COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MARCH 15, 2017 3A St. Paddy's Trivia While St. Patrick’s Day is renowned for celebrating Ireland, one need not be Irish to enjoy the festiv- ities on March 17th. In fact, St. Patrick himself was not Irish, having been born in an area of Great Britain then referred to as Roman Britain because it was still governed by the Roman Empire. St. Patrick’s birthplace is not the only interesting fact surrounding St. Patrick’s Day that might surprise even the most devoted of Patty’s Day revelers. • Arguably the most famous St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world, the New York City parade is more than 250 years old. The Big Apple’s fi rst St. Patrick’s Day parade took place on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serv- ing in the British military marched through the city. • While New York and Boston host the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States, more than 100 parades are held in honor of St. Patrick throughout the country each year. For those who love a good parade but don’t have much time on their hands, the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is home to the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade. The parade takes place on the city’s Bridge Street, which measures just 98 feet in length. • In spite of its proximity to New York City, the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, began hosting its own St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1986. • Irish ranks among the top fi ve ancestries in nearly every state in the United States. The lone exceptions are New Mexi- co and Hawaii. Irish leads the way in Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. • While corned beef has become synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day celebra- tions in the United States, the corned beef eaten in the United States is not the corned beef familiar to people in Ireland. That’s because the corned beef eaten in the U.S. is large- ly from kosher Jewish butchers, whose corned beef is made from bris- ket, a tougher cut of meat taken from the front of the animal, whereas the corned beef produced in Ireland comes from the hindquarter. • Another food associated with St. Patrick’s Day, Irish soda bread gets its unique name from its ingredients. When baking this beloved bread, bakers use baking soda instead of yeast as a leavening agent. Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel is hosting a no-show banquet to help raise funds for the project more than 20 years in the making. Cottage Grove is no stranger to char- cmay@cgsentinel.com ity banquets. With several nonprofi ts in town, all with causes close to the hearts of residents and all in need of funds, social calendars fi ll-up quickly. The Friends of the Cottage Grove Carou- sel group are hoping to free-up a night and still reap the fi nancial rewards with a unique ask for giving residents: Please stay home. On March 18, the group will host a “no- show” banquet, complete with an invitation that asks for donations for table sponsor and presenting sponsors. Except there will be no tables. There aren’t any presenters. There’s no catered meal, no program, no theme. In- By Caitlyn May stead, the donations will go directly to the cause: fi nding a home for the vintage car- ousel that has been in limbo for nearly 20 years. When Judy Cash fi rst purchased the car- ousel more than two decades ago, it was with the intent of seeing it used as a local attraction in Cottage Grove. However, de- spite initial community support, according to a press release on the issue, the need for a local hospital and theatre in town took prec- edent and efforts to fi nd a suitable piece of property for the carousel, waned. The latest revitalization of the carousel efforts has seen Don Williams and Russ McGuire join forces with several interest- ed residents to locate a proper home for the vintage attraction and raise the funds need- ed to restore it. Currently, the carousel’s animals are being restored by an advanced art class at Cottage Grove High School, a project that is expected to continue through to the end of the school year. The group will also have to fund architec- tural drawings before moving forward with the project, as well as purchase property to house the carousel. The no-show banquet is open to all Cot- tage Grove residents. For more information, or to participate, contact Russ McGuire of Friends of the Carousel at 541-419-6635. Devon Allen signs with Nike Former University of Oregon athlete, Devon Allen announced that he is com- cmay@cgsentinel.com pleting his rehab and has signed with Nike. The announcement came during Track Town Tuesday, a weekly press gathering held at the university, on March 7. The move will begin Allen's professional career after he did a stint as an Olympian, winning fi fth place in the 110-meter hurdle at the Rio games in 2016. Allen also played football for the Ducks before suffering a sea- son-ending knee injury in November. After the injury, Allen an- nounced that he would forefeit the remainder of his NCAA eligibil- ity to focus on his professional track career. “I’m really excited to start my professional career and have some good support with Nike," Allen said during Track Tuesday. By Caitlyn May Former Duck, Devon Allen announced last week, he has signed with Nike. Photo courtesy NCAA. ALLIGATOR AUCTION SATURDAY - APRIL 1 11AM-3PM Dr. Benjamin R. Th ornton, DDS, MS Our new Creswell Satellite Offi ce is now open and running in full force. 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