SAPADAPASO NEWS

2021 Drive-thru St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Hawkeye Downs
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held as a drive-thru parade at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday,
March 13th, 2021. In light of the ongoing pandemic and current public health recommendations
our main priority is the safety and security our entrants, volunteers, and wonderful supporters.
The location may be different. The look and feel may be different. But this proud Irish tradition
will remain as a pillar of the arts and culture community here in Cedar Rapids.
The world has changed in many ways since we made the difficult decision to cancel the parade
in March 2020. Last year marked the first year in forty-five years the City of Cedar Rapids did
not have floats going down the avenue on March 17th. Holding the parade on St. Patrick’s Day
has been a constant or our organization since the first parade in 1976. As the world has
changed, we understand that we must do the same.
Moving forward the St. Patricks’ Day Parade will be held on the Saturday preceding St. Patrick’s
Day. We strongly feel this change creates a better experience for our community. Moreover, we
believe it enhances our relationships with downtown businesses and the City of Cedar Rapids.
One of the biggest changes this year is that SaPaDaPaSo is holding the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
in support of downtown Cedar Rapids bars and restaurants. Our downtown friends and
partners have been especially hard hit by the pandemic.
We will be selling raffle tickets for a $4,000 trip to Ireland (or any location the winner chooses).
Tickets are $10.00/ticket and will be available to the general public until midnight on March
16th. The drawing will be held at 12:00PM on March 17th. Tickets can be safely purchased
through sapadapaso.org. 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to downtown
bars and restaurants. Our goal is to do the most we can to help out our friends and partners
downtown.
Lastly, we would like to extend a special thank you to Hawkeye Downs for being a willing
partner and providing our organization with a safe location for this year’s parade