He started Portland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade 34 years ago. And he’s not even Irish

Over a couple of beers at Paddy’s Bar & Grill in downtown Portland, Steve Slavik shared the story about how he founded Portland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“The first parade was 1990. Very, very humble,” he said, “and the parade started off on a bet.”

Stories by Samantha Swindler

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