[AP] STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Nearly three dozen downtown bars, restaurants and beer shops have agreed to halt alcohol sales to counter an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration created by Penn State students, the most aggressive effort yet to curb drinking for the unofficial holiday known as State Patty’s Day.
In exchange, each business will receive a $5,000 subsidy to help account for lost revenue. A committee composed of university and community leaders announced the plan Tuesday and listed 34 businesses that it said supported this Saturday’s “alcohol-free zone.”
First we have viral blogs (and here) covering echoing our sentiment about the ridiculous no alcohol at bars policy, and now the national media is covering it.
Nice work, State College. Your whacked out, over-the-top policy has created unwanted national media attention for State Pattys’ Day, that otherwise wouldn’t have been talked about, or better yet, anticipated upon. A big university has a Saturday where they drink a lot? No chance that would stir any national media attention. Add in a ridiculous policy, where a “college-town”/city is paying all the bars $5,000 to not sell alcohol all day and night, on a Saturday…well now you have yourselves a story. The media is looking for any reason to write about Penn State, especially in a negative or controversial light, and the borough just handed them the story on a silver platter. Now if we sneeze too loud on Saturday, CNN will have a feature story all ready to go. Shit, they’re probably writing it now, just leaving the number of arrests and under-ages blank.
