Warm weather and cold beer enticed legions of green-clad revelers into downtown State College Friday to celebrate the student-initiated "State Patty's Day."

After Sgt. Dana Leonard said Thursday to anticipate a 30-percent increase in State College police patrol over the weekend, Sgt. John Wilson said Friday's activity was "a little more than we expected."

"We did have to get additional manpower, and it was pretty congested and busy," Wilson said.

Police responded to about 50 calls during the day and 90 overnight, Wilson said. He added that six DUI arrests were made Friday and early Saturday morning.

Included in those incidents was a man cited for public drunkenness and harassment after grabbing a bouncer in the crotch at the Saloon, 101 Hiester St., while refusing to leave at about 7:40 p.m. Friday, police said.

"I don't think it was as big as a normal St. Patrick's Day," State College police Cpl. Barry Smith said, adding that the weekend still had a lot more disorderly conduct and underage drinking citations than a normal Friday and Saturday.

The Phyrst, 111 1/2 E. Beaver Ave., opened its doors at 10:30 a.m. to eagerly awaiting students lined up outside. Inside, pitchers overflowed with green beer, the band played Irish music and the bartenders served Guinness.

State College Borough Council president Cathy Dauler said she was under the impression that the Phyrst would not be celebrating the "holiday."

"Maybe they thought if they weren't actually having St. Patrick's Day events but still doing things like serving green beer, somehow they were not actually encouraging this. I'm not sure how they reasoned that," she said.

While the Phyrst's festivities seemed to contradict its inclusion on a list of bars that claimed to not be celebrating the holiday, students at the Phyrst were not looking to complain.

"It's amazing," Erica Strauser (senior-Spanish) said. "I can't believe our school got so many people to celebrate a non-holiday."

State College is not the only college town to celebrate an unofficial St. Patrick's Day. Dauler said she was aware students at the University of Illinois have traditionally celebrated the holiday on an unofficial date.

"Anybody that thinks St. Patrick's Day, which is a religious holiday in Ireland, should somehow be a school spirit day is really stretching the limits of reasons to get drunk," she said.

Despite her hopes that State Patty's Day would not take place, Dauler said she was disappointed to hear the day "didn't sound like it was a non-event."

"I think the administration won't say it, but I think in the students' minds it's an accomplishment to get thousands of people together to celebrate a non-holiday," said Joe Veltre (junior-biochemistry), the creator of the almost 4,600-member facebook.com group titled, "The Official Group to Move St. Patrick's Day 2007."

Penn State University police Lt. Bill Moerschbacher reported that seven people on campus were taken to the hospital for dangerous drinking, but said that number was indicative of a pretty normal weekend, State Patty's Day or not.

Regarding last year's St. Patrick's Day, Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said 10 students on-campus ended up in the emergency room, but said this weekend's results were "kind of heavy for a non-football weekend."

"The alcohol abuse continues in State College, and a lot of people worry about the young people," Mahon said. He added students are not the only source of the problem, noting 40 percent of arrests downtown last St. Patrick's Day were not students.

As for this year's unofficial day of celebration, both Mahon and police said they will need a couple days to process the weekend's results.

State College mayor Bill Welch said he was also disappointed by the realization of State Patty's Day, but he was pleased to find no bars open when he did a tour of the area early Friday morning.

Welch said he had hoped the event would take place a day earlier on March 1, the Welsh holiday of St. David's Day, which includes a toast performed with water.

"I would suggest in the future that the 'green cult' move the alternate St. Patrick's Day to March 1 and join us in drinking a lot of water," he said.

-Staff Reporter Kelsey Collins contributed to this report.