Non-Irish sport St. Patrick's Day spirit

Amid the patches of ice around State College, green shamrocks are popping up in American businesses for St. Patrick's Day.

"Everybody's in a more festive mood on St. Patrick's Day," Scott Mahoney (junior-administration of justice) said. "It's just another excuse to get out."

Since 1970, American fast food chain McDonald's has been selling their famous Shamrock Shakes, said Julie Cleary, spokeswoman for McDonald's Corporation. During those 27 years, the merger of the American milkshake and the St. Patrick's Day color green have become one the chain's more popular items.

"It is an optional item (for McDonald's franchises)," Cleary said, "but it is very popular."

However, it is more than just sales that keep the Shamrock Shakes returning every year. "It's certainly also a form of tradition, it helps ring in the spring," Cleary added.

McDonald's is not the only business to Americanize St. Patrick's Day. Player's Sports Bar, 112 W. College Ave., will celebrate the holiday tonight in another Americanized way.

While the night club will still be selling green beer in honor of the holiday, the club's theme will be more American by celebrating with retro music from the '70s and '80s.

"We're holding The St. Patty's Shamrock Ball. It'll include all sorts of retro, fun rock," said Dave Greenleaf, manager of Player's. "Last year we had a retro night like this and we got a pretty decent crowd."

As with any holiday, many Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day by checking out the sales at area stores.

One walk through the PNC Bank entrance to the Nittany Mall in College Township, and customers will find a trail of shamrocks leading to the B. Moss Clothing Co., and its annual St. Patrick's Day sale.

The sale today is the store's first major sale of 1997, said Cass Evelhoch, store manager. Along with 30-percent off every item in the store, consumers receive what the store calls a golden nugget. This nugget could reveal even higher percentages off of merchandise.

B. Moss also called more than 2,000 of its preferred customers and had employees pass out sale fliers in the area last week.

"I'm thinking this one will be more successful than last year," Evelhoch said.

Like most holidays, retailers usually find their own ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. "I think a lot of people come out for the sales driven by individual stores," said Jennifer Dowling, marketing director for the Nittany Mall.

One area company that has increased business on St. Patrick's Day is Handy Delivery taxi service, 2197 High Tech Road.

"Our business is considerably higher than prior years," manager Kendall Houk said. "It'll be definitely busier (today)."

"Other than New Year's Eve, it's definitely the busiest holiday," he said. The only other times the taxi company sees higher demands are during home football weekends in the fall and the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in July, he added.

Houk said Handy Delivery tries to accommodate all its requests for rides, but at times it is difficult. "Right at two o'clock it gets a little hairy to get a cab, but we do our best."