When you think of a city that really celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, you think of Madison, right? Ha! Well, even though we’re not at the caliber of a Chicago or a Boston, we have a surprising amount of events. Here are some highlights:
WJJO/Miller Lite .10K Run/Walk (Saturday, March 10): Each year on the Saturday before St. Patty’s Day, 1,200 people “race” from State Street Brats to Wando’s (we used to run to Brother’s before it closed). This takes place after they’ve been drinking since 9 a.m. of course. The partying continues throughout the day at Kollege Klub, Church Key, Double U and Whiskey Jacks.
Bud Light St. Patrick’s Day Regent Crawl (Saturday, March 10): Bagpipers will lead this bar crawl that starts at noon at Sconniebar and heads east down Regent Street. There will of course be specials on Bud and some giveaways, too.
Shamrock Shuffle (Saturday, March 17): If you want to do a race longer than one block, Saturday’s trot through campus is for you. The 5K/10K run and 2M walk to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County and the Children’s Dyslexia Center starts at 10 a.m. at the 400 block of State Street and includes a post-race party.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Saturday, March 17): I actually had class with Katie O’Phelan, the originator of the annual march around the Capitol Square, now in its 21st year. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and the grand marshal is Peter Kraus from the “Bachelorette.”
Endless live music and parties: Pick a bar, any bar, and you’ll likely find live entertainment on March 17. Here are a few examples:
- Erin’s Snug has the Troy Shanks Duo
- High Noon has the Kissers
- Gates & Brovi has The Old Tin Can String Band
- Lazy Oaf Lounge has Saturday Morning Cartel
- The Come Back In, Wisco and Ruby have a band-bar crawl
- The East Side Club has a St. Pat’s Eve Fest (March 11)
- Brocach has the Kissers (March 15)
I didn’t expect to find decent BBQ in Oregon, but I was pleasantly surprised by the offerings, especially the sauces, of 
I also enjoyed the jumbo smoked bone-in chicken wings ($0.75 per wing), which are plump and sport a char from the grill. The garlic parmesan sauce did not disappoint. Your other choices in sauces are BBQ and mild buffalo.
I am a big fan of supper clubs, and I would be even if I wasn’t a native of Wisconsin where they are 
