Posted: Friday, 13 March 2009 11:21AM
No Early Drinkers Need Apply
Steve Corbett Reporting
Friday, March 13, 2009
We’re asking you nicely.
Please don’t open your barrooms tomorrow at 7 a.m.
We’ve got a big St. Patrick’s Day parade planned in Scranton and we want you to help us celebrate. We’ve got a lot riding on this event and we need your help to make it a great day for the Irish and anybody else who wants to help us pay tribute to our heritage.
My family has lived in Scranton for more than 100 years.
Big Jim Corbett left his little village of Cornamona in County Galway on the west coast of Ireland and emigrated here to raise his family. Many of his descendants remain here, where the cemetery in the Minooka section of the city holds the remains of the past.
We’ve got good memories and bad.
And we need you to help us shape the goodness of this city where the Irish played such a role in creating a culture that in many ways is the continuing story of the Irish race.
Open your saloons at 9 a.m.
Last year, after a tradition of suffering the horrors linked to a 7 a.m. opening, community leaders asked for and received agreement from bar owners to open later. It worked in helping to create a more sober yet joyous atmosphere at the parade.
The parade starts at 11:45 and there’s more than enough time to make your money and pack your joints with customers looking for a good time. Bars and restaurants all over town will do a truly grand business tomorrow.
So don’t be greedy.
Show us that the community – and not just your cash register - matters to you.
Please don’t open at 7.
Most bars will comply with this request as a way to head off the rush of mostly young drunks who care little if at all about the proud heritage of the Irish.
I single out my tribe in this characterization of Scranton’s rich ethnic culture. But the same can be said of the Italians, the Polish and others who came here to struggle and make a life for themselves and their families, often in the coal mines that offered a living that sometimes lead to death and serious injury.
Never forget that tomorrow is an Irish-American celebration – a great day to remember the glories of the past and reaffirm our commitment to the wonderful legacy that leads to the present and the future.
Of course we Irish have had our share of problems over the generations.
For many of us, alcohol has created difficulties. My family has fought its share of wars with the drink. And I don’t want you to underestimate the responsibility you have as saloonkeepers to do what you can to encourage responsible drinking.
No good can come of a 7 a.m. bar opening.
Serving alcohol that early only increases the odds of mayhem breaking out on a day when many people are working to keep the peace.
However, you can justify the early opening if you choose.
I just want you to remember that we’re watching to see who complies and who flaunts the opportunity to celebrate in a reasonable manner.
Do as you please.
We’re only asking that you join forces with us as we look to stand united in our effort to head off trouble and increase the odds of a safe and sane celebration of a great day.
And if you do decide to throw open the doors two hours before responsible tavern owners do, I encourage police to pay special attention to your customers to make sure they comply with the law. I hope state and city police make a special point of paying special attention to you.
Too much depends on doing our best to increase the odds of a safe parade for us to overlook your brazen lack of civic duty.
You might ask, “What difference does two hours make?”
It makes two hours worth of difference in the odds of increasing the public drunkenness, public urination, fights, rapes and medical emergencies that can happen anyway.
Mostly, though, it shows that you care enough to help us at least try.
So open at 7 if you wish.
But we’ve got a long memory in Scranton. And you’ve got a long year ahead of you in a struggling business climate.
We’ll help you when you need help if you help us when we need help.
If you know anything about Scranton, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
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Corbett
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