For you beginners who have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing the Watertown Goes Green Irish Festival, this article is for you. Many of you have at least seen the shows our dancers put on throughout the weekend, but did you realize that the shows are just the tip of the iceberg. We also operate the Tea Room and our School's booth, as well as sell raffle tickets for our school and the Festival and participate in the Parade.

Performances: The festivities will start with our Senior Dancers performing during the Miss Ireland Pageant on Friday night. The weekend schedule typically will run like this:

Saturday, March 17
11:00 show
1:30 show
4:00 show
Sunday, March 18
1:00 parade - All Classes
3:00 show

Dancers will need to meet about 45 min. prior to the start of the show in the hallway near the phone booths on the first floor. The group will then parade to the auditorium to begin the show. Make sure your dancer has all of their costumes, shoes and accessories. Hair may be worn either straight or curly depending on your child's hair type. Make sure that however the hair is worn; the headband is secured tightly in place.

Parade: Whether or not your child is ready to perform in the shows, everyone may participate in the parade on Sunday morning. For this, your child will need a Gray Johnston's sweatshirt, black stretch pants, white turtlenecks and white sneakers. The parade usually starts at 1:00 on Sunday and a time and place to meet will be announced as we get closer to the Irish Festival.

Tea Room: Think of the coat closet by the auditorium at the State Office Building transformed into a quaint Irish Tea Room. This transformation takes place by the use of parent contributions. Cups, saucers, teapots, pictures, linens, hats, dolls, anything that makes you think of a tearoom are used to decorate. In here we offer homemade Pie, Scones, Soda Bread, Cookies, Rice Pudding, Coffee and, of course, Tea. The parents of our association prepare the pies and scones, the rest is either purchased or donated. So, if you are a bit of a Betty Crocker, make sure to sign up with the Volunteer Coordinator to bake your pies.

Johnston's Booth: This booth is where raffle tickets are purchased, prizes are displayed and some little odds and ends are sold. The prizes consist of various Irish items provided by parents. In the past, we have given away a Barbie Princess of Ireland Doll, Porcelain Irish Dolls, a beautiful handmade quilt and baskets of Shamrock kitchen supplies just to name a few. We would like to have donations turned in by mid February. Tickets will soon be going on sale at a cost of $1.00 each or 7 for $5.00. Make sure to get out and sell. This raffle provides virtually pure profit for our school and has become one of our biggest fundraisers.

I hope this has been helpful in giving you a little bit of an idea of what to expect.