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Highlights from Raleigh’s 36th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade
Arts & Entertainment
TECHNICIAN
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PAGE 8 • MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018
Sarah Gallo
Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
Boasting everything from street-style tacos and handmade Celtic jewelry to a sighting of Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Raleigh’s 36th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival showcased the uplifting sense of community that exists right here in the City of Oaks.
The parade, which started at 10 a.m. Saturday on Fayetteville Street, was followed by the much-loved Wearin’ ‘O The Green festival in City Plaza. The event attracted festivalgoers of all ages and backgrounds in celebration of all that is Irish culture.
Dianne Enright, the Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee director, was one of many who helped to make this year’s parade a success. Enright came into her po-
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SARAH COCHRAN/TECHNICIAN A parade participant hands out green bead necklaces to the crowd at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday in downtown Raleigh. This parade looks to celebrate Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland on his feast day, March 17.
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PAGE 9 • MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018
Inside the mental health recovery process
Sarah Gallo
Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
Marked by trials and triumphs, and the utmost dedication to nurturing one’s mental state, the road to recovery is not evenly paved — and it is definitely not done in a single step. For those diagnosed with a mental illness, or for those who want to support someone who is, learning about recovery and long-term coping skills is critical in ensuring a healthy, happy Wolfpack.
Monica Z. Osburn, the director of NC State’s Counseling Center, credits any sort of noticeable change as a possible warning sign of a mental illness. By recognizing an inward or outward change in oneself, or someone else, one can move forward in finding out if there’s a larger issue at hand and, if this proves true, coming up with a proper treatment plan.
“If you’re noticing in one of your friends a significant change in how they’re showing up [that can be a warning sign to look for],” Osburn said. “That could be a physical change. Maybe they’re not dressing like themselves or looking tired, or just [acting] withdrawn. It can be an emotional change, where maybe they’re extra irritable or grumpy, but when you start to see those changes that’s probably the biggest indicator [of a mental illness].”
The period of time following a mental illness diagnosis is crucial in terms of understanding symptoms and seeking treatment. For some, this may mean seeking individual counseling. However, Osburn said that mental illness looks different for all who are affected and, therefore, treatment plans and recovery tactics don’t come in a one-size-fits-all package.
“Counseling can be very helpful, but maybe you can find support in your peer group just to work through a tough situation, or your church — wherever you find that support and connection,” Osburn said.
Andrea Chase, the president of Wake County’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapter, is another key figure in Raleigh’s mental health community. Through support groups, educational efforts and advocacy, NAMI Wake County is working to ensure students and community members have the resources and support they need in order to effectively manage a mental illness.
Andrea Chase first got involved with NAMI after her husband was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011, in order to receive understanding and become further educated on mental health issues. This proved difficult as she watched her husband of 25 years, Jonathan Chase, spiral into abnormal behaviors like staying awake for days at a time.
Another change she noticed within her husband was his inability to hold a job after his father’s death — which Chase suggested was the initial trigger of his battle with bipolar disorder.
“We’ve been living together for a long time, and I kind of felt like something’s not right,” Chase said. “There was always a struggle for us […] getting this diagnosis was kind of a relief, because things started to make sense for the first time in a long time — but I didn’t know anything about bipolar disorder.”
Learning how to support someone with a mental illness is an important next step of the recovery process, as education can further help the diagnosed person feel supported, advocated for and empowered to seek help. However, this help can be met with resistance. Therefore, it is important to remain patient and understanding.
“The whole time I was trying to figure out, ‘what do I do?’” Chase said. “‘How do I support him?’ ‘How do we help each other?’”
The cycle of ups and downs, of relapse and hope, is typical of the recovery process. In order to efficiently navigate the rocky waters of recovery as a full-time college student, the Counseling Center is fully equipped with drop-in groups, group counseling and individual counseling sessions — all of which are free
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PAGE 10 • MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018
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sition after being involved with Raleigh’s Friends of Ireland organization since 2001, and has been working to spread awareness and celebration of Irish culture ever since.
“I am of Irish descent — not only Irish, some other things like most people [who come of different backgrounds] — but the vast majority [of my background] is Irish heritage,” Enright said. “I enjoy the traditional music and dance. I really identify with that.”
Igniting Fayetteville Street with palpable energy and passion were the various music groups that took the stage throughout the community event. From a high-energy performance by the U.S. Fleet Forces Band in the late afternoon, a “special guest” Enright was proud to have come out, to an impressive set by NC State’s very own Pipes and Drums, music was a pivotal part of the festival’s dedication to celebrating Irishness.
“For our entertainment, we try to stick to Celtic or traditional Irish music, or Irishinfluenced music,” Enright said. “So that’s
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for NC State students. Osburn said dropin groups are becoming more and more popular, especially the “Free Expression Sessions,” which focus on art as a therapy tool.
Between appointments, there are plenty of coping mechanisms one can do in order to keep symptoms from getting out of hand. Osburn suggested taking deep breaths, which can ease anxiety and stress. Chase noted regular exercise and eating healthy as additional ways to help alleviate symptoms. All of these recovery-centric options, from medication to counseling to coping mechanisms, help one effectively manage a mental illness in their daily life.
After becoming educated on mental health issues and seeking help — whether it be professional or nonprofessional — one can begin setting up a plan for treatment. This is best done by a trained psychiatrist or counselor. By making a counseling or psychiatry appointment, and continuing to make appointments if needed, those affected by mental illness can fully start on the path toward healing.
“What you’re experiencing is most likely temporary, even if it doesn’t feel like it — and it is possible to recover from [mental health] illnesses just like any other illnesses,” Chase said. how we choose our bands.”
Appropriately complementing the rich sounds of Irish history were traditional Irish dance performances. Numerous local Irish dance schools and academies were present at the festival, including Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance and the Rince Go Halainn Irish Dance Academy. Clad in colorful attire and sporting broad smiles, the dancers remained a popular attraction throughout the day’s festivities.
Perhaps just as popular as the festival’s entertainment lineup was the food. Satisfying a wide array of cravings, food trucks and stands lined the street with aromas that were sweet, savory and everything in between. Attendees could also grab a cold beer from one of the beer trucks, which were home to multiple beers on tap.
Many food vendors at the parade also regularly make an appearance at the NC State Fair, deeming both events local favorites. One vendor, Carolina Kettle Corn, served up freshly popped kettle corn that smelled — almost — as sweet as it tasted. Carolina Kettle Corn’s owners, Jess and Patrick Dougherty, recently bought the business after their neighbors — who founded the company 25 years ago — decided to sell. For the Raleigh-based married couple, it marked the perfect opportunity to begin a family adventure into running a business centered around one particularly tasty product. Patrick Dougherty reflected on how he and his wife first got started with the parade.
“Our children used to dance in the parade, and actually last year was the first year we did this event,” Dougherty said. “The kids were dancing in it so we decided we’d come and sell some kettle corn because we had the business at that point.”
This year proved successful for the Dougherty’s, as Patrick Dougherty said business was thriving even more than at last year’s parade. At heart, the Dougherty’s are a prime example of all the festival resembles: community.
“Getting to do it with our kids and our family — that’s my favorite part [about running the business],” Jess Dougherty said.
Additional popular grub included deep fried cheese curds, a typical carnival-style pick that proved well worth the calories. While customers could choose from a wide range of flavors, the jalapeno and traditional white cheddar cheese curds were crowd favorites, according to one of the food truck’s volunteers, Keelea Krear. Krear, a second-year studying fashion and textiles at NC State, reflected on her involvement with the parade.
“I really love working for the Cheese Curd Shack,” Krear said. “It’s a great group of people to work with, and it’s a great environment down here, too.”
Furthering the parade’s reputation as a community-centered event was its showcase of local Irish-inspired arts and crafts. Everything from intricate Irish-inspired jewelry, which featured colorful stones and gems, to brightly patterned clothing was present at the parade, drawing in appreciators of all kinds.
As a whole, this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade truly resembled the multifaceted nature of Irish culture. Through dance, music, art and food, the city of Raleigh was given more than just the chance to have a fun way to celebrate this year’s St. Paddy’s Day — it was a learning opportunity.
“It [the parade] gives people an exposure to different things,” Enright said. “You might be from somewhere else, and have different backgrounds growing up that you’re exposed to, and it’s great that you can learn about different things and different diversities of cultures from all over the world.”
