TROY, Ala.– A road race, a football scrimmage, a parade, musical entertainment and, of course, a heaping helping of green will highlight the sixth annual Irish Week celebration at Troy University March 10-17.

The event coincides with the annual Spring Alumni Reunion weekend, which will feature a reunion dinner and the awarding of the Distinguished Leadership Award.

Festivities for alumni will get under way March 10 with a reception honoring this year’s Distinguished Leadership Award winner at the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor. The alumni reunion dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 11 in the Trojan Center Ballrooms. The Distinguished Leadership Award and alumni chapter awards will be presented during the dinner.

On Saturday, March 11, activities will kick off with the Nick Costes Memorial 5K and 10K races, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Shackelford Quad.

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will wind its way down University Avenue beginning at noon on March 11. Line-up for the parade will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude by 11:30. For more information on reserving a spot in the parade, contact Buddy Starling at (334) 670-3243.

Following the parade, tailgating and musical entertainment will take place at Tailgate Terrace adjacent to Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. A spring football scrimmage will be held at 2 p.m. in the stadium. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Pike will present the Shamrockin’ 2006 Dance featuring the band Lisa and the E-LUSION at 7 p.m. in the Stadium Club at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. Tickets are $35 for individuals or $50 for couples with proceeds from event will benefit the organization’s scholarship fund.

Troy University’s choral department will present its annual Choral Masterworks Concert in the Claudia Crosby Theater at 7:30 p.m. An encore presentation of the concert will be presented on Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m. at the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts on the University’s Montgomery Campus. Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for students.

The weekend events kick off a weeklong Irish celebration, including a community brown bag lunch on the square in downtown Troy, a Pot-of-Gold search on the Troy Campus and an Irish Cooking Contest. 

Troy University Spring Reunion/Irish Week schedule

Thursday, March 2

7 p.m.              Miss Shamrock Pageant—Trojan Center Theatre

Friday, March 10

4 p.m.              Registration: Alumni, Parents and Friends—Alumni House

6 p.m.              Reception honoring Distinguished Leadership Award winner—Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor

8 p.m.              University Activities Council presents Bobby Valentino in concert—Trojan Arena

Saturday, March 11

8:30 a.m.          Nick Costes-Troy Banks & Merchants 5K-10K Race—Shackelford Quad

8:30 a.m.          Registration: Alumni, Parents and Friends—Alumni House

9 a.m.               Preview Day for Prospective Students—Bibb Graves Quad

10 a.m.             Scholarship Donors and Recipients Brunch—Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor

Noon               St. Patrick’s Day Parade—University Avenue

12:30 p.m.        Letter Winners Lunch—End Zone of Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium

12:30 p.m.        Tailgating and Special Events—Tailgate Terrance

2 p.m.              Spring Football Scrimmage—Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium

3 p.m.              Irish Travelers’ Reunion—Alumni House

5 p.m.              Alumni and Friends Cocktail Reception—Trojan Center Boardroom

5:30 p.m.          Spring Reunion Diner—Trojan Center Ballrooms

7 p.m.              Shamrockin’ 2006 Dance—Stadium Club, Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium

7:30 p.m.          Choral Masterworks Festival—Claudia Crosby Theatre

Monday, March 13

8 a.m.               “Rockin’ on the Quad,” Kappa Delta sorority fundraiser to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and Pike County Department of Human Resources—Amphitheater

Tuesday, March 14

8 a.m.               “Rockin’ on the Quad,” Kappa Delta sorority fundraiser to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and Pike County Department of Human Resources—Amphitheater

11:30 a.m.        Salute to Veterans—Bibb Graves Quad

Wednesday, March 15

10 a.m.-noon    “A Bit of Irish Blarney”—Front entrance of Adams Administration Building

Thursday, March 16

Noon               Community Brown Bag Event—On the Square in Downtown Troy

Friday, March 17

9 a.m.               Pot of Gold Search—Troy Campus

11 a.m.             Irish Cooking Contest—Trojan Center Food Cour

###