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St. Patrick's Day: It's a beautiful day |
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Written by NEXTnc staff
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
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 That’s what Bono says, anyway. Heck, he’s Irish, so who are we to argue?
So, lads and lasses, it’s time to celebrate! Ye may not be kissin’ the Blarney Stone or even have “the Luck-o-the-Irish”, but ye can still kick up yer heels.
St. Patrick’s Day brings plenty of fun to northern Colorado and you can count on that. So grab your green and get to pinchin’ and kissin’. Irish or not — St. Patty’s is tons-o-fun!
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Sharin’ O’ the Green 5K
8:30 a.m. at Library Park, 200 Mathews St. in Fort Collins
 Benefits Partners Mentoring Youth
Registration and packet pickup is from 7-8:15 a.m.
8:15 a.m., Shamrock Scurry (for the kids)
9:30 a.m., Awards ceremony for all age categories
Lucky Joe’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
10 a.m. in downtown Fort Collins
The parade route starts on Walnut Street and will travel south on College Avenue, then east on Magnolia and finally north on Remington.
The parade will feature floats, performers and lots of fun. NEXTnc will be there as well to pass out cool stuff. It’ll be green, of course.
Event is free
Irish Festival
11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Oak Street Plaza in Old Town Fort Collins
The festival will feature interactive games, live music and dance.
The lineup: 11:30 a.m. — Fort Collins Pipe Bands
Noon — McTeggart Irish Dancers
12:30 p.m. — Lalla Rookh
2:30 p.m. — Fiddlin’ Show featuring Carole Lundgren
3 p.m. — The Greenes
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A LITTLE HISTORY
St. Pat was actually a brit. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is known for bringing Christianity to the country. He was kidnapped from Britain and taken to Ireland. After serving as a slave for six years, he escaped and fled to Britain. As the story goes, God spoke to him and told him to return to Ireland and bring the people Christianity. He spent years building churches and spreading his faith until his death on March 17, 460 A.D.
BUT WHY GREEN?
As the Irish immigrated to the United States, they were looked at as lower class, but they discovered the power in numbers.
They mobilized themselves as a political power labeled the “Green Machine.”
The color became customary attire on St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, but it is considered unlucky in Ireland. Green is supposedly the favorite color of fairies who steal people, especially children who wear too much of the color.
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FOR NAMESAKE
It's Pat!
 According to behindthename.com, Patrick comes from the Roman name Patricius which meant “nobleman” in Latin. In honor of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, here’s a few of our favorite Patricks. (Well, favorite may be an overstatement. We love a few, like some, and included others because we were running low on Patricks.)
Patrick Star
Definitely our favorite starfish and much cooler than SpongeBob.
Patrick Roy
Will always have a place in the hearts of Colorado hockey fans after leading the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups.
Patrick Swayze
Who could resist the nose wrinkle in “Dirty Dancing”?
Patrick Dempsey
They don’t call him Dr. McDreamy for nothing!
Patrick Stewart
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of “Star Trek” was out of this world.
Robert Patrick
Gotta love anyone who can kick the tar out of Schwarzenegger
Patrick Henry
“Give me liberty or give me death!”
Steven Patrick Morrissey
The Smiths provided quality alternative rock hits in the ’80s, for sure.
Patrick Sajak
Had America tuned in to “Wheel of Fortune.”
Danica Patrick
Any woman who drives like she can makes our list.
Dan Patrick
This guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to sports.
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 BEER ME!
GREENIE in a bottle
Ah, nothing is quite as refreshing as a nice, cool, clean and crisp green beer. OK, so maybe the green coloring is a little much, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still drink like the Irish.
Many bars and restaurants will have St. Patrick’s Day specials. To help you celebrate right, Anheuser-Busch (with a brewery right here in Fort Collins) is bringing back the signature green aluminum bottles with decorative shamrocks. The 16-ounce bottles will be available at select locations March 17.
Looking for something heavier? You might try Anheuser-Busch’s Bare Knuckle Stout. The Irish-style stout, with its robust taste when paired with one-half Budweiser, is the big brewer’s version of a Black and Tan (the original being a combo of Guinness and Bass Ale). You can include beer in recipes too! Turn to our Crave section page 27. Cheers to that!
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THE COLOR OF MONEY
ask the white house
We were wondering why money is green. Apparently we aren’t alone.
At Ask the White House, www.whitehouse.gov/ask, people can pose questions to administration officials.
A woman from California asked the same question. John Snow, Secretary of the Treasury wrote, “When the Treasury started printing notes in 1862, green ink was the most plentiful. That is why they are called ‘greenbacks.’ “
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PROWLING FOR PUBS
We asked two of Fort Collins’ most popular Irish pubs what they were doing on the Big Day. While we were out, we stopped at a few other places to get their specials. Call your favorite hot spot for its plans.
LUCKY JOE’S SIDEWALK SALOON
Lucky Joe’s Sidewalk Saloon in Fort Collins is THE favorite spot. And they certainly know how to celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day. They’ll open at 9 a.m. (that’s right, a.m.!) and the party will last until 2 a.m. They’ll have a special menu for the day, and drink specials on Guinness and Car Bombs. And, of course, they’ll feature live Irish music all day long. Erin Go Braugh!
25 Old Town Square 493.2213
SULLIVAN’S SPORTS TAVERN
They will open at 8 a.m. and the first 100 customers will receive a Sullivan’s St. Patrick’s Day 2007 T-shirt. The line, if anything like last year, will be around the corner, so don’t delay. Specials include $2 Killians and Green Coors Light, $4.95 Irish Nachos, which include jalapeños, cheese, tomatoes, onions and ranch. There will also be $3.95 pancakes from 8-11 a.m. and $5.95 Reubens.
820 City Park Ave. 498.9414
STONEHOUSE GRILLE
Open at 9 a.m., Stonehouse is serving up authentic Breakfast Bridies, which are a type of meat pastry or pie that is baked with onions beef and spices. Corned beef and cabbage for is $12.99. A Bloody Mary Bar, along with live music, will be offered all day. There will be Guinness and Jameson specials all day, along with prizes.
160 Oak 498.0873
CROWN PUB
The special will be corn beef and cabbage, a traditional Irish feast.
134 S. College Ave. 484.5929
TONY’S
Tony’s special includes signature T-shirts. For $10, you’ll get a one-of-a-kind T-shirt with one green beer and a shot of Irish Whiskey. Additionally, there will be $2 green Bud Light beers all day; opening early at 8 a.m.
224 S. College Ave. 484.6973
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CHARMED, I'M SURE
marshmallows in the morning
 Lucky Charms, “They’re magically delicious.” Too bad the idea came about by looking at orange marshmallow peanuts — not so appetizing. Made by General Mills, the cereal was invented by then vice-president of the company, John Holahan, in 1963 and was the first cereal to include marshmallows. Alas, the cereal is not sold in Ireland.
Marci Silver, booth clerk at Safeway, 460 S. College Ave. in Fort Collins, said Lucky Charms isn’t exactly flying off the shelves.
“In comparison to other cereals that are sweet, not too much is selling.”
Question: Can you list all the colors and shapes of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms?
Answer: Pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, green clovers, purple horseshoes, red balloons, rainbows, leprechaun hats and pots of gold.
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LOBAIRCIN
Little green men
The tricky little men who hide their gold at the end of every rainbow are seen as a symbol for St. Patrick’s Day, but although the little men are a part of Irish culture, they have nothing to do with the holiday.
Leprechauns, known as “lobaircin” or small-bodied fellows, are rooted in the myths and oral legends the Irish culture was centered upon before St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland.
These little fellows are known in Ireland to be mean and mischievous creatures who will do anything to protect their fabled treasure.
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LUCKY NUMBER 4?
patience can pay off
 One leaf for faith, one for hope, one for love and a fourth if you’re lucky. That’s the lore behind the four-leaf clover.
Joe Brummer, Colorado State University associate professor for the department of soil and crop sciences and forage specialist, has worked with clover in the past. He said there are numerous types of clover in a variety of colors.
Technically speaking, clovers are any of various plants of the genus Trifolium — having trifoliolate leaves and dense flower heads.
In Colorado, clover is most commonly found in meadows up in the mountains rather than on the plains.
The reason an extra leaf supposedly adds luck is because of its rarity, Brummer said.
“A lot of different clovers can form four leaves instead of three,” he said. “It’s not a very common occurrence. If you find one, it’s supposed to bring you good luck.”
Brummer has seen several before, but said you have to spend time looking. Are you feelin’ lucky?
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GREEN DESIGN
enviro-friendly
More buildings in northern Colorado are turning “green.”
From New Belgium Brewing to Zach Elementary School, buildings are being built with the environment in mind.
Corky Bradley, senior associate with RB+B Architects Inc. in Fort Collins, said sustainable design is incorporated into all of the company’s projects.
“This is our home,” Corky Bradley said. “We live here in the local sense and the global sense. We’ve got to make it a better place.”
This means constructing buildings out of recyclable material that will use less energy. Sustainable design is often used on projects start to finish.
Denise Pozvek, associate with RB+B Architects Inc., designs the interiors for the majority of the company’s projects. She uses recyclable carpets and ceiling tiles and water-based products.
“We are running out of places to throw stuff away,” she said. “We have to leave the Earth in good shape for generations to come.”
As far as colors go, Pozvek said green is like blue in that it never really goes out of style.
“Lime green and olive green are really trendy now,” she said. “Green is a natural color a lot of people can relate to.”
For more information on sustainable design, go online to rbbarchitects.com.
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GOOD, GOLD
Pot o’ gold
 |
“Unlocking Wealth: Secret to Market Timing”
by John Crane of Traders Network in Loveland |
John Crane, co-owner of Traders Network in Loveland, guides people to gold. The firm, which was started in 1987, provides brokerage services and educational training products to investors all over the world.
“People have known for centuries that gold is a symbol of riches and fortunes,” he said.
In fact, gold is trading for about $653 an ounce, down from $761 in May 2006 but well up from $274 an ounce in 2001.
Crane said gold is a popular commodity investment, especially in times of political change, because it tends to hold its value.
His recent book, “Unlocking Wealth: Secret to Market Timing,” discusses how to buy commodities such as gold, when to buy it and how to manage the risk.
“A pot of gold under a rainbow may be a myth or a legend, but in reality there are ways and places to find your pot of gold.” | Only registered users can write comments.
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
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|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
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