Reflecting on St. Patrick’s Days Past in Oneonta, New York

A long time ago in an Oneonta far, far away, St. Patrick's Day was a banner event in town. Shenanigans ensued, and lifelong memories were made.

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In its heyday, I fondly remember Water Street being a sea of sloppy green on St. Patrick's Day. Certain bars opened at around 8am, embracing the tradition of kegs and eggs. Think cheap beer paired with scrambled eggs. Oh what a time to be alive in Oneonta.

In the early 2000s, I could be found behind the bar of one such establishment, but we did things differently. Instead of just opening up the place to general drinking and tomfoolery, we threw a marathon concert that lasted twelve hours. Branded Sham-ROCK Fest, just about every band that ever played a note in Oneonta would grace the stage, one after the other. It's something that I'm still proud of, after all these years. How I pulled off so many hours of music leaves me inspired. To be young and spry again.

It wasn't always shamrocks and pots of gold though. We were met with pushback from various agencies. This was the era of teams of officers from OPD, SLA, and state police descending on downtown bars in an effort to curb underage collegiate drinking. An all ages event, of age and underage patrons were clearly marked old school punk show style, with wristbands or large Xs in permanent marker on each hand.

I'll never forget what happened when we were found to be in full compliance. When the only thing left for them to complain about was the beautiful noise coming from the place, Joe Redmond threatened to search all of our bottles for fruit flies which would result in a referral to the SLA. Being the young carefree rebels we were, we quieted the music until they moved on, and then cranked it up twice as loud. This dance went on for years.

Though it's unlikely you'll see me roaming the streets on St. Patrick's day these days, no matter where I am on the day, I always look back with fond memories on Oneonta St. Patrick's Days of old.