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  • Claremore’s own Irishman Pat O’Bannon organized a St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Claremore for several years.

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  • St. Patrick’s Day Parade participants. PHOTO PROVIDED

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  • Echo King paints a green coat for Will Rogers to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Claremore Main Street will host Celtic music, a traditional Irish lunch of bangers and mash, sidewalk parade, face painting, “Pot of Gold” luck bucks tomorrow. PROGRESS PHOTO/Joy Hampton

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March 16, 2010

Remembering St. Patrick’s Day history in Claremore

Larry Larkin Progress Correspondent

CLAREMORE — It is said St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time as a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.

The favorite day of the year for every Irishman falls on Wednesday this week. It will be the time for the wearing of the green. For on this day everyone, no matter what the ancestor background may be, becomes a wee bit of Irish.

It is time to stock up on the corn beef and cabbage and the ingredients needed for Irish stew. Green eggs and ham may be taking it a little too far, but don’t forget the green beer and green tea. 

Need to watch a perfect movie about Ireland? You can’t go wrong with John Wayne’s “The Quiet Man” or “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” with a very young Sean Connery. Both are over 50 years old, but the young-at-heart Irish never ages.

This describes Claremore’s own special Leprechaun. Businessman Pat O’Bannon took great pride in being an Irishman. To share his feelings with the rest of the community’s residents, he decided to stage a parade during the late 1980’s. 

Why not? Large cities like New York and Chicago hold St. Patrick’s Day parades every year. They even dye their rivers green for the occasion.

Maybe dying Dog Creek might be a little too much, but holding a parade would be perfect. The first one was small but colorful.  Decked out in all green (as if any other color would do), Pat held his first parade down Will Rogers Blvd. Less than 10 others joined him, but it was a parade and an enjoyable one at that.

Each year more and more “Irish” citizens wanted to join.  Mayor Tom Poole donned the green as did Claremore Junior College president Richard Mosier.  Doctors and lawyers turned out alone with students and everyone else who wanted to take part.

The parade always started in front of O’Bannon’s credit and loan office on the northeast corner of the 300 block on Will Rogers.  After the first parade the numbers rose.  A police escort was added and a special wagon was included so the smaller children could ride in style.

“Pat was proud of his Irish background and he certainly enjoyed the parades,” said Jim Meredith, his business partner at the time, “and he always made sure we had corn beef sandwiches in the office on those days.”

Pat Reeder, former Claremore Progress editor, added, “he took delight in being an Irishman and in addition he had the same name.  St. Patrick’s Day was his day.”

Pat O’Bannon died a few years ago. His parades have also passed by. For the ones who joined in or delightfully watched them those years ago, the memories remain strong.

 

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