Planting peas and parading on St. Patrick's Day
Kerri Thoreson
Back in the day, my late mother, Alice Rankin, was a master gardener, teaching classes through the county extension office. Brad and Mary Corkill said several years ago my mother advised them to always plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day, even if they had to break through ice to do it. They’ve done that every year since and the proof is in the beautiful 8-feet tall plants that they've raised in their garden.
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Several years ago, my sister, Janna, and I joined the Lt. George Farragut Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Membership requires proving a lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence via the Revolutionary War.
That’s when I realized that our fifth great-grandfather, John Milligan, was an immigrant from County Down, Ireland. He landed at New Castle, Pa., in 1771 at age 20. Pvt. Milligan enlisted in the Continental Army a few years later. He fought in the Battle of Trenton and crossed the Delaware with General Washington’s Army.
The knowledge of that ancestry also brought the realization that I’d been under-celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for most of my life. Last year, thanks to Ilene Moss at All Things Irish, I had the honor of representing for Great-Grandpa Milligan as Irish Woman of the Year in downtown Coeur d’Alene’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
This coming Saturday, the parade will start at 3 p.m. Sherman Avenue at Eighth Street with the 2024 honorees ... Grand Marshal is Nancy Robinson DiGiammarco, whose paternal grandmother was Irish and Scottish. Nancy and her husband, Jim, spent two weeks in Ireland last fall celebrating their 55th anniversary. Irish Man of the Year is Patrick Strain, he’s writing a book about the Irish and also happens to be downtown Coeur d’Alene’s UPS driver. Now he’ll see Sherman Avenue from a different perspective!
Irish Woman of the Year Laurie Thomas is passionate about her Irish heritage. Her maternal grandfather, Morris, was born in County Mayo, emigrating from Ireland and making his way to Butte, Mont.
Irish Colleen of the Year Keelin Wilson. She and her family have been coming to All Things Irish since she was a child. In 2022, Keelin and her mother toured Ireland.
Parade day Saturday is forecast to be gloriously sunny and 60 degrees! Don your green and come downtown to celebrate. Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
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Reminder that the shortening of St. Patrick’s Day is St. Paddy’s Day, not St. Patty’s Day. Patty is short for Patricia, Paddy is short for Padraig, the Irish spelling of Patrick. Slainte!
Another note: Shamrocks, the symbols of Ireland, have three leaves. Four-leaf clovers are just a rare variation of a clover and are believed to bring good luck.
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It was 38 years ago March 15 that my boyfriend, Bert, and I said “I do!” and we have. We’ve been blessed.
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Happy birthday today to Kim Maksen, Paula Sharp, Robin Karrick, Laurie Boeckel and Erich Eickmeyer. On March 14, Tom Capone, Wayne Cofield, Bud Evans, David Cehr, Candace McEnespy, Teri Rouse, Fabian Medina, Ina Bressler and Sheila Kemmis will eat Pi instead of cake. Len Crosby (80!), Bill Haughton, Terie Huston, Barry Rubin, Zack Yost, Pam Humphrey and Penny Brownell celebrate Friday. Colleen English, Cindy Marcella, Cathy Riorden, Kelly Moore, Ken Kress, LauraLee Johnson, Laurel Rollins, Daniel Schelske and Dottie Pichard welcome another year Saturday. William Shannon Reynolds, Pat Castelian, Cody Peugh, Keith Hutcheson, Patty Conkle, Trish Ortega, Carrie Nicholson, Mike Gump and Nichelle Price are combining a little luck o’the Irish with their St. Patrick’s Day birthday celebrations. On Monday, Jack Pierce, along with Chris Englebrecht, Dawn Johnston, Lisa Jirkins, Julie Bjornson and Bret Merry put on their party hats. On Tuesday, Taryn Nichols, Kris Storey, Megan Merry, Troy Jones, Judey Brown, Patsy Andres, Janet Batchelder and Taryn Moliter celebrate.
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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.