Last year, Mark Cuban swooped in at the last minute to save the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade, thereby ensuring that the gutters of Lower Greenville would flow with beer and other liquids for a 33rd consecutive year.
The parade had run into trouble as the event -- and costs, mainly from hiring off-duty police officers -- had grown from a modest neighborhood affair into a blowout that draws more than 100,000 people every year.
With Cuban on board, the parade's long-term viability seems secure; his company, AXS-TV, has signed on again as the main sponsor of this year's event, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 16. But the soul-searching prompted by the parade's near-demise has prompted a rebranding effort.
In a press release sent today, Greenville Avenue Area Business Association President Jorge Levy promises "new and exciting changes that will enhance the overall experience for the thousands of people that attend every year."
More details are to be laid out in a press conference at City Hall this afternoon, but the changes include a new, as yet skeletal website and Facebook page, a new logo, and a new name: the Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade.
And thus, the Greenville Avenue bash joins the White Rock Marathon in scrubbing any hint of geographic specificity from its name.
Here's hoping the beer stays green.
