Out and About in March
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Lexington’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, the city’s longest-running civic event, turns 40 this year.
The 2019 event kicks off on Saturday, March 16 at 8 a.m. in downtown Lexington with the 13th annual Shamrock Shuffle to benefit Lexington Habitat for Humanity.
The festival begins at 10:45 a.m. with the annual “Blessing of the Keg” at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza.
The free event features several local musicians, singers and dancers and lasts until 6 p.m. The parade begins at 1 p.m. and goes down Main Street, starting at Midland Avenue and ending at Mill Street.
Info: lexingtonstpatsparade.org.
Bluegrass Youth Ballet Celebration
The Bluegrass Youth Ballet celebrates its 15th season with a production of “15 Dances.”
This show will feature excerpts from favorite BYB performances such as Alice in Wonderland, Little Mermaid, Dia de los Muertos, Arabella’s Journey, Rapunzel, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and more. Showtimes are Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 30 at 2 p.m. at the Lexington Opera House. Tickets are $17-$20.
Info: 271-4472.
Grandparents Raising Grandkids Event
If you are among the hundreds of Kentuckians raising somebody else’s children, you cannot afford to miss the 17th annual Bluegrass Regional Grandparents As Parents (GAP) Conference on Thursday, March 21 at the Clarion Hotel at 1950 Newtown Pike.
Registration for the one-day event begins at 8 a.m. Speakers start at 8:30 a.m. and conclude by 3:30 p.m. The conference is intended to meet the needs of grandparents or other kinship caregivers and professionals in the field.
Registration is $5 for grandparents and all other attendees except professionals for whom the registration fee is $50. This includes a full lunch. No breakfast is available.
In response to former attendees’ requests, there is more emphasis this year on the trauma produced in children by abuse and neglect and/or parenting changes.
Dr. Clarissa Belle, a licensed psychologist in Lexington, is the keynote speaker. Her 9 a.m. speech is titled “Fostering Resilience: One Connection at a Time.” She will make a second presentation, titled “Identifying Keys to Cultivate Healthy Relationships with Trauma-Exposed Youth,” at 2:10 p.m. That is the closing featured session of the day.
The conference also features eight workshops, free consultations with a lawyer (advance registration required) and a resource fair. The registration deadline is March 15.
The conference is approved for Social Work Continuing Education Credits and FRYSC Training Hours.
Info: www.gapofky.org or call the Fayette County Extension Office at (859) 257-5582.