"It's so much fun we don’t need booze" - Popular Irish singer headlines Sober 17th in Ohio

Sober Seventeenth is a lively, out-of-the-ordinary party that has emerged as one of the biggest and best St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Ohio. 

A sober St. Patrick’s Day party and celebration, presented by Sober Seventeenth, Inc. and The LCADA Way, returns to Avon Lake, Ohio’s elegant Ahern’s Banquet Center to offer a family friendly, rip-roaring good time from 5 pm to 8 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2019, for the sixth consecutive year.   

The Sober Seventeenth St. Patrick's Day Party serves no alcohol but it offers an abundance of fun and enjoyment through authentic Irish culture.

Read more: Sober St. Patrick’s Day group asks for $17 on March 17 to support recovering alcoholics

The evening’s entertainers will be introduced by Judge William T. McGinty of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. The event offers:

- Back by popular demand and directly from Ireland is James Kilbane. Kilbane is, famous for the 2005 “You’re a Star” televised competition and has gone on to achieve multi-platinum sales of his recordings in Ireland and become County Mayo’s number one singer,

- Making their Sober Seventeenth debut, The McNamaras from Cleveland performing traditional Irish tunes on flute, tin whistle, and fiddle;

- Guests will be greeted by bagpipe tunes by 13-year-old prodigy Reece Colovini. Reece is the youngest piper in the history of the 87^th Cleveland Pipe Band, a competitive pipe band founded in Cleveland in 1987.

- The award-winning Burke School of Irish Dance will showcase authentic Irish culture through the performance of young Irish step dancers, always a crowd favorite. The BurkeSchool of Irish Dance was founded by Theresa (Tessie) Burke of Elyria who has been teaching Irish Dance for the past sixty years.

- Fun for kids, including shamrock face-painting and a St. Patrick’s Day theme coloring contest with valuable prizes donated by Pat Catan's. Judge Sherry Glass of the Lorain County Juvenile Court will chair the panel of judges for the contest.

- A saintly serving of Irish and international favorites for every taste and appetite including Corned beef, Swedish meatballs, Italian sausage, cheese crackers and veggies, fresh fruit display, chicken lollipop (gluten-free), mini hamburgers, pasta marinara and pasta Mediterranean, tea, coffee and soft drinks. Some say they just come for the Irish soda bread, reputed to be the finest in town.

Read more: Best ways to enjoy being Irish in NYC on St. Patrick’s Day

"It's so much fun we don’t need booze," quipped Jack Kilroy, President of the nonprofit Sober Seventeenth, Inc. 

"But seriously, we help people in recovery prevent relapse, we provide a counterpoint to the pervasive drunken Irish stereotype and we give families a chance to show their children authentic Irish culture away from the sea of alcohol that has flooded the day meant to honor the patron saint of Ireland."

Admission includes food and great entertainment.  Tickets are $20 and $6 for kids aged 10 & under.  Advance sale and online tickets are only $17 and are available online at https://sober17.brownpapertickets.com and paper tickets are available at Casey’s Irish Imports in Rocky River, Ohio.

Contact: Jack Kilroy at sober17th@gmail.com.

Looking for events in your community this St Patrick’s Day or to share further information on the March 17 celebrations in your area? Join our St Patrick’s Day 2019 group and celebrate St Patrick’s Day 2019 in proper Irish style.

Read more: Ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day that don't involve a pub

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