Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
Search

Event

St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 2006

Also St. Pat's on Beaver 2006

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
Dates2006-03-17 – 2006-03-18
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Event
Dates
2006-03-17 – 2006-03-18
Kind
Celebration
Where
The Shamrock
Followed by
St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 2007
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
celebrationcommunityheritageirish-arranmore
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The Beaver Beacon’s February and March 2006 issues announce a two-day St. Patrick’s Day (March 17-18) with games starting at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Shamrock on the Saturday; the April 2006 issue reports the outcome: music, a Paddy Wagon Race, a called-off fish throw, a “Big Tug” tug o’war won by the fish-chokers, a costume/mechanical contest won by the BICS teachers, and a well-attended dinner that raised $135. The contemporaneous forum thread adds photographs and community descriptions of the same weekend, including the Paddy Wagon Race and named participants.

Program

Live music with “local bands facing off against Irish imports”; the Paddy Wagon Race (won by Darren, Dennis, and Theresa Chase, Jim Boynton, and Jim Slaughter); a fish throw (“Fish Throw”) called off after the fish came apart; the “Big Tug” tug o’war, won by the fish-chokers despite the hayseeders tying their end to a truck; a “Chitty-chitty-bang-banger” contest won by the BICS teachers; and a dinner that raised $135.

Evidence limits

The sources are contemporary Beacon announcements and an illustrated outcome report; the dinner’s sponsor and venue are not named, so carried_out_by is left empty. The February 2006 issue’s separate preview of the Beaver Island Club of Grand Rapids’ 40th Annual St. Patrick’s Celebration describes a different diaspora event, tracked in St. Patrick's Party for Holy Cross Church, Chicago, not this island edition.

Open questions

  • Who organized the $135 dinner, and was it held at Holy Cross Parish Hall or elsewhere?

See also

Sources

  1. Beaver Beacon, February 2006, calendar of events.
    Calendar entry: "March 17th & 18th Happy St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island!" The same issue separately previews the "40th Annual St. Patrick's Celebration" of the Beaver Island Club of Grand Rapids (February 25th), a distinct diaspora event. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-02_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held thirty-six-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 · 2006-02_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Beaver Beacon, March 2006, "St. Pat's on Beaver."
    Announces: "Events, including our very own fish toss, start at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Shamrock on Saturday March 18th." The same issue notes, under a "Beaver Island Ritual moves to Alaska" item, that visitors to Kodiak, Alaska found the fish-toss ritual had been separately adopted there using salmon. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-03_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held fifty-two-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 · 2006-03_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Beaver Beacon, April 2006, "St. Patrick's Day – 2006."
    Reports the outcome: "Once again everyone who likes to party came to Beaver for St. Patrick's Day. There was much music, with local bands facing off against Irish imports. Several contests were held. The winners of the Paddy Wagon Race were Darren, Dennis, and Theresa Chase, Jim Boynton, and Jim Slaughter." Also reports the fish throw was called off "after a few tosses when the trout came apart," that "the fish chokers won the Big Tug — despite the hayseeders tying the rope to Hoogie's truck," that BICS teachers won a "Chitty-chitty-bang-banger" contest, and that "the well-attended St. Patrick's Day dinner raised $135." No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-04_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held forty-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 · 2006-04_Beaver-Beacon
  7. A contemporaneous community thread includes photographs and a participant account of the March 17–18 festivities, including the Paddy Wagon Race, costume and food contests, musicians, and named winners. It corroborates the Beacon's outcome report but is a forum account rather than an independent attendance record.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000551
  8. Participants coordinated an overnight stay at the Emerald Isle for the St. Patrick’s weekend after spare lodging became available. This is informal travel and lodging coordination; it does not establish attendance totals, hotel records, or the event program.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000548

Added 3 August 2026 · revised 7 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 2006”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-st-patricks-day-2006/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, February 2006, calendar of events. (and 7 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

BibTeXRIS