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Lyn Dowling<\/span> Hail, glorious St. Patrick: The pre-spring calendar is ever so green.<\/p>\n Let us start with what is billed as \u201cthe most authentic Irish festival in America,\u201d the Mighty Festival, during which the beer and whiskey will flow and actual Irish food will be consumed March 13 through 17 at\u00a0Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Disney Springs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The festival, which seems to grow more massive by the year, boasts a list of Irish and Irish-style entertainers too long to be posted here, but suffice to say that the music and dancing will go on all day and night \u2014 11 a.m. to midnight March 13, 10 a.m. to midnight March 14 and 15, 11 a.m. to midnight March 16 and 10 a.m. to midnight on\u00a0la F\u00e9ile P\u00e1draig\u00a0<\/em>itself, March 17.<\/p>\n Reservations are encouraged, to put it mildly, and on the great day itself, a cover charge of $20 will be added for people 18 years old and older.<\/p>\n NO reservations will be accepted for March 17, when attendance will be on a first-come-first-served basis, which is something, considering that thousands of people attend this event very year, cramming Disney Springs to the (now-closed) Lime Garage, which will reopen in time for the festival, apparently.<\/p>\n And if you want that entertainment schedule and other information, visit\u00a0www.raglanroad.com\/mighty-festival-2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n P.S. \u2013 Irish though it may be, Raglan Road\u2019s menu recently has taken on an international\/American-style slant, with the likes of \u201cGnocchi Nua,\u201d \u201cYour New York Strip with Attitude\u201d and pork schnitzel.<\/p>\n But the chicken pie and Slow Lamb, among other things, have Irish written all over them. Sort of like the mobs of Brevardians we always run into in the Springs, especially at this time of year.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, back in Melbourne,\u00a0Meg O\u2019Malley\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0will celebrate the saint in the usual way, starting with the Shamrock Shuffle 3K footrace at 7 a.m. March 14, followed by an Irish-style breakfast, the annual parade and the street festival, which will start at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n Beginning at 4 p.m., Surfer Girl, Beach Fly, Part One Tribe and Stonyfools will entertain on the main stage.<\/p>\n As every Irishman knows, Sundays start with Mass and Meg\u2019s will take place at 8:30 a.m. March 15 at the Florida Institute of Technology Campus Ministry, 3216 Engineering St.<\/p>\n The fast will be broken by a brunch that will feature green eggs and ham, after which the street festival will resume.<\/p>\n Things will get a bit serious, in a good-natured sort of way, from 1 to 3 p.m., with the cutting of hair and taking of donations to\u00a0St. Baldrick\u2019s Foundation<\/strong>, which fights children\u2019s cancers.<\/p>\n Entertainment will begin anew at 4 p.m. with Given to Fly, Escape the Brain and other acts.<\/p>\n St. Patrick\u2019s Day itself will commence at 9 a.m. March 17 with another Irish-style breakfast as well as live Irish music and the presence of a trailer sent by Tullamore Dew. Street performers and dancers will be there too, as will the likes of Irish Parliament Bean Soup, beef and Guinness pie, colcannon, etc., forever on Meg\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n Meg\u2019s is located at 812 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne.\u00a0 Go to\u00a0www.megomalleys.com\/event\/2026-st-patricks-fest<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n More as information is received.<\/p>\n On the same weekend as those St. Paddy\u2019s hooleys \u2014 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14 and 15 at Fred Poppe Regional Park, in this case \u2014 will come the\u00a0Palm Bay Strawberry Festival<\/strong>\u00a0to benefit the\u00a0Children\u2019s Hunger Project<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Plant City strawberries and the shortcake in which they lovingly reside will be featured, as will strawberry lemonade and a pie-eating contest. Family activities will include arts and crafts, monster truck rides, axe-throwing, a \u201cBerry Cute Baby Contest,\u201d pony rides, a bounce house, sack races, a petting farm and cornhole.<\/p>\n Food, beer and wine will be available, which is how it comes to be mentioned here.<\/p>\n Fred Poppe Regional Park is located at 1951 Malabar Road, Palm Bay.<\/p>\n If you know of a special event, festival or simply news about restaurants in Brevard County and its environs, let us know. Email\u00a0lyndowling@yahoo.com<\/a>\u00a0or send a message through Facebook.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u00a0|\u00a0 For FLORIDA TODAY<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nErin go bragh … and the Palm Bay Strawberry Festival, too<\/h2>\n