The annual Mayor’s River O’Green Fest at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is now a fixture in downtown. We are the better for it. It looks like Tampa. Ethnicity and race are incidental. Everyone is a most-welcome, shanty Irish reveler. Even Boston Bruins fans. Maybe.
The weather on St. Patrick’s Day was chamber of commerce pleasant; there was a deep (biodegradable) Kelly green river; and there was live music, dancing, games, multiple beer-selling tents, goofy hats, ties, vests and T-shirts and a certain new pub with a certain thatched roof. No way that doesn’t induce Irish-ishness. The mood–and theme–were emblazoned and reinforced on countless T-shirts–ranging from distilled-spirits themes– “Arrive Thirsty; Leave Tipsy,” “Shamrocked,” “BE:ER O’Clock” and “Fit Shaced” to the less-than-innocent “Irish You Were Naked.”
Complementing the high-energy Riverwalk vibe were the picturesque backdrops of Minarets and museums. It’s a scene that couldn’t have been imagined not that long ago. Back when the Hillsborough was an industrial river with all the ambience that wharves and surface parking lots can provide. Now–and both Mayor Bob and Mayor Pam deserve particular shout outs for their catalytic roles–there is something symbolic of much more than Irish heritage on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s symbolic of a downtown with some serious “there” there. Gertrude O’Stein would approve.