Way back in the day when I was a college student at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with zeal (and whoever else wanted to join in). We, along with many other students would eat breakfast together prior to heading off a mile and a half up the road to Thirstys Pub in Pittsford, New York... I’ll get to Thirstys later. It was quite the big deal back when I shared a room with Mark Natalie.
The average sized dorm room was a suite connected by a common bathroom. We were all neat clean guys so, things worked out pretty well. The cleanliness of the bath is important because in the wee hours of St Patty’s morn’ it became a make-shift kitchen. In the days before this we made our way to the Wegmans’ supermarket up Fairport Road and purchased bacon, bread, eggs, O.J. and whatever else we need to make breakfast. The anticipation of this breakfast might only be matched by Christmas morning. Around five on St. Patrick’s Day morning we would convert the sink counter in the shared bath to a kitchen. We used all manner of electrical kitchen appliances to cook our meal. It is decades later and I can still smell the bacon and taste the orange juice. We were smart in that we wanted full bellies for what was yet to come. Like giddy children we prepared the meal and swiftly ate all the while monitoring friends down the hall and about the building as to their progress. We finished up and washed ever inch of the place as if it were ballet. We wanted no sign of our fun in that it was not legal to cook in our rooms much less the John. We were now ready. It was time to go.
Laughing and joking every step of the way up East Avenue past Nazareth College of Rochester,15 or 20 of us reached Thirstys at 7:00a.m. at their special St. Patrick’s Day opening time. We wanted to be the first there and usually were with the exception of regulars who I always imagine slept over. I remember it like yesterday, we’d step to the counter and slap down a one dollar bill and the friendly bartender would return with twenty cups of beer. Yeah, five cent beers! Hours later I remember waking up in my suite shower naked. I cannot tell you what happened much after the first couple beers. I’ll tell you what did not happen, murder, mayhem or disrespect, save Thirstys floor. It was a different time. We would never think of driving and the armed forces could learn a thing or two from us about leaving no man behind. We drank massive amounts and had fun and bonded forever. I offer no apology.
Things were different then, at least for us. No one was found face down in a stream and there were no real “incidents” as I recall. We were different people than students are today. We helped and cared about people we did not even like. I guess you might call it responsible fun/drinking. “Well, how can you say you lost a full day and call it responsible?” We were different then, we looked out for each other.
Ten years later I returned to Fisher to teach in its English department. MADD was all the rage and Thirstys St. Patrick’s Day event was gone. Somewhere in those ten years someone decided that students could not drink and look out for each other. They raised the drinking age and outlawed the panty raids too.
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