By Craig Horleman

Aside from a Memorial Day barbecue in her backyard, Codi Canasa says she has never organized anything as big as Dover’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will be. But she’s excited to pull it off.

She and fellow co-owner of Agape Body Piercings on Bradford Street, Tabby Proud, have taken the reins of the capital city tradition this year for the first time and they have big plans.

After a layoff of two years due to COVID-19, the parade is back starting at 1 p.m. It will travel from Federal Street, west on Loockerman Street and then to Governors Avenue where it will disperse from there. That is a change from the original route due to the fatal fire, which took place earlier in the week.

Ms. Canasa said the previous organizers did not come back for this year and Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen asked if they could step in.

“The mayor said ‘Hey, listen, we love your energy we love the vibrancy that you guys are bringing to downtown. So would you like to help us facilitate this year’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade?’ So we had met up at a meeting about master planning that’s happening for the downtown Dover area. And so at that meeting, he was like, ‘Listen, you know, the people that have done it in years past, unfortunately, aren’t able to do it. It’s also been some years since we’ve done it. So we’d love to see the kind of energy and excitement that you could bring around this event,’” she said.

“And of course, when the mayor asks, what do you do? You say yes. But we said, ‘We don’t have much experience in this. But at the same time, as long as we keep the fun at the epicenter of all of this hard work, we know that we’ll come out with a really, really great event.’ And our community has really come out of the woodworks and said, ‘Hey, I want to participate. Hey, we can’t wait for this event. Hey, we’re grateful that we’re bringing it back after three years.’ So we’ve had a lot of really wonderful and excited people that are willing to participate. So we’re really stoked about it.”

Armed with a four-inch binder which explained the basics, Ms. Canasa said all the hard work that’s been put in to planning the event has been rewarding. What usually takes months was done in only a few weeks.

“Doing an entire event like this has been very eye-opening. I think a lot of people don’t realize that when they show up with their lawn chairs, their can of Pepsi and they watch their kids play — they see the fruit of all the work — but I personally could never have fathom the sheer amount of work — teamwork, communication, organization — that it takes to plan such a big event We have put so much of our heart and our time and effort into this event,” she said.

“And just a big thank you to people that have done it in years past simply because they have really paved the way for a really awesome event. I don’t think anybody, unless you have ever had to open this binder that we were given to understand this event and coordination, could ever understand how much effort it takes because they’re only there for 30 minutes watching the parade. People don’t realize the months and hundreds of hours that it takes to put such an event together.”

The parade will have just shy of 50 participants, which will include public officials, car clubs, bike clubs, dance clubs and Irish societies.

On Loockerman Plaza, there will be food trucks, games for the kids, pet products and 100 children will have the opportunity to decorate a St. Patrick’s Day cookie made special for the day from La Baguette in Dover. The grand marshal will be Dover Air Force Base Chief Master Sgt. Brian Ford.

The theme for the parade is Let’s Get Outside Again.”

“We’ve got a lot of really awesome organizations that want to just get out and entertain our community and just go back to having fun,” Ms. Canasa said.

“I just really wanted people to remember what it was it like pre-COVID. You hear your kids laughing and we don’t have our face all covered like we’re about to rob a Shore Stop. We really just wanted people to remember that COVID is a very present thing but it’s not going to be something that takes over our lives for the rest of our lives.”

A determination of weather cancellation will be made by 8:30 a.m. and announced on the parade’s Facebook event page.

On The Lash

To continue the St. Patrick’s Day weekend theme, in honor of Irish traditional music, On The Lash creates timeless sounds through original voices. The band will perform Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Smyrna Opera House.

With new takes on classic songs and original constructions of established standards, OTL aims to explore the inherent energy and versatility of the genre. They will be joined by special guests Do Cairde School of Irish Dance.

Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 seniors and military, $16 SOH members, $10 children 12 and under.

They can be obtained by visiting here, calling 302-653-4236 or the box office at 7 W. South St.

Irish concert

An Irish music and dance concert will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Milford Senior Center, 111 Park Ave.

The event will include the band Seven Rings, the McAleer-Paulson School of Irish Dance and bagpipers.

Tickets are $25 and can be obtained by through Eventbrite.com or by calling Irish Rose at 302-491-4125.

Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

‘Cabaret’

Life is a “Cabaret” this weekend and next at the Milton Theatre as the iconic stage musical will be performed with its first in-house production in two years.

In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920s draw to a close, a garish master of ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret.

With the emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, “Cabaret” explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.

Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish.

Musical numbers include “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Two Ladies.”

It stars Peter Briccotto, Winifred Schwed and Jordan Kilgore. It is directed by Fred Munzert and choreographed by Audrey Lee.

Tickets are available online here or call the box office at 302-684-3038 for assistance.

The Milton Theatre is at 110 Union St.

Ukraine benefit

Frantic Frets Music and Antiques have teamed up with some local musicians, artists and businesses to help raise money locally to support a grass-roots group of individuals who are providing direct relief at the borders of Ukraine.

The fundraising efforts are expected to raise at least $5,000 before the end of March. The money raised will go towards shelter, medical equipment, and basic necessities for Ukrainian people who have been forced to leave their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Local musicians have stepped up to help through a series of live and virtual performances for the cause. They will be collecting donations through these events that are currently ongoing through March 31.

Christine Havrilla kicked off the series of music events with a virtual concert that was held on March 10 and her fans donated over $1,000 during her performance.

Other in-person music events taking place:

Today: Darkes Band at Sussex Amvets Post 2 in Millsboro, GirlsRoom at Shrimpy’s in Rehoboth Beach, Off 24 at Sydney’s in Milton, and Al Frantic at Milton Fox Hole in Milton. Saturday: Bettenroo at Big Chill in Rehoboth Beach.

On March 27, SmashMouth Burgers owners Jamie and Nichole Parsons are hosting an in-person event in their food truck’s new home at 19406 Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach, located next to Big Chill Surf Cantina.

The event will run from noon until 5 p.m. with the Parsons donating 25% of all burger sales to the fund.

Their newly opened Smash Lounge space will feature performances by Cooper Max Drummer, Ken Schleifer, Tyler Greene, Williams Brothers and Al Frantic.

An online auction will run from March 20-27 with items donated by several local artists and photographers. Among the items will be a sketch of President Volodymyr Zelensky donated by Amy Salganik of Lewes.

Donations will be collected during the event, and signed posters of the President Zelensky sketch while supplies last. An acoustic electric guitar and some experience items will also be on the auction block. The online auction will end at 5 p.m., and you will have to register in order to bid. The bidding opens on Sunday at 32auctions.com/Ukrainian-Relief and ends at 5 p.m. on March 27.

Musicians from Delmarva who wish to collect donations at a show or host a virtual performance, artists or businesses that would like to donate something for the online auction, or businesses who would like to host a fundraiser should contact Mary Frantic via email by March 25 at musichappensproject@gmail.com

Auction information and more details can be found online here.

Donations can be made online here.

Now Showing

Speaking of Ukraine fundraisers, Movies at Midway on Del. 1 in Rehoboth Beach is showing “Stand with Ukraine: The Guide” today through March 24.

The film is a 2014 Ukrainian drama directed by Oles Sanin. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

All of the proceeds will be donated to The Ukraine Relief Fund, which was established in cooperation with Human & Civil Rights Organizations of America Inc.

HCROA is managing donations and ensuring they reach organizations working effectively in Ukraine and countries supporting Ukrainian refugees.

More information on this fund can be found here.

Also new this weekend in theaters is the anime film “Jujutsu Kaisen: 0”; the gangster film “The Outfit”; and the horror film “X.”