The Ohio State Highway Patrol will be working overtime to ensure that the only drivers on the road are sober.
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Despite the cold weather Friday evening, many people still went out and about celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
Beer Barrel was hopping with people getting some good Irish food this afternoon. Patrons were wearing their green showing their Irish Pride and some even enjoying a green beer for the occasion. There was something for everyone, even if you weren’t Irish. Over at The Met, the kitchen was busy making their Irish dishes and libations with several green options on the menu.
Meteorology
We have an absolutely gorgeous St. Patrick's Day forecast with sunshine, light winds, and highs in the lower 70s. The record high for today's date is 76° set in 2012.
Sergeant Aaron Rode with the LPD explains,” You’re not underage drinking. If someone’s asking for your I-D at the establishment you’re providing that I-D. And it also comes back as a 50/50 split between us and the bars. The bars also have some responsibility in this as well to make sure they are checking I-D’s. If they have a metal detector at the door that they are appropriately staffing the metal detector. Things like this stop the police from ever having to come out in the first place.”
Law enforcement will be stepping up drinking and driving enforcement this weekend and next for people going out and celebrating St. Patrick's Day. So far this year, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has handled 2,500 OVI incidents around the state, which is down from 2021. But medical professionals say all it takes is one bad decision to change the lives of many people by getting behind the wheel after drinking.
The goal of this event was to bring some kind of St. Patrick's Day fun to the downtown area in lieu of the parade.
A partnership between the Lima Allen County Safe Community Coalition, local law enforcement, and The Met is trying to make sure everyone enjoys their St. Patrick's Day in a safe way. They are encouraging people to be proactive in finding a designated sober driver for their celebration plans. Rob Nelson, the owner of The Met, loves to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and is happy to encourage sober drivers each year with homemade mocktails free of alcohol and free of charge for any designated drivers.
The parade's committee, along with the Allen County Health Department and city administrators, have made the decision to cancel it again this year. Co-Chair of the Lima Irish Parade Committee, Darby Bourk, says the bottom line of the difficult decision was the public's safety.
If you can't make the trip back to good ole' Camp Crystal Lake on this Friday the 13th, a local attraction has the scare you're looking for! The Haunted Town Hall in Lafayette is back! It will be open this weekend only to celebrate Friday the 13th and St. Patrick's Day. This is the first year they have done a St. Patty's theme.