On March 17th, everyone is Irish! This week we will celebrate the annual tradition of St. Patrick’s Day and our Irish heritage by wearing green, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage. But where did this all come from?
The traditional Irish St. Patrick’s day feast consisted of pork and potatoes. However, in the mid-1800s when Irish immigration exploded, pork and potatoes were too expensive here in America for the new settlers. Therefore, a cheaper alternative of corned beef and cabbage came to be a new Irish-American tradition!
Why green? Traditionally, the color was blue and was known as St. Patrick’s blue. This changed when green became more associated with Ireland and became known as Emerald Isle for its luscious green landscapes. The shamrock also contributes to green culture, as this is what St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity. Nowadays, here in the U.S., we wear our green to represent solidarity with Ireland and our Irish culture, cheers!
Alpena Irish History – The Owens Block in downtown Alpena was owned and operated by Irish immigrant Peter Owens. What you now know of as the banquet room adjacent to John A. Lau Saloon, used to be a funeral parlor and furniture business where Peter made and sold picture frames along with various other items made of wood. The Owens block continued to provide for local businesses for 130 years, thanks to an Irish immigrant with the dream of becoming a business owner. Sadly, this portion of the Owens Block burned down in 2020.
Alpena Irish Traditions – Put on some green, grab a friend and head out for some corned beef and cabbage and green beer at one of Alpena’s restaurants/pubs –Alpena Food/Drink
St. Patricks Day celebrations happening in Alpena – March 17th, 2023
- St. Patrick’s Day at The Mountain Bar & Grill – The Mountain will be serving up Anthony’s 92-year-old Family Corned Beef Recipe! Come on out and enjoy some Live Music by 3Za Crowd Band with plenty of drink specials and lots of fun all day and night!
- St. Patrick’s Day at The Black Sheep in Downtown Alpena – Help us celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with our homemade corned beef dinner, Guinness on tap, all kinds of free Irish Swag, and live music starting at 5 pm with Rich Rider and Mark Tarzney, followed by the Mercíer band at 9 pm!
- St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Sand Bar & Grill on Long Lake – Featuring St. Patrick’s Day specials and The Country Poorboys music.
- The Damm Band live on St. Patricks Day at Bolton Ridge Bar & Grill – Come out and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with The DAMM Band at Bolton Ridge Bar & Grill. Great music and a great party!
Looking to celebrate from home? Pick up your corned beef dinner from Nowicki’s Sausage Shoppe! You can have it cooked in your choice of Guinness or IPA beer. This is for pick-up at the Alpena Shoppe only and must be pre-ordered for pick up March 17th-19th. Call and place your order today, only 50 dinners are available to sell. 989.354.2219
A very special thanks to the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Special Collections, for their contribution!
420 N. 2nd Ave. Alpena, MI 49707
989-340-2288 
