Michigan
Coldwater hosts Michigan’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade
COLDWATER — Monday morning, Ken Delaney, decked out in green and a kilt, walked from Four Corners Park to the nearby Jeannie’s Diner.
“Because I’m Irish,” he said.
The WTVB morning personality calls the event “Michigan’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.”
Because his show is only on weekdays, the parade took place Monday along West Chicago for less than 20 yards.
Delaney said the idea started as a pub crawl 25 years before. “That got to be too much,” he said.
About a decade later, the parade time moved from an afternoon pub crawl to just after he finished his morning show when he headed to a downtown restaurant.
Those who join the parade usually join him for a corned beef and cabbage lunch.
In 2020, with COVID-19, he held the parade ending at JTs, with everyone wearing special St. Patrick’s Day masks.
With the shutdown, Delaney held the 2021 parade in his backyard, drinking Guinness with friends.
This year in the snow was the biggest crowd ever, with 25 people surpassing 17 in 2023.
Delaney is proud of his parade music, recorded in an Irish pub 15 years ago. “The Hudson Valley Drum and Pipe Corp, guys from New York, police officers and firefighters that were actually in a pub in Ireland,” he said.
There Delaney recorded the two minutes and 19 seconds song on his iPhone.
Delaney got his St. Patrick’s Day idea from WJR Detroit radio legend JP McCarthy. His party was held in the Fisher building in Detroit.
Delaney said McCarthy “used to just open the doors and everybody who was anybody would come by. The mayor, Wayne County Commissioners, and the bishops, everybody would come live for his morning show on St. Patrick’s Day.”
The parade is Delaney’s small market version.
Delaney traces his Irish heritage back to “My great-grandmother. My dad’s side was born in Ireland.”
For Delaney, “My whole family’s Irish, seven kids, an all-Irish Catholic family.”
“I love it everything about Ireland. I’ve been there three times,” he added.
His wife, Chris, bought him authentic Irish kilts for Irish events and parties.
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Over Memorial Day weekend, Delaney will celebrate his 40th year at the Coldwater radio station, where he is the market manager for Midwest Broadcasting.
Over those 40 years, he always did something different for St. Patrick’s Day before starting the parade. “It’s fun. I think everybody can be goofy. But since I’ve been to Ireland a couple of times, I guess it’s gotten even more so. Why not have a little fun?”
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
Michigan
Will Mikey Keene be Michigan’s Week 1 starting quarterback in 2025?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Michigan Wolverines fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Michigan now has a veteran quarterback in the fold for the 2025 season. On Monday afternoon, Fresno State transfer QB Mikey Keene committed to the Wolverines.
Keene had a 70.5 completion percentage in 2024 with 2,892 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions at Fresno State. Keene was at Central Florida for his first two years and is familiar with Michigan’s new offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey. Lindsey was Central Florida’s offensive coordinator in 2022 while Keene was at UCF. Keene fared well in ‘22 with Lindsey when he saw the field, throwing for 647 yards, six touchdowns and one interception with a 72.3 completion rate.
Does Keene’s veteran presence and familiarity in Chip Lindsey’s scheme give him the edge to ultimately be named Michigan’s starting quarterback in Week 1 against New Mexico next season? Or will the 2025 No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 QB Bryce Underwood prove to be ready to roll right out of the gate? Vote below.
Whether Keene winds up starting or not he was brought in to compete with Underwood and receive a shot at the starting position in 2025. Keene, who stands 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, will be entering his fifth collegiate season in 2025 and has amassed 8,245 passing yards, 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in his career with a 67.8 completion percentage.
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