It is a common belief that St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland and the inspiration for countess pints of green beer, banished all the snakes from the Emerald Isle. He used a wooden staff to herd the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever.
In reality, snakes never lived in Ireland. The climate is just too frigid for the cold-blooded reptilians. Midtown Sacramento boasts a much warmer climate, but, don’t worry, you will probably find a lot more corned beef and cabbage than you will snakes.
For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 17, many Midtown businesses will be celebrating with their own takes on honoring the saint. One such place that will be showing off their Irish roots is de Vere’s Irish Pub. De Vere’s has decided that one party for St. Patrick’s Day just isn’t enough anymore and will be hosting two events on the same day.
“The de Vere’s Pub Party is all about the authentic Irish pub experience,” owner Henry de Vere White said. “You can enjoy the beautiful woodwork, family heirlooms, friendly banter and, of course, the perfect pint of Guinness — a specialty we’ve mastered.”
De Vere’s will be opening at 8 a.m., serving their famous Irish coffee as well as opening the outside venue to feature corned beef and cabbage and live music.
If you want to stay outside all day you can also go to de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park. This event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Cesar Chavez Park and will include Irish dancers, several bands, a bagpipe show and a U2 cover band from San Francisco, Zoo Station. Tickets for this event are $22 online and $25 at the door.
In addition to those two events, de Vere’s will also be holding a fundraiser on Monday for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding research into finding a cure to different childhood cancers. You can donate money or shave your head in a sign of solidarity for all the children going through the life-changing experience of cancer. Last year de Vere’s shaved over 210 heads and raised just over $90,000 to help fund childhood cancer research.
De Vere’s will also be a part of the sixth annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl this Saturday. This pub crawl will start at River City Saloon at 2 p.m. and snake its way to Midtown spots such as Capitol Dawg, The Depot, Capitol Garage and Alley Katz.
Rubicon Brewing Company will also be getting in on the festivities, serving corned beef and cabbage specials all St. Patrick’s Day and selling T-shirts to commemorate the event.
Streets of London Pub will be throwing a St. Patrick’s Day Bash, with corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Irish car bombs, Jell-o shots and a satellite bar with a truck-load of draught beer.
If your palate is just a bit more refined, check out The Waterboy and their Third Thursday Dinner, which just happens to fall on St. Patrick’s Day. Their menu for the evening sports such treats as dungeness crab deviled eggs, house-brined Durham Ranch corn beef brisket, warm apple-caramel bread pudding and a selection of Irish beers. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be $42 per person plus tax and gratuity.
Once you’ve had your fill of corned beef, cabbage and green beer, stop by Yogurtagogo for some healthy and delicious frozen yogurt. One of their featured flavors for March is Irish mint, and it is available through March 23. Yogurtagogo stays open until 10 p.m., so stop by and get your dessert before heading back to the bars.
Wherever you go to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, whether it be a day in Cesar Chavez Park, Rubicon, Streets of London or both, be sure to wear green, and if you’re drinking be sure to have a designated driver.
Matt Rascher is a writer for the Midtown Business Association.
Sacramento, California 