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Detroit bars, restaurants preparing for crowds on St. Patrick’s Day

‘Safety is No. 1, it has to be.’

DETROIT – Sunday will mark the second year in a row which Corktown will not have its St. Patrick’s Day parade and race due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, there is still hope that people will come out to celebrate this year. While there will be no parade, things are moving in the right direction.

“We want everyone to come here but also be safe,” said James Castonguay with McShane’s Irish Pub in Corktown.

Related: Detroit’s St. Patrick’s Parade canceled again due to COVID concerns

Like other businesses, McShane’s Irish Pub is limited in its capacity, but it’s getting a lot of calls from people thinking about showing up. There’s concern that businesses won’t be able to safely handle large crowds.

“Safety is No. 1, it has to be,” Castonguay said.

“I think at this point, we’re keeping on,” said Jonathan Westbrook with Grandma Bob’s Pizza.

The restaurant opened in late March 2019, having yet to experience the flood of customers on St. Patrick’s Day.

“It’s definitely a hit not having all of those people down here,” Westbrook said. “It’ll be good to get some people in there, people feeling comfortable coming back out.”


About the Author
Jason Colthorp headshot

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

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