New owners of Red Shamrock bring Shamfest back for 2014

Shamfest 2014 Music Lineup:

Saturday, March 15

11 a.m. – The Whiskey Dix

2 p.m. – F-5

4:30 p.m. – Raygun Administration

7 p.m. – Deputy 5

Inside

6 p.m. – Kevin Harrison

Sunday, March 16

Noon – MissUsed

3 p.m. – The Turn

5 p.m. – Jasper Coal

Billed as the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration on the U.S. 280 corridor, Shamfest is returning to Mt Laurel in 2014.

The weekend-long event, which organizers anticipate will draw in 6,000 attendees this year, begins Saturday, March 15 and extends through Sunday evening, March 16. Returning fans and newcomers can expect live music on an outdoor stage, family-friendly activities, food and beverage vendors and a sea of green.

Mt Laurel’s The Red Shamrock Pub is again hosting the event, but don’t expect things to be identical to years past. Since the last event, attorney Henry “Chuck” Dailey purchased the establishment.

“He approached us about buying the place in early December, and he wanted to close in two weeks,” said former owner Traci Griffin. “It happened extremely fast, and it was just good timing, I guess.”

After purchasing the pub, Dailey set to work on preparing it for a re-launch he intends to coordinate with Shamfest 2014. He’s brought in new furniture and is adjusting interior decor. He is also adding a new kitchen and plans to have a restaurant-style menu available by March.

Dailey is keeping The Shamrock’s extensive selection of beer — offering 13 draft selections and 35 types in bottles.

Dailey said he purchased The Red Shamrock largely because he enjoyed its atmosphere, so drastic changes were out of the question. He also said, as a 280-area resident with a business on Cahaba Valley Road, he had grown very fond of the Mt Laurel community and was excited to be a part of it.

“I probably wouldn’t own a bar if it wasn’t here,” Dailey said.

Former Red Shamrock Manager Shannon Hannah said the event was first held in 2012 because the former owners wanted to fill the niche for a St Patrick’s celebration south of downtown Birmingham. Shamfest saw more than 2,000 attend in its first year, and attendance doubled to 4,000 in 2013.

Because Scott and Traci Griffin no longer own The Red Shamrock, Shamfest is no longer directly tied to their nonprofit organization, the Hope for Gabe Foundation. The well-known charity, supported by 280 residents and businesses from The Summit to Chelsea, supports research on a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The Griffins’ son, Gabe, has been diagnosed with DMD, which is known to degenerate muscles until those afflicted by it can no longer move or breathe.

Kay Dailey, Red Shamrock co-owner, said she intended to finalize an agreement to support the nonprofit Two by Two Rescue with the 2014 Shamfest. Two by Two is a no-kill, nonprofit organization that helps find homes for pets in the greater Birmingham area.

For more on The Red Shamrock Pub, visit theredshamrockpub.com. For more on Two by Two Rescue, visit twobytworescue.com.