- Dates
- 1998-03-13 – 1998-03-17
- Kind
- Celebration
- Where
- The Shamrock · Holy Cross Parish Hall
- Followed by
- St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1999
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- celebrationcommunityheritageirish-arranmore
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The Beaver Beacon’s February through April 1998 issues document a multi-day island program: a Friday, March 13 dance at Holy Cross Hall; Clan Na Gael’s “10th Annual” St. Patrick’s Festivities at the Shamrock on Saturday, March 14; and a week of Old Rectory specials running through St. Patrick’s Day itself, Tuesday, March 17.
Program
Friday, March 13: a dance at Holy Cross Hall with live music and a buffet. Saturday, March 14, at the Shamrock (noon to sundown): a Bed Race (winning team: Tony Rouch, Tim Elms, Dan & Randy Vanvels, rider Heather Cary), the Tug-O-War (won by the Hayseeders over the Fishchokers), Pitch-A-Pike (won by Tony Rouch and Becky LaFreniere), the Fish Stomp (won by Laura Gillespie, Jay Misoreah, Kim and John Taylor), “the Big Bust” (won by David Giffels and Chris Eck), the Limerick Contest, and the King and Queen Contest (5 couples, won by Bonnie Rice and Julie Cherry, costumed as Sumo wrestlers). The Old Rectory separately ran Irish-themed evenings through the week, closing with an “Irish Ceili” on St. Patrick’s Day itself, March 17.
Evidence limits
The Games results are a detailed contemporary account with named winners, but
no attendance or financial figures. Unlike the 1997 edition, no source found
here names a sponsoring organization for either the Friday dance or the
Saturday Games, so carried_out_by is left empty. The same February 1998
issue’s “32nd Annual St. Patrick’s Celebration” is the separate Beaver Island
Club of Grand Rapids diaspora party, not this island program.
Open questions
- Was the Friday dance also a Holy Cross Altar Society event, as in 1997, or organized separately — the 1998 notice does not say?
See also
Sources
- Reviews the tenth annual festivities: bed race, tug-o-war, pitch-a-pike, fish stomp, Big Bust balloon game, limerick contest, and Kings and Queens competition, and thanks participants and donors. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1998-04_Beaver-Beacon
- The held issue scan confirms the 1998 Clan-Na-Gael St. Patrick’s festivities report.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1998-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces a dance at Holy Cross Hall, Friday, March 13th, 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., buffet at 11:00, live music, cash bar, $12/couple or $8/single. No sponsoring organization is named in this notice. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1998-02_Beaver-Beacon
- The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1998-02_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces "the traditional Island Festivities, Saturday March 14, From Noon to Sun[set]" at the Shamrock (hosts Eric and Dana). The Old Rectory separately advertises "Great Days" specials: Dueling Pianos (Sat. March 14), music from Ireland (Mon. March 16), and an "Irish Ceili" on "Tuesday St. Pat's Day" (March 17). The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1998-03_Beaver-Beacon
- The held eighteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1998-03_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the Games' results for what it calls "our 10th Annual Event": a Bed Race (replacing the shopping cart race), the Tug-O-War (won by the Hayseeders), Pitch-A-Pike, the Fish Stomp, "the Big Bust," the Limerick Contest, and the King and Queen Contest (5 couples, won by Bonnie Rice and Julie Cherry). Thanks Kathy Maudrie, Denise McDonough, and Cindy Gillespie by name. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1998-04_Beaver-Beacon
- The held eighteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1998-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces the separate Grand Rapids diaspora party, not this island edition. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1998-02_Beaver-Beacon
- The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1998-02_Beaver-Beacon
Added 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1998”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-st-patricks-day-1998/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, April 1998, “1998 Clan-Na-Gael St. Pat's Festivities.” (and 7 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1998”RIS for “St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1998”