Saint Patrick's Day have been cross-community St Patrick's Day parades in towns throughout Northern Ireland, which have attracted thousands of spectators. In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use St Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture. The government set up a group called St Patrick's Festival, with the aims: The first St Patrick's Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall 2009's five-day
St. Johns Country Day School February 27, 1957, and the new building opened on August 21, 1957. Rod Fisher, longtime science teacher and landmark of the St. Johns campus, was hired in 1967 out of Catawba College. Dr. Heinrich served as the school’s headmaster until his retirement in 1970. He was succeeded by Patrick Mackin in September 1970. On October 14, 1976, faulty electrical wiring caught fire and burned down nearly half of the school, leaving classrooms inoperable and causing smoke damage to the library. St. Johns Country Day School has had seven headmasters since its founding. St. Johns Country Day offers three languages: Latin,