Penn State bars alcohol-free for unofficial “State Patty’s Day” holiday
State Patty’s Day, Penn State student’s early version of the traditional Irish celebration, will be without it’s main ingredient in 2013.
Thirty-four downtown State College taverns and restaurants won’t sell alcohol on Saturday, which marks the unofficial holiday’s sixth installment. The businesses will receive a $5,000 check for lost revenue.
Campus & Community United Against Dangerous Drinking and a collection of university and local leaders announced today that it created an alcohol-free zone for the annual celebration. Establishments will still offer food and non-alcoholic drinks on Feb. 23, but no booze.
“Each year since 2007, when the student-created event began, State Patty’s Day has strained local law enforcement and emergency medical staff; increased vandalism, litter and noise; and been detrimental to the appeal of the campus and Downtown State College,” according to a news release. “Creating an alcohol-free zone in the downtown area represents one of the key efforts in a multipronged attack against the drinking event that has been pushed annually on social media sites.”
