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Mahoning Valley Businesses Cash In On the Green
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Businesses that excel in the wearin' o' the green today will fill their pots o' gold. St. Patrick's Day isn't just a day to honor the patron saint of Ireland anymore, it's also a day for businesses to cash in on the green.This year, Americans are expected to spend $1.94 billion on food, beverages and decorations to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and some businesses are expecting sales to soar by more than 50%."St. Patrick's Day is just crazy, with everybody coming in for green carnations," said Kathleen Morrison, a floral designer at Edward's Flowers, Youngstown.The flowers are extremely popular the day before and day of St. Patrick's Day, she added.Restaurants, bars and other businesses buy stem dyed carnations by the dozens to distribute to St. Patrick's Day customers. Many also order centerpieces of arranged green carnations.Stem-dyed carnations stand in a solution of green dye rather than plain water, Morrison explained. The dye is carried through the stem to the white petals, dying them St. Patrick's Day green, she said.Other customers order boutonnieres and corsages made from white carnations spray-painted green or a new variety of carnation available this year that is naturally a pretty shade of light green, Morrison said. The stem-dyed carnations, she noted, aren't suitable for corsages and boutonnieres because the green solution they are dyed with can stain clothing.At Irish Bob's, an ub on Youngstown's south side, St. Patrick's Day is one of the busiest days of the year.The tavern opens at 6 a.m. to serve an Irish breakfast buffet complete with corned beef hash, Irish oatmeal, scones and the more traditional American breakfast fare: scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, toast and hashbrowns. Made to-order omelettes are also available, said Cindy Freeze, who's been a bartender at the tavern three years and a customer for 25.Lunch is served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Freeze said, and dinner begins at 3 p.m. Both lunch and dinner feature a large selection of Irish specialties such as corned beef dinners and Reuben sandwiches. Diners can wash down their meals with the traditional green beer on tap or an Irish coffee.Live entertainment is provided throughout the day, beginning with an on-site radio broadcast of 98.9 FM's morning show. Fergie and the Bog Dogs, an Irish band, will play from 3 to 11 p.m., Freeze said, and strolling bagpipers and Irish singers will make sporadic appearances throughout the day and evening.About 1,000 people will visit Irish Bob's on St. Patrick's Day, she said. "It's a tradition for a lot of people," Freeze said. "We'll have a couple of chartered buses, people coming in limousines. I know some people from Florida who plan their vacation around St. Patrick's Day just so they can come here."Freeze estimated St. Patrick's Day sales will be "at least 50% higher than they are most days." That increase is substantial considering Irish Bob's has a very loyal clientele, she added."If there is any green beer left over, then we'll sell it at a special price on Friday," Freeze said.Nationwide, 19.8 million people will celebrate St. Patrick's Day at a bar or restaurant, 12.7 million will attend a private party and 26.7 million will make a special dinner, according to the National Retail Federation.That includes Youngstown Mayor George McKelvey, who will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with President George W. Bush at the White House. The mayor, a Democrat who backed the Republican president in his 2004 re-election campaign, told WYTV News Channel 33 that he will use the opportunity to lobby the president on behalf of the Air Force Reserve base in Vienna, home of the 910th Airlift Wing. The base, like all military installations nationwide, will be considered for closure in the Pentagon's latest wave of cost-cutting measures."