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Rain threatened to put a damper on the St. Paddy's Party festivities in downtown Saratoga on March 17, but event organizers had the luck of the Irish on their side.
Rain soaked the volunteers as they were setting up the information booth in front of the Echo Shop. Just when they thought they had a respite, they got an accidental dousing from the automated sprinklers at the Echo Shop before the party started.
"It was funny that we couldn't escape the water," said Marilyn Marchetti, one of the organizers.
The irrigation and precipitation stopped just in time for more than 300 partygoers to enjoy the celebration of the Irish spirit on Big Basin Way. The Saratoga Village Development Council, a group made up of downtown merchants and residents, sponsored the event. Restaurants were kept busy, and residents won prizes in drawings. Marchetti said she was pleased to see a bustling atmosphere at the event.
"We got people downtown--the restaurants ran out of food," she said. "We fulfilled our goal in making people familiar with downtown."
Restaurants on Big Basin Way served Irish staples, such as corned beef and cabbage, while other merchants offered cotton candy, cider and desserts, all colored green in honor of the occasion.
A party wouldn't be complete without entertainment. Strolling singers performed popular Irish tunes, and dancers from local Irish dance schools put on a show at several locations during the night.
"The Irish dancers were so beautiful. They made people feel it was a special evening," Marchetti said.
Children's activities included collecting pennies scattered on the sidewalks and guessing the number of M&Ms in a counting contest. Saratoga resident Courtney Schlossareck, 10, was the big winner as she guessed the exact number of candies in the jar, all 501 of them. Riley Carter took second place and Andy Li was third.
Marchetti said the success of the St. Paddy's Party bodes well for future monthly SVDC events. The March event was meant to be a kickoff activity in downtown Saratoga. Merchants want to organize a special event each month to draw more shoppers to the Village.
"We have precedent," Marchetti said of the March celebration. "We want people to have fun downtown."
Future events that the SVDC have planned include an Easter promenade, which will feature an Easter bonnet contest and hidden eggs, on April 15, and a historical scavenger hunt in the Village.
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Photograph by George Sakkestad
