Local family business hosts St. Patrick's Day parade

SAULT STE. MARIE — People can prep with their best green, white and orange for the downtown Sault Ste. Marie St. Patrick's Day Parade this March 17.

Although the city does not officially host any St. Patrick's Day events, nothing can stop the Soo from celebrating the day.

Downtown business owner Anthony Stackpoole has been leading the drive for an annual St. Patty's Day parade. With the help of local residents, he has organized a downtown parade on St. Patrick's Day for the past several years, using it as a way to bring the community together on what has always been a special day for his family.

Stackpoole is the owner and manager of Cup of the Day, a coffee shop in downtown Sault on Ashmun Street. Originally from Detroit, he and his family — who are Irish — were dedicated participants in the Detroit St. Patrick's Day parade and loved to celebrate the day.

When he moved up to the UP, he was disappointed to find that his new home did not have a dedicated parade for the day. He ended up starting his own than he and his family march together every year.

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"There was nothing going on up here for St. Paddy's Day for years, not like when I was growing up in Detroit," Stackpoole said. "There's a huge Irish community down there. It was a big as our Fourth of July parade is up here."

In previous years, the large parade included dozens of floats, trucks, bands and other groups marching up and down the main road. Following COVID, the event has been smaller than it was in previous years, thoguh people never stopped walking. No matter the weather or turnout, the Stackpoole family always participates and draws a crowd of onlookers.

Throughout the event, both before and after the parade, Cup of the Day will be celebrating with corn beef sandwich specials and Irish themed drinks. Every themed purchase comes with a free green festive hat for the holiday.

Floats, cars, trucks, pets, groups, bands and pedestrians are joining the 6th annual St. Paddy's Day Parade in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. There is no need to sign up for the event as a pedestrian, the parade will start lineup around Pingatore Cleaners at 4:30 and start at 5:00 heading north on Ashmun Street, coming to an end at the Farmers Market.

"We want to encourage anyone to come out and just be Irish for a day," said Stackpoole.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault coffee shop owner hosts St. Patrick's Day parade