While professors found themselves lecturing to half-empty classrooms, hundreds of Penn State students awoke before sunrise, donning green apparel and flocking to local bars in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

"I don't even know how I got out of bed this morning," said Bobby Bacci (senior-finance), while waiting to enter The Phyrst, 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave. "I just realized I'm in line right now."

At about 5:30 a.m., students hoping to enter The Phyrst marched in the left lane of Beaver Avenue, allowing the light morning traffic to pass on the right while finding a place in line, which eventually extended for three blocks.

Most early risers celebrated until about 8 a.m., but later in the day, more students emerged and flooded the streets with shamrocks and leprechauns.

Sporting green shirts, beads and face paintings, Sara Belly (senior-health policy and administration) and Sarah Dangel (senior-management) reveled in the afternoon sun after emerging from the darkness of The Phyrst to take a break from the festivities.

"It's delicious to be in the sun," Belly said.

She added that although she had been at The Phyrst since 4:30 a.m., she felt good enough to go for a run.

"People are wasted already, but there is no fighting ... everyone is happy," Dangel said.

St. Patrick's Day festivities were monitored closely by the State College Police Department, who responded to 167 phone calls throughout the day, compared with 66 phone calls last year.

Belly and Dangel said they would stay at The Phyrst until 6 p.m. and continue at other local bars until they closed at 2 a.m.

"As long as my liver doesn't give out, I'm going all out tonight," Belly said.

Phil Doremus, a visiting Kutztown University student, had been at The Phyrst since 11 a.m. and said he planned to stay out until the bars closed.

"It's like a party in my mouth, and I can't control it," Doremus said of St. Patrick's Day. "So far, everything has been awesome. There is green beer, live music, Irish jigs ... it's good times."

Because of classes, some students weren't able to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the early morning hours.

Ann DuBois (graduate-counselor education) and Emily Deemer (graduate-counselor education) did not go out until after their classes were over at 1 p.m., but they said the atmosphere downtown was worth the wait.

"It's fun to see everyone dressed up," Deemer said.

They said they did not know how long they would be able to stay out.

"We aren't college students anymore," DuBois said. "We don't have the same stamina that we used to."

Nightlife participants got an earful of some Gaelic tunes, courtesy of two members of the Nittany Highland Pipe Band. The members said they made stops to play their bagpipes at The Gingerbread Man, 130 Heister St., The Corner Room, 100 W. College Ave., and Bill Pickle's Tap Room, 106 S. Allen St., among others.

"Everybody's Irish today," Phil Causgrove (senior-finance) said.

Collegian staff writer Lindsey Peithman contributed to this report.