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A Look Back on a Saint Patrick's Day Hotspot Plattsburgh was once the place to be on March 17. Story and photos by Matt Rennell The 1970s, known as the Decade of Disco, were filled with many unforgettable events: the death of Elvis Presley, Watergate, the Apollo XIII explosion, and of course, the theatrical release of Star Wars. But for North Country residents, the 70s were also a time for a tradition like no other. Every year on Saint Patrick's Day, thousands of college students came from all over the northeast to Plattsburgh, New York for one giant celebration.
On March 17, downtown Plattsburgh turned into one huge party. In fact, it was so popular that it even made the pages of Playboy as the place to be for a good Saint Patrick's Day celebration. The large crowds gathered downtown as early as 7:00 A.M. By 10:00 A.M., the streets would be filled with drunk, rowdy partygoers. Thousands of people would cram into area bars and pour their money into pitchers of green beer. Eventually, however, these large crowds became too much for the city to handle. In 1977, the party began to get out of control. On Protection Avenue, a narrow alleyway in the center of downtown, a bonfire was set in front of the Monopole, a local bar. City Police and Firemen were able to quickly put the fire out; however, the potential danger worried many members of the college and the community. In total, 32 arrests were made that day. The large crowds created problems again in 1978. That year the celebration had more people than ever. “There were 10,000 people downtown on St. Patrick's Day, and throughout the weekend, that was the problem,” recalls former Plattsburgh State University College President Joseph Burke. “Though there was too much drinking, by and large, the crowd was pretty well behaved.” Despite the improvement in behavior, there were some incidents that concerned Burke. “There were 10,000 people downtown on St. Patrick's Day, and throughout the weekend, that was the problem.” “A young student fell off the fire escape in the Monopole Alley,” said Burke. “As it turned out, he was not badly hurt, but the crowd on the surrounding streets, as usual, was so jammed that the ambulance could not pick up the injured student.” There was also another potential dangerous risk. “Big Brothers had a problem with the beams holding up their floor with the overcrowding of people. The Police Chief and I went down in the basement, and clearly the beams were in danger of breaking, so the bar had to be evacuated,” said Burke. The following year, the college was on Spring Break for Saint Patrick's Day, resulting in a much smaller crowd. An estimated 3,000 people participated in the festivities, and as a result, the celebration went more smoothly. The next year in 1980, PSUC was in session during Saint Patrick's Day. While 60 arrests were made over the three day weekend, nothing out of the ordinary happened. "I could not explain to a mother or father of a dead or injured student that it didn't happen on campus, and so I was not responsible.” In addition to the potential tragedies in the previous years, there was one problem that didn't go away. The crowd was becoming too big. “The Chief of Police told me that the size of the crowd had gotten beyond the ability of the Plattsburgh Police to handle,” said Burke. Burke felt that it was his responsibility to change the rowdy tradition. "I could not explain to a mother or father of a dead or injured student that it didn't happen on campus, and so I was not responsible.” As a result, 1980 was the last Saint Patrick's Day that PSUC has be in session. “The Cardinal Points [the college's student-run newspaper] editorialized in favor of the decision,” said Burke. “Some students came to my office and said I had taken away their tradition. I replied that I hope the students at Plattsburgh State could develop a better tradition than a weekend characterized by excessive drinking and overcrowding. I thought that Plattsburgh State students should develop traditions that made them proud, not infamous.” Today, 26 years later, PSUC students continue to have their Spring Break during the week of Saint Patrick's Day. While the partying still exists downtown, the crowds are nowhere near the size they used to be. Do you have any Saint Patrick's Day memories from Plattsburgh? |
Irishman of the Year Each year the North Country Chamber of Commerce selects its Irishman of the Year. This award is handed out annually at the Saint Patrick's Day breakfast. Here are all of the winners, since the award's inception in 1959. 1959- Erwin
"Joe" Bornstein |
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