The boots were flying at the Welly Toss during the 2015 Wee Bit O´ Ireland Celebration. The event, in its 34th year, includes activities Thursday through Sunday in Heppner.

Everyone can claim to be a wee bit o’ Irish during St. Patrick’s Day in Heppner.

Sheryll Bates, Heppner Chamber of Commerce executive director, invites people to Shamrock Central as they paint the town green during the 36th annual A Wee Bit O’Ireland Celebration. While the majority of the shenanigans take place Saturday, the event kicks off Thursday with a vendor’s square (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and a drama performance (7 p.m.) written and directed by Father Gerry Condon. “Searching For Meaning” is free but donations are accepted on behalf of “Anson Strong,” benefiting the family of Anson Fairbank, a local 2-year-old with leukemia.

New this year is Murray’s Irish Beer and Wine Fest. Featuring Dan Burns 3D Productions — an electrifying live DJ show complete with music, lights, fog and more — it kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. Admission is free. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Musical entertainment, food and fun will be aplenty as people from near and afar celebrate the town’s Irish heritage. Joe and Leanne Lindsay, their children, Ryan, Cori Jo and Andrew, and other extended family members are grand marshals of the Great Green Parade (Saturday, 1 p.m.). Also, the Lindsay gang will surely share some blarney during the Irish Coffee Hour (Saturday, 10 a.m.).

Actually 90 minutes long, the coffee klatch is a weekend highlight, Bates said. It features music, an Irish Brogue Contest, cash prizes and running commentary between host Tom Melton, Condon (a retired Catholic priest), U.S. Rep. Greg Walden and local attorney Bill Kuhn. Although new to the coffee gang, Kuhn’s corny jokes have earned him the seat previously reserved for Dominic Monahan, a retired attorney.

Other Saturday activities include the Welly Toss (10 a.m.). It features launching Wellington boots for ol’ Irish fun and braggin’ rights. And, when Pioneer Memorial Hospital discovered some old gurneys, Bates said it was a sign to bring back the Bed Races (11 a.m.). Also, last year’s O’Planky Race (11:30 a.m.) revival was quite a crowd-pleaser, she said. In addition, activities for young lads and lassies will be plentiful during Top O’The Hour (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The Road Bowling, Bates said, has been moved up to Saturday. If that sounds right up your alley, gather a team of four and register by 1 p.m. for the 3 p.m. lane assignments.

The event also includes sheep dog trials, a Cruz-In car show, a children’s talent show and the annual Friends of the Library book sale. Also, be sure to fork out some dough for a collector’s button for a chance to win a $100 pot o’ gold. The drawings are Saturday at CEILI (2-4 p.m.) and during the CrossStrung performance (7:30-9:30 p.m.).

“We try to have something for everybody, so it’s not just the coffee hour and the parade and then everyone drinks beer,” Bates said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

For more information, including a link to a full schedule, visit www.facebook.com/st.patrickscelebration. For questions, call 541-676-5536.