St. Patrick’s weekend is the biggest drinking event of the whole year. It is a day when people from all around the world come together to celebrate one thing — beer. Well, that’s what most people think.

St. Patrick’s Day is actually a day to honor the death date of the foremost
patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Most people use this day as an  excuse to get excessively hammered, and no one knows that better than the servers like Alexis Wirch, a veteran server at Buddyz in McHenry.

Wirch has been working at Buddyz for four years, so she is quite familiar with all of the St Patrick’s festivities.The weekend is so prominent in McHenry that the city had to get a permit to allow open alcohol for both days of this year’s weekend up until 6 p.m. This means that any patron 21
years and older is allowed to walk down Green Street with a green beer in hand, walking from bar to bar. Wirch is no stranger to this sacred day.

“It’s absolute madness,” she said. “The whole restaurant is going to be completely packed, making it so hard to walk to the customers their drinks. It is full of high energy, but at the end of the day, it is always a good time.”

Wirch has many  stories of people getting a little too intoxicated in years past. She recalled once when  she could tell this guy was feeling sick by his body language, so in quick thinking, she tried to move a trash can on wheels in his direction, making for easy cleanup. This plan did not end up working as well as she was hoping, as the gentleman ended up throwing up all over her and her brand new shoes. She went on to say this did not stop her from having a successful day. The guy’s girlfriend gave her $200 for the inconvenience, and she was able to clean
off her legs and shoes and get back to serving tables. She did mention that the green beer did make for an exciting color of throw-up.

The drink special was the green beer. Both Coors and Miller on draft are a neon green color for the weekend’s festivities. Buddyz also offered green jello shots and St Patrick’s Day special food items as well, such as a Ruben sandwich, Corned Beef Hash Omelet, Irish Skillet, and St Patrick’s Benedict.

McHenry also dyed  the river green and held a parade right outside Buddyz.

Along with a wonderful, exciting environment for the weekend, businesses must ensure that there is no underage drinking and that everyone is acting civil.

Wirch explained that they hired security and bouncers for the event. Every person will have their ID evaluated and scanned before entering; they will also have extra safety on the inside, watching for any altercations.

Buddyz is all about food, family, and fun. Fights and underage drinking have no place inside this establishment. And always remember to tip your bartender and to wear green!