Changes

Some big news to report for the Irish Fest Family as we wrap up 2006 and prepare for 2007.

Pat O'Neill, Jr., in spite of our kicking and screaming and holding our breath 'til we turn blue, has announced that he will be stepping down from the KCIF board of directors effective January 1st. Pat is one of the seven founding directors of the Kansas City Irish Fest, and has done a Herculean job of spreading the word about our little party, locally and nationwide since those first days. As great an event as we have, it's all for nothing if people don't know we're here. And thanks to Pat, if they're paying attention at all, they know. When you meet all those folks at the Fest from the four corners of the Earth, and every nook and cranny of the Kansas City metro area chances are that directly or indirectly it was Pat O'Neill who invited them to join us. In addition to his role as the engine in our PR machine, Pat brought to the board a deep connection and sense of our responsibility to our community that will be difficult if not impossible to replace. Pat has been the conscience of Irish Fest and reminds us constantly of our role as a caretaker of our great Irish heritage. Pat will continue to be involved in Irish Fest, because of his boundless commitment to bettering our city, his pride in our heritage and history, and because we have too much dirt on him to let him get away with quitting completely. We hope that we'll be able to get just as much work out of him as a freelancer as we did as a staffer. He has been a tireless champion of all that we're trying to accomplish at KCIF and I hope you'll join me in thanking Pat for his years of leadership and service.

The daunting task of filling Pat's shoes falls to one of our able own. Joining the Kansas City Irish Fest board of directors as Pat departs in January is none other than our sunshine girl, Erin Kiekbusch. Erin, as you may know, has been rounding up and wrangling our hundreds of volunteers at KCIF for the past three years. If you happen to be one of those wonderful volunteers, you'll know her as the dark haired of our two Sunshine Twins. Her Irish Fest experience dates back to the Brookside Irish Fest where she volunteered in the children's area. In addition, Erin is a long time member of the St. Patrick's Day Parade committee and currently a parade division head and organizer of the Shamrockin' In Westport event. Her work in Westport has become a full time job as well, as the woman in charge of all marketing and events for the district. Just as importantly as all that experience, Erin brings to the board all the energy, enthusiasm and passion for Irish Fest that is obvious to all of us who've had the pleasure of working with her. She also significantly lowers the median age of the geezer-heavy board, and that can't be a bad thing. Erin will begin her work with us in January and we're thrilled to have her. Congratulations, Sunshine!