March 18-19, 2011

Check back closer to St. Patrick's Day for more information!

The History of St. Patrick's Day
In Shamrock Texas

St. Patrick's Day was the idea of Glen Truax, a Shamrock Bandmaster.  He envisioned the town of Shamrock capitalizing on its Irish name and producing an annual one-day celebration to draw thousands of visitors to the Irish City.  With the help of the Booster Club, the first St. Patrick's Day Festival was reeled off in successful fashion in 1938.  The initial production attracted a few thousand people and 12 bands.

The extravaganza continued to grow until World War II canceled the annual celebration from 1941 until 1950.
The event was revived in 1950 when the American Legion and the junior Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the celebration.  Then, the following year, the festival was canceled due to the Korean conflict.  In 1952, the Shamrock Chamber of Commerce took over the task and reactivated the event, which has since been held annually,  sponsored by the St. Patrick's Celebration and was one of the largest ever.

The St. Patrick's Day Celebration is under the direction of a general chairman selected and approved by the Steering Committee, which is composed of all previous General Chairmen.  A staff of volunteer workers contributes thousands of hours to make the celebration a success.  Their only compensation is the satisfaction of a job well done.