From The Desk Of The Prez

Irish Fest president Ed Follis reminds us of a little bit of important history today:

I thought I would let you know that this week marks the ten year anniversary of a key date in the history of our festival. It was ten years ago this week in the backroom of Charlie Hooper's that I pitched my idea of having an Irish Festival in a parking lot in Brookside to representatives of many of the organizations in the Irish Community. I'd been working on the idea of an Irish Fest in Brookside for 16 months, but it was time to either put together a committee or give up the dream. While there were many important individuals in that room, I picked up right away that there was one person whose support for my idea was especially important. After I made my pitch and presented my idea, that one individual was the first person to speak up to say that "they were in". That person was Ed Scanlon. His response was quickly echoed by Barb Scanlon, Mary Alice Beebe, Margie Manning and others. None of us had any experience of putting on a festival. It began a mad dash to put toghether an Irish Fest by Labor Day Weekend. For me, that meeting was the beginning of an incredible journey that forever changed my life. It was also the beginning of incredible friendships that have helped to serve as one of the foundations of our festival. I stopped by to see Ed and Barb tonight to toast the occasion. It's been a great ten years!

Ed

P.S. The attached picture was taken in early April 1999. I was holding the paper that offically incorporated the Brookside Irish Fest.