The Maura Gill Horgan Irish Dance Academy is hosting a free Open Tea House on Friday, March 16, just a day shy of St. Patrick's Day.

The dance academy will host the free event from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. and WATR-13210AM radio will be broadcasting live from the event at 198 Meadow St. This marks the 10th anniversary of of the live St. Patrick's Day Open House broadcast

On Sunday, March 18, the Horgan Academy will present its 17th annual St. Patrick's Irish Dance Extravaganza featuring a cast of spectacularly costumed prize-winning Irish step dancers at Swift Middle School auditorium in Oakville at 3 p.m.

Other area appearances of the Horgan Academy include the following:

• Naugatuck Historical Society at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1.
• The Palace Theatre in Waterbury at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 9.
• St. Pius Church hall in Wolcott at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.
• The Shepardson Community Center in Middlebury at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14.
• The Naugatuck AOH St. Patrick's Day 9 a.m. Mass at St. Francis Church, parade and flag raising ceremonies, the Meriden AOH hall, and The Continental Room at St. Vincent's Church in Naugatuck on Saturday March 17.
• The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 18.
• Nunnawauk Meadows in Newtown at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 and the Naugatuck Elks Club at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 25.

The Horgan Academy has been educating dancers to perform traditional and contemporary Irish dances for a host of church, charity, community, cultural, theater and television audiences since 1984.  

For further information on these & other performances, call the Horgan Academy at 203-723-0568, e-mail HorganAcademy@yahoo.com or visit www.HorganAcademy.webs.com.