HANCEVILLE — Hanceville is gearing up for the first event in what businesses and city leaders hope will become an annual March tradition: a celebration of Cullman County’s Irish heritage.

The first Hanceville Irish Celebration will debut Saturday in the city’s historic downtown, inviting kids and their families outdoors for music, food and an Irish-themed hunt along the sidewalks and streets for hidden Irish “gold.”

Pitched as a step beyond the traditional rock hunt, the hunt for gold will allow kids to redeem gold-painted rocks hidden throughout the downtown area for some prizes that grown-ups might be interested in: free meals at local restaurants, auto service and free tools and equipment.

Local businesses are donating the items and services, while the celebration itself is free to attend. Held in the city-block area between Blountsville Street and the Jimmy Hale Mission across from City Hall, the celebration will begin at 2 p.m. and last until 4 p.m.

The Hanceville Public library will serve as the focal point for kids to turn in their treasure in exchange for prizes, and the Hanceville High School Band will be on deck to provide music. There’ll also be a bake sale, and local businesses will open their doors in the hope of cashing in on all the foot traffic.

City leaders say they hope to learn from this year’s event, with an eye toward continuing and expanding the celebration into an annual tradition.

“We’re starting small this year, but we really want to tap into the really strong Irish heritage we have in our community, especially at this time of year,” said Mayor Kenneth Nail.

“There are a lot of things to celebrate in Cullman County, but one thing I think is interesting is that, really, there’s probably more Irish heritage in Cullman County than there even is German. Some local folks have been interested in doing something like this for a long time now, so we’re going to get it started this year and then use that as a basis for how we do it in the years to come.”