Running With Guinness, Antique Appraisals, Parading, Irish Dancing, and Those Pipes Are Calling!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I know, it's not until Sunday but the festivities begin early on Saturday in East Lyme and the weather looks to be fairly cooperative for the many outdoor events that are planned this weekend. Saturday, mostly cloudy, Sunday, mostly sunny, with high temperatures in the low 40s and low temperatures in the high 20s, according to weather.com. 

1. The O'Niantic 5K race will get the weekend off to a running start with the Hartford Marathon's O'Niantic 5K and wee mile, which will be held on Saturday, March 16, starting at 9 a.m. in front of Niantic Bay Bicycles on Methodist Street in Niantic. Participants can walk, run, or jog, and there will be fun races for kids. The event I'm most eager to see is the "restaurant relay," which has Niantic servers running with trays bearing pints of Guinness. (That is something that you would see in Ireland!)   

2. Lots of places are celebrating St. Patrick's Day with music this weekend. Clan O'Cleary will be playing The Black Sheep in Niantic on Saturday, then playing again elsewhere on Sunday. If you're looking for the best places to celebrate, you'll find them on our map of St. Patrick's Day events.  

3. If you're eager for a parade on St. Patrick's Day, you don't have to travel far. New London appears to be the only city in the state that is actually holding a parade on the day itself. Here's everything you need to know before you go to t.

4. What does St. Patrick's Day have in common with New Year's Eve? It might be one day you want to stay off the roads. If you don't want to stray far from home, there are a number of places to go to celebrate in East Lyme. The Black Sheep in downtown Niantic will be open slightly earlier than usual on Sunday and offering special events throughout the day. You'll find Irish Step Dancing there at 2 p.m., the New London Fire Department Fife and Drum Corps there at 5 p.m. and dancing all night long with 2 Cat Zoo which takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.

If it's really all about the food for you, then Flanders Fish Market and Restaurant is the place to be. It's offering an all-you-can-eat corned beef dinner, plus a few Irish-American innovations such as Cheddar Ale Stew, Colcannon (a potato and cabbage mash), Irish Red Ale Battered Codfish and Whiskey Rice Pudding. Yum!  

5. Ever wondered what that hideous lobster plate you inherited from your great-aunt is worth? You can find out on Sunday at a local version of Antiques Roadshow. Vintage! Old Lyme Historical Society has assembled a large team of appraisers with expertise in everything from coins to collectibles ready to assess your family treasures. All proceeds from this popular fundraiser will benefit the Historical Society's scholarship fund. The event will take place on Sunday, March 17 between 1:00 and 5:00 PM at the Old Lyme Town Hall on Lyme Street.