The History Of The SaPaDaPaSo Parade

March 17th, 1976, Cedar Rapids debut it's first St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade only lasted four minutes and was a block and a half long. It was dubbed “The First and Last, One of a Kind, Ecumenical, St. Patrick’s Day Parade.” The parade ran from the Federal Building on 1st street to Green Square Park.

The first parade had George Preston from Bell Plaine pulling his 2 headed calf on a platform, a fella leading a goat wearing a jacket that said “Hogan” on the back, and a flat bed truck from Ted’s Happitime with a load of people on it including Ted Mahoney. The signs were all home made and the entries had a “shanty” look to them.

The following February, calls started to come in about the parade again. Thus, the 2nd Annual St.Patrick’s Day Parade was organized. The parade was twice as long, 10 minutes this time.

After the 2nd parade, a group gathered at Ted Mahoney’s on 3rd Avenue west and decided that a Irish group needed to be formed to keep the parade tradition going. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Society was born one night in 1977 on a cocktail napkin. The name SaPaDaPaSo was coined by taking the first two letters of the groups new name.

SaPaDaPaSo has sponsored every parade since 1978.

For more on the SaPaDaPaSo Parade, CLICK HERE

Enjoy the Parade and the Day... Happy St. Patricks Day!!!!