I think we can all agree that March has been one crazy-azy month. St. Patrick's Day weekend always brings out the Irish side in everybody and Easter, for the first time since 1913, fell early, which in turn brought the coveted week of spring break to the forefront this month as well.

So what better way to end a month of celebration, than with the granddaddy party of them all?

For its 23rd year, St. Patrick's Catholic Church will host the annual Church Hill Irish Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29  and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 30.

"The event started off as a fundraiser for St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Church Hill and as support for a lot of its outreach functions, such as the meals program that was held every Saturday. The festival helped with the upkeep of the kitchen, the church hall and also the health clinic," said Stokes McCune, organizer of the festival.

While the meals program at St. Patrick's may have ended, its outreach program has extended far beyond the church walls.

"This is the first year the festival is on its own, separate from the church, as its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so we're starting off from scratch again," McCune said.

"We're including a lot of the neighborhood groups in the Church Hill area. Crime Watch, Richmond Hill, Child Saver's Clinic of Richmond, St. John's Church, Holy Rosary Church, Connor's Heroes – we're using the festival as a stewardship to really help out."

The festival will kick-off on Saturday with a parade stretching across two city blocks, boasting traditional Irish song and dance, which will naturally lead into the street festival. Three stages will provide entertainment from musical and dance groups including Uisce Beatha, Page Wilson, Bart Chucker Band and Susan Greenbaum just to name a few.

A children's area will take over Patrick Henry Park with face painting, children's games and Irish-themed crafts. And speaking of the children, the biggest highlight of the festival is most certainly the St. Baldrick's Foundation Head Shave taking place at 2 p.m. Saturday.

St. Baldrick's is a national foundation dedicated to raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. This will be St. Baldrick's sixth event at the Irish Festival during which 75 men and women will enthusiastically shave their heads completely bald, experiencing themselves one of the most stigmatizing public aspects of cancer – losing hair from chemotherapy treatment.

Last year, the Richmond St. Baldrick's group exceeded its goal of $25,000 by 170 percent, raising an impressive $42,473. This year, participants hope to raise more than $50,000. Online donations are being accepted now and festival-goers will have the chance to donate directly on stage during Saturday's Head Shave.

As it's been said time and time again, one of the greatest aspects of a street festival is definitely the food. The Ladies of St. Patrick's will be preparing hearty Irish lasagna and corn beef and cabbage. Traditional fish and chips will be served by the chefs at Holy Rosary and local venues such Poe's Irish Pub and Rare Olde Times will also be in attendance.

"One great thing about the festival is that it's there are no promoters, it's all volunteer-based," McCune said. "The bands play for free, everyone working is doing it for free; it's really great."

w The 23rd annual Church Hill Irish Festival will be held this weekend from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29  and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 30 in front of St. Patrick's Church on North 25th Street between Broad and Franklin streets. Admission is a $2 donation and festival organizers ask that pets remain at home. To donate to the St. Baldrick's Foundation, visit stbaldricks.org and search for Richmond's Irish Festival. For more information on the festival, visit venturerichmond.com or saintpatrickchurchhill.org.