2021 Jasper Green Ceremony crowds limited due to pandemic
2021 Jasper Green Ceremony crowds limited due to pandemic By WTOC Staff and Mariah Congedo | March 16, 2021 at 3:44 PM EDT - Updated March 16 at 11:30 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The 2021 Jasper Green Ceremony was held in Savannah on Tuesday afternoon with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event memorializes Revolutionary War hero Sgt. William Jasper. A Savannah military unit was named in his honor in 1842, The Irish Jasper Greens, but it honors all U.S. military, past and present, of Irish descent and otherwise.
Sgt. Jasper bravely recaptured his brigade’s banner during the Siege of Savannah despite being mortally wounded in the battle. On the day before St. Patrick’s Day every year, a wreath is laid at the Jasper monument in honor of the military.
|February 12, 2021 at 6:54 AM EST - Updated February 12 at 12:41 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee has announced that it will virtually present several special events in March 2021.
“Although we are unable to have the parade and election of the grand marshal this year, we know that it’s important to respect tradition and our Irish heritage as much as possible while ensuring the safety and health of others,” said John Fogarty, General Chairman of the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, in a news release. “To that end, we are working with the City of Savannah’s guidelines regarding the ability to film private events in traditional locations that we plan to virtually share with the public.”
Usually, around this time of year, Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is gearing up for Irish season.
The parade itself requires a lot of planning and coordination, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The parade committee is responsible for a number of events leading up to the big day, including the yearly honor of electing a grand marshal to lead the parade.
The group of Savannah Irish typically convene at the Benedictine gym to cast their vote for the top Irishman for the year. It s a spectacle. The doors to the gym are locked behind them, usually with members standing guard outside. For the last few years, when the vote is tallied, they send up green smoke to signal that a grand marshal has been chosen.