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A wee bit o' the Irish coming to the Village for St. Pat's Day

By Shannon Burkey

The streets of Saratoga may be a long way from Ireland, but on March 17, Big Basin Way will be as green as the Emerald Isle.

The Saratoga Village Development Council will host its second annual St. Paddy's Day celebration in the Village that will include fun and games for the entire family. The festivities will get under way at 3 p.m. and last until 5:30 p.m.

"The town will be decorated all in green," event coordinator Marilyn Marchetti said. "And every merchant that participates will have a green balloon in front of their shop so that people will know they have something special going on."

Village merchants will participate by offering various games and activities such as face painting, and several restaurants will offer traditional Irish food.

"It's just a lot of fun, and everyone feels such a part of the community," Marchetti said. "There will be all kinds of good Irish foods and lots of fun games."

Village restaurants such as Lupretta's Delicatessen and Bella Saratoga will become Irish for the day and serve dishes such as corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie and fish and chips, while The Bank will serve up a St. Paddy's Day favorite, green beer.

For the kids, Green cotton candy, green ice cream and Irish-themed games will be on the menu.

There may not be a pot of gold at the end of Big Basin Way, but children will be able to entertain themselves by looking for shiny new pennies placed up and down the street.

"Last year the pennies were a huge hit. The kids' little faces were just aglow while they were picking up the pennies," Marchetti said.

Irish dancers and a Celtic musician will be on hand to entertain the revelers in green, and those looking to hear an Irish fairy tale can make a stop at the Echo Shop where volunteers from the library will be on the lawn reading traditional Irish stories.

Partygoers will also have the chance to enter a free drawing and win one of many prizes donated by Village Merchants.

Marchetti said the St. Paddy's Day party is one of the many events the SVDC puts on each year to help bring people into the Village to enjoy its many shops and restaurants.

Despite the rain, last year's event brought about 250 festive people decked out in green to the Village to celebrate, and Marchetti said she hopes to see at least that again this year.