ShawneeDispatch.com

With the wearing o' the green and a little bit of Irish luck, there won't be rain on this year's St. Patrick's Day parade, but there will be enough water for the ducks.

The Shawnee Irish-American Club will spend the next few days preparing for the 24th Annual parade, set to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Drive and Monrovia. And the Shawnee Sister Cities Association will hope there is enough water in Little Mill Creek after a dry winter to provide a good current in the 18th Annual Great Duck Race after the parade.

Either way, the two events have become irreversibly intertwined in the theme for this year's parade and race: "Green & Lucky, Let's Get Ducky." But don't look for any major changes in the events planned for St. Patrick's Day in Shawnee; the parade committee plans to do everything just the way it's always been done.

"We pretty much keep it consistent," joked Denise Shannon, one of three parade co-chairs.

St. Patrick's Day events begin in Shawnee with an Irish Dignitaries Reception at 6 p.m. Friday at Shawnee Town Hall, 11600 Johnson Dr. The event, with the music of Tullamore and Irish food, will welcome two officials from Shawnee's Sister City of Listowel, Ireland.

The parade itself begins at 1 p.m. Sunday, as always held the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day to allow for more participation and less road congestion. The parade will head east on Johnson Drive, beginning at Monrovia and ending at King. With 40 entries so far, Shannon said it looks to be another great parade.

"It's going really good," Shannon said. "As far as I know, we're right where we were at this time last year."

Parade entries are accepted until the start of the parade, so the club never knows exactly how big it will be. Shannon said last year's parade ended up with about 80 entries.

One newer feature for the parade will be the T-shirts, emblazoned with this year's theme and, of course, a lucky duck. T-shirts will be sold at the Court of Appeals Pub and Grub and along the parade route near Johnson Drive and Quivira.

After the parade, awards for the best floats will be presented in the Knights of Columbus Hall, where there will also be Irish music provided by Eddie Delahunt and John Morris.

The Great Duck Race begins at 4:30 p.m. at the creek at 61st and Nieman. Anyone interested may buy a ticket to represent a numbered rubber duck, which races down the creek. The top winner gets their choice of $1,500 cash or airfare for two to any of Shawnee's three sister cities, and the next 11 ducks get prizes as well.

The race has been held for the last 18 years to raise funds for the Shawnee Sister Cities Association. Tickets are $5 each and are available at Court of Appeals Pub and Grub, Jake's Place or Irish American Club and Sister Cities Committee members.

Entry forms for the St. Patrick's parade are available at Shawnee City Hall, the Shawnee Civic Centre or online at irishamericanclub.net.