Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Shamrock Shuffle and Top Dog Parade
by Dennis and Loni Rahm
The weather forecast looks favorable as the Lake Chelan Valley gears up for St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the always popular Wayne Kelly Memorial Top Dog Parade!
The parade starts at noon on Saturday in historic downtown Chelan. Spectators will line Wooden Avenue from slightly east of Emerson to Columbia as the parade makes their way down the short but incredibly energetic and festive route.
Check back after the parade: Lake Chelan Now will be publishing a parade photo gallery.
From humble beginnings to celebrate the Valley’s initial K-9 police unit, the 37th Annual event has grown to include a variety of dog breeds and their humans sporting a lot of green.
You can also expect floats, royalty, and local organizations, along with proud dog owners and their pets–and perhaps other animals aside from canines. (pigs, goats, and llamas have made appearances in recent years)
Dogs and their owners: there’s no need to register, just show up at the the parking lot behind Wells Fargo Bank at 11:30 a.m. for parade formation. However, there is a costume judging taking place, so make sure you are “wearing o’ the green” or other festive gear!
Interested in Top Dog History? Tap into this informative and entertaining interview between Dennis Rahm and Pat Kelly from 2007 as re-published in March of 2018.
Lake Chelan Now: Top Dog Parade: the historical perspective
Preceding the Top Dog event will be the annual Shamrock Shuffle sponsored by the Lake Chelan Lions Club in partnership with Lake Chelan Health and Wellness Foundation. The 5K fun run/walk helps fund summer camp scholarships for children with Type-1 Diabetes.
Day of event registration starts at 8:30 Saturday morning at the covered picnic area at Riverwalk Park with the start of the event at 9:30.
