Paint the town green today

By DEVIN HEILMAN

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Shake those shamrocks, lads and lassies — the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Celebration is today.

Firefighters in kilts, Irish wolfhounds and enough green to impress a leprechaun will all be downtown Coeur d'Alene when the 12th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 4 p.m. on Sherman Avenue.

This year's Grand Marshal is Fred "Skip" Murphy, whose family came to the area in the late 1800s.

"Skip and his wife, Susan, have raised six children and are very active in the Coeur d’Alene community," Murphy's Grand Marshal biography reads. "Skip hasn’t traced back his Irish heritage, but with a name like Murphy you can bet he has a rich and adventurous past. Skip embraces the 'Love of All Things Irish.'"

The Irish Woman of the Year is Shannon Riggs and the Irish Colleen is Amanda Oyler.

The Pint o' Gold St. Patrick's Pub Crawl starts in The Resort Plaza Shops at 4:30 p.m. Check out local shops for deals and specials.

The parade is organized by the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association and All Things Irish.