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Jim Wald

I have a lot of mid-March anniversaries to catch up on, but it's been a long week, so let's just focus on March 17, 's day or otherwise.

Some colleagues and I got a head start last night at The Hangar in Hadley, where they had Guinness for $3--so, whether watching or just thinking of --who could resist?

View from behind the pub area, where further stock is stored.

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looking from the rear hallway into the main pub area at The Hangar. To the right. stacks of kegs of Amherst Brewing and other beers. Rear left: tables in the bar area, an American flag, and windows looking out into the parking lot. The Hangar, with which Amherst Brewing merged some years ago, always had an aviation theme in its earlier locations: hence the flag, as well as various memorabilia of recent military campaigns.
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Jim Wald

Here in the Bay State, 'ss Day is a state holiday

In March 1776 the Revolutionaries moved cannon captured at Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston & fortified positions there. Faced with a hopeless situation, the British abandoned the city on March 17.

guides.bpl.org/marev/1776

In 1901, officially celebrated , thus commemorating Washington's 1st victory in the Revolution—& 's Day

(I saw what U did there)

massmoments.org/moment-details

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guides.bpl.orgResearch Guides: American Revolution in Massachusetts: March-June 1776: Fortification, Evacuation, and the AftermathAn overview of Massachusetts' history during America's Revolutionary Era.
Jim Wald

When we think of the major 's Day parades, it is naturally those of & .

So, if , (2nd-largest in the country) is not on their radar screens (thereminder.com/features/page2), you can be pretty sure they are not thinking of , , which lays claim to being the second-oldest in the world (savannahsaintpatricksday.com/)

You are welcome.

is everywhere!

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Historical Marker, Robert Emmett Park, Savannah, Georgia Savannah’s Irish and Robert Emmet Once known as the Strand and later as Irish Green because of its proximity to the Irish residents of Savannah’s Old Fort 'neighborhood, this park was renamed in 1902 for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet (1778-1803) to commemorate the centennial of his death. Emmet, who led an unsuccessful Dublin uprising for Irish independence and was executed for treason, was a hero to Savannah’s Irish community. Emmet is best known for the speech in which he asked that his epitaph not be written — until “my country takes her place among the nations of the earth.” Emmet Park remains an important center of ceremonial congregation for Savannahians of Irish descent. Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the B St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee 2003
Monument in Robert Emmet Park, Savannah: stone Celtic cross inside circle of shrubbery, surrounded by black metal fence. Dedicatory wreath to left of cross. Trees with Spanish Moss, lawn. streetscape in background
Detail of preceding photo: Base of Celtic cross with inscription: To Americans of Irish Descent Past-Present-Future Erin Go Bragh At left: an orange-white-green wreath
Mar 18, 2023, 04:15 AM·Public·Web
1boost·1favorite
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Jim Wald

Here, in , students 3 decades ago engaged in the Blowout" in which they drink themselves to the point of sickness or antisocial behavior.

Town & Gown thought they had the problem solved, but it is out of hand again. The innovation this time was "blackout rage gallons"--jugs of alcohol, electrolytes, & water. Note "joke."

College binge drinking on ‘borgs’ leads to record visits to Cooley Dickinson Hospital gazettenet.com/UMass-town-reac

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Plastic milk bottle with remnants of red "BORG" fluid, tastefully labeled Borgen Belsen. I guess this asshat did not take my Holocaust course at UMass 2 years ago
By SCOTT MERZBACH Published: 3/6/2023 8:19:57 PM Staff Writer AMHERST — It’s the kind of record that a community doesn’t want to see their local hospital break, but that’s exactly what happened Saturday when alcohol consumption among college-age people contributed to a record number of ambulance arrivals over a 24-hour period at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. In that timeframe, 62 ambulances arrived at the hospital, a more than 20% increase from a previous record of 51 ambulance calls, spokeswoman Christina Trinchero said.
The hospital said 32 of those ambulances were related to pre-St. Patrick’s Day revelry by college-age people in Amherst, many of whom were participating in a binge drinking trend called borgs, or blackout rage gallons. The Amherst Fire Department and University of Massachusetts officials said many students were observed during the day carrying plastic gallon containers with a mix of alcohol, electrolytes and water. The trend has been depicted on TikTok, and UMass officials said this was the first time they identified it on the Amherst campus.
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Jim Wald

Amherst residents are justifiably upset over UMass student drunken excesses during "Blarney Blowout"

Some of the proposed solutions are as idiotic as they are understandable: ban liquor sales not only in Amherst but also in neighboring towns

Fat chance.

+ even the dumbest college student would be smart enough to stock up in advance

More creative: -American friends of mine founded the Amherst Irish Association to combat stereotypes of Irish drunkenness

amherstirish.org/

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The prevalence of the borgs prompted downtown resident Alex Kent to take a picture of one discarded at the corner of Amity and South Prospect streets. Kent sent this to Town Council and Bockelman in a letter calling it “a fitting emblem of yesterday’s horrors and a tribute to the two dozen young people who were transported to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of alcohol poisoning.” “Yesterday, like so many other Amherst residents, we endured the noise, the littering, the wail of ambulance sirens, and the chaos of yet another ‘Blarney Blowout.” I would like to request that, next year, the bars and liquor stores get shut down, at least for the day of this disgusting event. Students are clever, and they will surely figure out other ways to get their hooch. But the one-day closures might serve as a deterrent. The stores in Hadley should be asked to cooperate, as well.” Kent said in addition, he is concerned as to whether the town will be responsible for the costs of the regional medical system, asking that question of his District 3 Councilor, Dorothy Pam. Pam said she was alerted by both Kent and a Fearing Street resident to damage to trees and shrubs, and litter, though that she observed that by Saturday evening the town was subdued and that no noise could be heard from her home on Amity Street.
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Jim Wald

Ultimately. controlling student behavior is a matter of culture, not strictures.

A decade ago, we were in Savannah just after 's Day: In a city in which it is legal to drink in public (in the district) & despite the hordes of visitors, the scene was infinitely more tranquil than in tiny Amherst

I blogged about that tofindtheprinciples.blogspot.c

& the history of student misbehavior tofindtheprinciples.blogspot.c
back when blogging was a thing

Plus ça change

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One bar served over 3,000 customers and reported that its only alcohol-related problem was that the green Bud Light sold out by 9 p.m. "City Embraces St. Patrick's Day, sets record," "St. Patrick's crowds mostly tame," and "St. Patrick's Day brings well-behaved spenders," read the story headings in the Savannah Morning News. In the words of Savannah-Chatham Police spokesman Julian Miller, "People behaved. They just had fun. They did what they were supposed to do." Just compare that with Amherst's talk of "appalling" "barbarians" and "bacchanalia." In Police detective David Foster's lament, "There were drunk kids everywhere. It wasn't a pretty sight." The statistics convey the contrast, too. On the notorious weekend of the Blarney Blowout, tiny Amherst, with a population of under 38,000, registered, according to Larry Kelley's blog: * 14 Noise Bylaw tickets « 12 Noise warnings « 7 Nuisance House violations « 12 open container infraction arrests By contrast, in Savannah, with a population of nearly 135,000 and a million visitors, there was a total of only 31 arrests over the entire four-day festival (down from 190 the previous year): « Disorderly conduct 9 « Battery: 7 * Public urination: 5 * Obstruction: 3 * Reckless conduct: 1 « Criminal trespass: 1 « Larceny from a building: 1 « Marijuana less than one ounce: 1 « Open container: 1 « Begging: 1 « Striking a law enforcement animal: 1 [nice name-and-shame slideshow here]
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Jim Wald

To turn to more edifying topics of interest to @histodons:

My "haystack" measure made by Joseph Austin & Son of Cork, c. 1828-33. It held 1 noggin=1 gill=1/4 pint=5 imperial fl. oz.

These delightful measures were never exported to the United States & are therefore found here either because Irish immigrants brought them with them or because collectors later acquired them. The marks are of the reign of George IV, when it was made, William IV, & apparently, George V

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photo of Irish "haystack" measure: conical top (named after the European shape, vs. the more hemispherical American one) over base that tapers down to an only slightly smaller diameter. Curved handle to right
angled view of underside of top lip of measure, focused on the mark from the reign of William IV: initials WR, with crowned harp in middle
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Jim Wald

And finally for a more silly/humorous tribute to culture

Pitch 'n' Putt with Joyce 'n' Beckett - YouTube

youtube.com/watch?v=p856CfM64w

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YouTubePitch 'n' Putt with Joyce 'n' BeckettBy John Hyland
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Publicuniversal

@CitizenWald I actually think being a big city is a plus here. You have a higher like background # of bars and people drinking so there’s less of a drinking glut and a smaller % of the population is students so it *feels* less overpowering

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Jim Wald

@Publicuniversal Agree, though hard to quantify the student factor. More generally: I went to college when the drinking age was 18, and, sure some idiots fresh off the farm got wasted every night at first, but--same logic as yours--having alcohol available in supervised settings, including a great student center bar (uwunionstory.org/story/1928/ba + onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/uws-u) made for generally more responsible behavior.

+ Savannah shows that open containers as such not necessarily a problem

UW Union Story CollectionBattle of Beer and Wine | UW Union Story CollectionThe murals in Der Rathskeller and Der Stiftskeller were painted by German artists in 1928 and 1978 respectively. Depicting the story of student life at the university as well as a war between beer and wine, the murals are beloved by campus. During the renovation of the 2010s, the murals were carefully reconstructed and
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Publicuniversal

@CitizenWald yea, I feel like it was the same for me when I went to school and people just went to frats to get drunk-there was a like month or so window when people would just PARTAYYY every damn night and then the first midterms came round, the novelty of "I can do stuff without my parents telling me off" wore off, and people cooled off to a normal friday/saturday fun schedule.

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Arlenecw

@CitizenWald I went to UMass in the early 80s and I never heard of the Blarney Blowout.

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Jim Wald

@Arlenecw

'80s UMass would've been before my time here. It started in the '90s, apparently, but I don't recall it being a big thing (or problem) until maybe 15 years ago

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Historian1661

@CitizenWald I read about Blarney Blowout several years ago and how UMass tried to end it by having concerts and other events. Is that still going on?

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Jim Wald

@historian1661 Yes, or at least in general (less familiar with the intricate detail since I left town government). The university certainly tightened up visitor policy (no overnight guests) and keg policy etc. and tried to provide alternative entertainment. Plus police enforcement, tho that got controversial one year:

masslive.com/news/2014/09/edwa.

Things improved somewhat afterward. Problem is, these dudes start first thing Saturday morning...PLUS using nasty new intoxicants

massliveBlarney Blowout report: Consultant notes UMass, Amherst missteps in preventing March riot; recommendations maBy Diane Lederman | dlederman@repub.com
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