Wednesday, March 17, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
St. Patrick's Day
Irish ales big on St. Pat's
Meanwhile, Boulevard weighs in with its own seasonal brew
By Jamie Knodel
jknodel@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
W When green beer isn't authentic enough, many St. Patrick's Day celebrators fill their pints full of something truly Irish—imported beer.
An ocean away from Dublin's taverns and breweries, the sale of Irish beer dramatically increases every March 17. a local liquor store owner said.
"Sales go up considerably because everyone wants to be Irish," said Shelley Ayres, owner of Patterson Liquor, 846 Illinois St.
She said that her store sold Murphy's Irish Stout, Beamish Irish Stout and Harp Lager but that the biggest seller was Guinness Stout.
Many students said they planned on celebrating St. Patrick's Day by drinking Irish beer.
"I drink Guinness every St. Patrick's Day," Scott Gelb, St. Louis junior said. "It's the Irish way to spend the day."
Other students said they planned to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with domestic beverages.
"There are just too many Irish beers, and I won't drink it because I don't know anything about the selection," said Susan Vander May, Topeka senior.
G. Willikers Deli and Bar, 733 Massachusetts St., will serve both Guinness and Harp on tap starting at 9:30 am. The Hawk, 1340 Ohio St., also will offer specials on Guinness
Local bars also will be catering to those who desire to celebrate with imported beer.
Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Co. brews a special Irish ale for the spring season.
Bob Sullivan, Boulevard's vice-president for marketing, said the company had been brewing the seasonal beer since 1990.
"It's our spring seasonal beer," he said. "We brewed it with the idea that St. Pat's day falls in that season."
bourveard Irish Ale is based on the red ales originally popularized in Ireland. Sullivan said this style of ale was not available in Ireland anymore because it had been replaced with darker beers such as Guinness
He also said the ale was full-bodied and had a subtle, toasty flavor and a rich, reddish hue.
Boulevard Irish Ale is available on draught and in bottles at most of Lawrence's dining establishments and liquor stores, Sullivan said.
Ayres said Boulevard Irish Ale was a good seller at her store.
Edited by Jon Campbell
Parade began as friendly dare
Bv Brian Baker
Special to the Kansan
Every St. Patrick's Day as Lawrence residents flock downtown to drink green beer and listen to Irish music, they are treated to the spectacle of the St. Patrick's Day parade rolling along Massachusetts Street.
It all began with a challenge.
The parade usually includes 70 to 120 floats, a bagpipe group from Kansas City and celebrities such as Miss Kansas.
It began with a challenge.
However, the parade itself is merely the culmination of a number of events, which have raised more than $113,000 for local charities during the past 11 years.
Wes Kabler, owner of the Flamingo Club, 501 N. 9th St., was talking with some friends about the need for a St. Patrick's Day parade in Lawrence.
Even though it snowed that day, the parade was a success. The organizers decided to donate their profits to the United Way, and they have continued to raise money for charities every year since.
"His friend said. 'If you can get a St. Patrick's Day parade, I'll ride a white horse in it,'" said Roger Browning, parade organizer. "So they found a white carousel horse, mounted it on a flatbed truck and had their first parade."
PARADE INFO
The St. Patrick's Day parade usually includes 70 to 120 floats, a baggie group from Kansas City and celebrities such as Miss Kansas.
The St. Patrick's Parade committee can be contacted at (913) 749-6677 or P.O. Box 1702, Lawrence, KS 65044.
"We choose a different charity each year, focusing on children's charities in Douglas County," said Debi Drummet, parade organizer.
This year, the committee is raising money to build a special playground at the Brook Creek Learning Center.
The parade is just one of many fund-raising activities organized by the committee. A celebrity sports auction was held in late February at Liberty Hall, offering items such as Jaya basketballs and autographed Chiefs memorabilia. The auction, which raised more than $12,000 this year, is the most successful of the events.
The Shamrock Shuffle, an officially timed 5K run, was held the morning of March 13 on the river levee behind Johnny's Tavern.
"It is popular because it's the first run of the season," said Browning. "We usually have about 120 runners."
The winners are awarded with medals, plaques and a traditional Irish breakfast.
Several candidates are nominated for the St. Patrick's Day Queen, and they help with the fund-raising activities until the Queen is crowned the night before the parade. Usually there are many KU students among the candidates — but anyone can be nominated.
Other monetary sources such as a dart tournament at the Red Lyon and T-shirt sales, help to raise donations.
"We pray for Irish and hope for over 21." Browning joked.
The parade will begin at 1 p.m. today near South Park on 12th Street and proceeds north along Massachusetts Street across the river to the Flamingo.
Edited by Melody Ard
By T.J. Johnson
tjohnson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
St. Patrick's Day, like so many other holidays in our society, has morphed into a strange combination of tradition and modern ritual. Although it was once a day solely to celebrate the man who single-handedly converted Ireland to Catholicism, the day also has become a reason to party for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Father Jim Shaughnessy, a priest at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 1100 Kasold Drive, said the holiday began as a way to commemorate a man who had brought the faith to Ireland and to celebrate during the Catholic holiday of Lent.
"It is a celebration of the faith coming to Ireland in 400 or 500 A.D.," Shaughnessy said. "It gives us the opportunity to reflect."
He said he thought the modern traditions had become overdone.
"In many ways the drinking is carried to the extreme," Shaughnessy said.
Mark Walker, Topeka junior and a practicing Catholic, said he thought the holiday still held an important religious meaning to him.
"It is really special within the church because St. Patrick converted an entire country to Catholicism," Walker said.
He said he thought the message of St. Patrick was important because he converted the people of Ireland not by force but by leading by good example through the way he lived his life. The teaching that St. Patrick gave to the Irish people was more effective because of his approach and his
explanations of church teachings, Walker said. He said that by converting the Irish in this way, St. Patrick had given them a strong foundation for their faith.
"Over the years they have had a reputation as a very strong Catholic country," Walker said.
From this religious base, St. Patrick's Day has become known for green beer and parades, drink specials and shamrocks.
Jeremy Neverve, owner of the Red Lyon Tavern, 944 Massachusetts St., said St. Patrick's Day represented one of the biggest business days of the year for his bar.
"It's definitely the busiest day of the year." Neverve said. "It's always a lot of fun."
The Red Lyon is taking more of a traditional Irish approach to the holiday, with baggie players and a Celtic band playing, while Irish stew and whisky is served.
Other local bars bypass the culture for a pure party experience. Dylan Mayor, manager at the Wagon Wheel Cafe, 1401 Ohio St., said the bar would be serving green beer all day, a modern St. Patrick's Day tradition in America.
"A party is a party." Walker said.
Chris Hess, Wichita junior and a practicing Catholic, said he found it amusing that St. Patrick's Day had become so party-oriented.
"I think it's kind of funny that a saint's day has turned into a drinking fest," Hess said.
Edited by Steph Brewer
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