Despite State Patty’s Day, Bar Owners Expect Business as Usual

As THON concluded last Sunday, students and State College residents started preparing for State Patty’s Day weekend

The Penn State student-created drinking holiday began in 2007 as a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in town because it usually fell during spring break. In recent years, the event, along with the crime and arrests that have gone hand-in-hand, has taken a sharp decline. Diminished as it’s been, the event has continued on what is normally the weekend between THON and spring break.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, officials remain cautious about large gatherings in State College. The State College Police Department released its annual State Patty’s Day warning, while university and borough officials worry COVID-19 cases may spike due to celebrations.

But some downtown bars, which have been a focus of the weekend in years past, expect an ordinary weekend this time around.

“I’ll be honest, I’m disconnected from the student population,” Cafe 210 West owner JR Mangan said. “Is it even happening?”

Toward the middle of the 2010s, local bar owners noticed a downward trend in business during the holiday. It started in 2014 when Penn State offered bars money to close down during the weekend. Despite the lessened role bars have played in State Patty’s, they continue to garner attention ahead of and during the “holiday.”

“It’s honestly not a bar thing anymore. It’s more of a private party thing,” Lion’s Den owner Chris Rosengrant said.

During its peak about 10 years ago, State Patty’s was treated like a football weekend when it came to the bar scene, according to several owners. When crime started to go up, the bars were the first thing the community looked at to help quell the problem.

“The bars have always kind of been a scapegoat,” Rosengrant said.

Demand at bars during State Patty’s began to drop as they faced increase scrutiny and pressure to tamp down activity during the weekend.. In the view of Curtis Shulman, director of operations at Hotel State College, who owns and operates multiple bars and restaurants at the corner of West College Avenue and South Allen Street, the concerns became less about businesses like his own.

“The borough’s efforts to deter are based on what happens outside of our four walls,” Shulman said. “It leads to this weird intersection of the local economy being affected and the destruction outside the actual bar scene.”

Shulman, Rosengrant, and Mangan all said they have faith in the way they run their businesses, especially on big weekends like State Patty’s Day and football games.

“If you think about it, the bars are businesses run by adults that are professionally trained and careful when it comes to alcohol consumption,” Rosengrant said. “When things go private and no one is there to regulate that consumption, that’s when it becomes an issue.”

Some said the event has gained such notoriety that it has become less about how Penn State students celebrate, but more about how those visiting from out of town observe it.

“Penn State students are mostly well-behaved, respectful and know how the town operates,” Shulman said. “It’s some of the people that come from outside of town that make their own rules and pose challenges.”

To help limit visitors in the past, Penn State restricted the number of visitors students living in residence halls could have and has long worked with downtown landlords to discourage parties, among other efforts. The annual warning put out by the State College Police Department outlines measures such as not inviting any guests to houses or apartments over the weekend.

The new wrinkle in all of this is the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of usual extra police presence that occurs on the weekend, a temporary borough ordinances still restricts residential gatherings to 10 people and encourages social distancing.

For local bar owners, they expect business as usual in the COVID era.

“This year is going to be weird because of all the coronavirus restrictions upon us,” Rosengrant said.

Most bars can only operate at 50% capacity under a COVID-19 mitigation order by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration.

“Since we have limited capacity, we’re at full capacity almost every weekend anyway,” Shulman said. “The extra volume doesn’t really help us.”

Shulman said that means most people will be pushed to parties at private residences. With lack of space at bars and all the coronavirus restrictions in place, the issue of private gatherings that break restrictions may be more common this State Patty’s.

“I just hope everyone stays safe this weekend,” Rosengrant said.