Wearing green is only a small part of St. Patrick's Day in Auburn. Eating and drinking green completes the celebration.
Green beer, green shots and green food will be served at almost every venue in town starting at lunch today.
Because St. Patrick's Day is during the University's spring break, many places are celebrating early.
Mellow Mushroom will open at 11 a.m. today and will serve discounted green pizza and green beer.
"We're going to do a special on every pesto-based pizza we sell," said manager Adam Nemeroff. "And everybody wants to drink green beer and Guinness on St. Patrick's Day."
Harp Lager, Guinness Stout,
Killian's Red and house green beer will all be $2, Nemeroff said. Beer mugs, beads and other St. Patrick's Day related prizes will be given away. Bourbon Street will offer penny beer, and SkyBar, Quixotes and 1716 will have $1 beer.
At Bourbon Street, car bombs will be $4, and Jell-O shots will be $1.
SkyBar will open at 2 p.m. and have drink specials on Killian's, leprechaun shots, Irish car bombs and leprechaun bombs.
Quixotes will open at noon and have live music all day.
In addition to $1 green beer, they will offer $3 car bombs, $2 Guinness and giveaways.
DJ Gray will provide music at 1716, which opens at 3 p.m.
The Bank Vault will have live music, $3 24-ounce green beer and $3 Red Bull and vodka shots.
The Independent will have $3
32-ounce green beer and will host Noise Organization tonight.
Speak Easy will have $3 32-ounce beers and discounts on Guinness and Killian's.
"We're hoping for a good turnout right before spring break," said Speak Easy manager Logan Madson.
Speak Easy bartender Elliott Degruiter said people enjoyed last year's celebration and thinks this year will be just as entertaining.
"Everything was green," Degruiter said. "We had green beer on draft and a few shot girls."
The Strutting Duck will not celebrate St. Patrick's Day early, but will have a huge celebration on the actual holiday, March 17, said manager Neal Kelly. "I believe in doing St. Paddy's Day on the actual day," Kelly said. "We're the closest thing Auburn has to an Irish pub."
Kelly said on St. Patrick's Day, The Strutting Duck will have $4 Irish car bombs and will offer specials on Irish beers. The music that night will be traditional Irish music as well as music from Joe Bagley and Kevin Flannagan.
Mellow Mushroom will also have another celebration March 17.
Nemeroff said Mellow Mushroom's celebration on St. Patrick's Day will be even bigger because local people will want to attend.
"They seem to come out more when students are gone," Nemeroff said. "We'll get people after 5 p.m., after they get off work."
For those who wish to have an authentic celebration away from Auburn March 17, there are Irish pubs in Birmingham, Columbus, Atlanta and several cities in Florida.
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