi Lighthouse Park Pavilion this evening beginning at 6.The band, which often performs in small teams and can sometimes include as many as three dozen musicians, will perform an array of musical ensembles, from rock to jazz. The concert is being organized by Keesler Air Force Base. To see the flyer, click here.
Tree committee volunteers: The City of Biloxi is seeking interested residents to serve in a volunteer basis on the Biloxi Tree Committee. The committee reviews and provides recommendations to the city’s Development Review Committee and the Planning Commission on protecting trees and ensuring construction projects comply with the city ordinances governing the protection of the city’s inventory of protected trees. Interested individuals should contact City Arborist Eric Nolan at 228-435-6280.
Battle on the Beach: The Battle on the Beach baseball tournament is back on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a second year. The tournament, with 47 teams from five states, will take place through Saturday at schools in Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, St. Martin, and D’Iberville as well as at MGM Park. To see the schedule, click here.
