If a breakfast of kegs and eggs doesn't satiate the Saint Patrick's Day fever, a pitcher of green beer will keep the day going -- even if authorities expect less mayhem than they saw from its student-created cousin last month.
State College officials, who said they don't expect the holiday to generate nearly as much crime as State Patty's Day, are not calling in the security they did for the holiday's student-made substitute.
For the fourth annual State Patty's Day, no downtown bar opened early, served green beer or had any themed specials. Two bars -- the Lion's Den, 118 South Garner St. and the Shandygaff, 212 E College Ave. -- stayed closed altogether.
But State College could be a little greener on Saint Patrick's Day.
Captain Dana Leonard of the State College Police Department said while extra officers will be on duty today, the police do not anticipate needing to take the same security measures they implemented on Feb. 27.
State Patty's Day generated 365 phone calls to the station, 10 DUIs and 160 arrests -- more than doubling the 79 in 2009.
While some students plan on going out to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, they think the borough is showing a double standard when it comes to drinking holidays.
Shawn Addison said he feels Saint Patrick's Day specials at bars are "kind of ridiculous" when those establishments did nothing to acknowledge State Patty's Day.
"If they really want to make a difference, then there wouldn't be any specials," Addison (senior-telecommunications) said.
After traveling to Ireland this past summer, Saint Patrick's Day now means much more to Jared Lemin than just going out to drink -- though he did say he can now better appreciate a good Guinness or a shot of Jameson.
"I think that it's nice for the holiday to be focused more on the actual tradition of the holiday, and less on going out and getting hammered," Lemin (senior-economics and philosophy) said.
Leonard said one of the main reasons the police expect less activity is because the holiday this year falls in the middle of the week, as opposed to a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
State College Downtown Improvement District Executive Director Jody Alessandrine said he does not believe any bars are taking action against Saint Patrick's Day. On the contrary, he said he's sure there will be themed specials and annual traditions carried out to commemorate a holiday that has been celebrated for hundreds of years.
Alessandrine said the necessary custodial services will be in place in downtown State College today. While he expects a spike in trash following the holiday, it shouldn't compare to State Patty's Day levels, where State College's downtown cleanup crew exceeded its normal trash bag usage by more than 50 percent, Alessandrine said.
Sgt. Wayne Bush, the district office commander of the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, said every one of his officers will be in town tomorrow.
He expects that all downtown bar owners are aware of the police presence -- the officers, he said, are only there to do their job.
