‘Getting f-cked up by 12 o’clock’: St. Patrick's Day in Butte continues to draw college crowds

A mass of people wearing every imaginable shade of green gathered in the streets of Butte last week to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Parade attendees wore beaded necklaces and carried lagers as they embodied the jolly Irish spirit. 

“We’re here for St. Patty’s Day to celebrate the Gaelic people and to get hella f-cked up,” said Kate Michaelson, an eventgoer sporting a hat that read “I heart day drinking,” with the heart portrayed as a light green clover.

The annual parade is put on by the Butte America Foundation, and it was Parade Director Alysia Guzman’s first year in charge. “We start [planning] in January," she said. Between the start of preparation and the parade, Guzman oversaw each part of the event, from organizing the entries to collaborating with law enforcement.

This year, Guzman said she streamlined the day by creating maps and schedules for her eight volunteers. “There’s never really been fine details before,” she said. “I feel like [the parade] went really smoothly. I absolutely love events and I love doing events for my community.” 

According to Guzman, this year's procession had about 110 entries. The parade was led by members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) — the oldest Irish Catholic organization in the U.S. — which featured a walking banner, a trolley and a bagpipe ensemble.

Along with the AOH, the parade featured appearances from Montana hurling teams, the Celtic Cavalry — an equestrian group — and a troupe from the Butte branch of the Tiernan Irish Dancers. 

“I love this community and how much they love to decorate,” Guzman said. “It’s just a fun time.” 

A group of older eventgoers stood and watched the crowd from in front of the Park Street Liquors in downtown Butte. According to one member of the group, Kay “Irish” Kelly — a third-generation Butte Montanan — the demographic at the event has changed in recent years.  

“It gets bigger and bigger, younger and younger,” she said, adding that she has been coming to the parade for many years. “But it's as much fun as ever.” 

A couple of hours later, a crew of 20-somethings stood around the same store, socializing and drinking. MSU student Ephraim Mackenzie was holding both a Coors Banquet and the iconic college student drink of choice: a borg.  

Formally known as a black out rage gallon, a borg is a gallon jug filled with alcohol, water, electrolyte drinks and water flavoring. Borgs enable people to drink high volumes of alcohol while also intaking water and electrolytes.

“I think people come out here to get drunk, especially the college students,” Mackenzie said. While he was speaking, Mackenzie’s friend Makaylah Cunningham corrected him. “Community, is what he's trying to say,” she said.

Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff Ed Lester said that borgs have been a prominent method of alcohol consumption for the last few years. “It’s kind of sad to see [young adults] carrying the gallon jugs because it's too much alcohol and it generally leads to poor decisions,” he said.

Despite this, Lester shared that there had been fewer arrests than normal this year. According to him, this may be because St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Tuesday instead of the weekend. 

“There were still more arrests than I would like, especially DUI,” he said. “Overall, it was a pretty good day. But there are always a few folks that overdo it and they cause most of our calls for service — from medical emergencies, to fights and general disorderly behavior.”

According to Montana Tech student Seth Dunster — who was wearing green suspenders decked out with clovers and holding a green shot glass — the holiday means “getting f-cked up by 12 o’clock.”

“[St. Patrick's Day] doesn't really mean anything to me, if I'm honest,” said Purdue student Madison Bell, who was in Butte because of the holiday. “But I love dressing up in green, I think I look good in green.”

For MSU kinesiology student Boden Broyles — who wore a shirt that read “RUB ME 4 GOOD LUCK” — the highlight of his day was experiencing the parade with his friends. 

“I’m with some great people — let’s look around,” he said. “Why are you not in Butte, Montana on St. Patty's Day?”

The parade itself was about a mile long. After the final float went by, the Taco Bell Cantina on the corner of Park and Montana Streets started up a DJ booth and the area flooded with people enjoying their afternoon.

Butte local Tyler Avery was in the Taco Bell Cantina reminiscing on his love for the town. 

“The parade for me was electric, I showed up hungover at about 12:30, and at 12:30 it was absolutely firing,” he said. “If we go back to our Irish heritage, this is the day to celebrate all the hard work we bring to Butte America.”