The first annual St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in Sedona
on March 17, 1970. The idea originated with Irishman Hal Maloney who retired to
Sedona in 1968 to pursue the art of pottery and to raise racehorses at Cross
Creek Ranch. When he learned that there were no St. Patrick's Day parades held
anywhere in the state, he decided to start one in Sedona.
When asked 'why a parade', Hal would say: "It is a way to honor St. Patrick, to
give the people of Irish ancestry an opportunity to
celebrate, for the community and children to have some fun, to publicize
beautiful Sedona, and - besides - Everybody loves a parade!"
The first parade had more entrants and participants than spectators. But as
quickly as the 2nd parade in 1971, it had grown to 60 entries and turned into an
all-day event starting with a pancake breakfast, the parade, concerts, an Irish
coffee bar, a golf tournament and finishing with a corned beef and cabbage
dinner and then a dance at the Sedona Elks Lodge. At different times, there
have been a variety of affiliated activities, including fashion shows, kite
flying contests, western shoot-outs, religious ceremonies, square dances, and
even a scholarship/beauty pageant for young women called the "Queen of the
Green" pageant. In 1977, when founder Hal Maloney was committee chairman again,
he had 2500 shamrocks flown in from Ireland courtesy of TWA Airlines. More
recently, parade organizers have added a run/walk event and last year launched a
post-parade festival that is hoped to grow.
The original parade committee called themselves the SSPPPMS - or Sedona St.
Patrick's Day parade preservation marching society. They used a 10 ft tall
plywood leprechaun cut-out displayed around town to advertise the parade date.
Sedona's road system has caused the parade route to change over the years. At
first, the parade started in Uptown on Jordan Rd, went down Hwy 89A to the "Y",
then down Hwy 179 and back. Later it was re-routed to Brewer Rd from the "Y".
At one point it started at St. John Vianney Catholic Church and traversed 89A in
West Sedona. To minimize traffic disruption and highway closures, the parade is
now relegated to Jordan Road.
Parade entries over time have included many dignitaries, including state
governors and senators, the actress Jane Russell, and even the Budweiser
Clydesdales were here. But after 1971, the informal 'queen' of the parade
became Sedona's Lena Dickie who participated in 30 of our 35 parades. Lena's
parade entries were memorable. Sometimes it was a team of Chihuahuas or maybe
Great Danes pulling wagons. In 1983 it was her miniature horses, but other
times she rode full size horses. It was a different act every year. About 1991
or so, she was the parade's grand marshal.
The parade was discontinued in 1998 for one year because of a lack of
volunteers, but it was revived in 1999 when the Sedona Main Street Program and
NAU began working together. About 50-80 students from NAU Parks & Recreation
Mgmt program started assisting in return for school credit.
Courtesy of Sedona Heritage Museum
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