Latest news with #PatBoemer
CBS News
17-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
St. Paul hoping St. Patrick's Day will bring more business to downtown
Minnesota's capital city is hoping to have the luck of the Irish Monday during its St. Patrick's Day festivities. The holiday is a big event for downtown St. Paul at a time when many downtowns are still working to get back to pre-pandemic levels of business. Pat Boemer, the owner of Patrick McGovern's Pub on West Seventh Street, says at least 5,000 people attended their Saturday party. He says the area comes alive for events like St. Patrick's Day and the state hockey and wrestling tournaments. But Boemer says his lunch crowds are down significantly. A downtown supermarket recently closed and buildings sit vacant. That won't be a problem Monday, when a sea of green leaves Rice Park at noon to start the traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade. "We're very proud of our Irish heritage in St. Paul," said Ralph Matthews, a parade organizer with the St. Patrick's Day Association. "You'll see dozens of Irish clans, members of the community in the parade, the pipe bands. The energy down here is like no other on St. Patrick's Day." Kendrick Hall was out with friends Sunday garbed in green. He thinks the bounceback for downtown St. Paul is underway. "We waited about 15-20, maybe 25 minutes, in the line last night to get into Tom Reid's," he said. "It hasn't been like that lately so that's a good sign." "People that live here are very proud of it," Matthews said. "They live here forever. We're very entrenched with tradition and downtown St. Paul's a big part of that." The Saint Paul Downtown Alliance says nearly 800,000 visitors are expected to visit downtown in March, the busiest month of the year.
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
The city of St. Paul is preparing to welcome all who celebrate St. Paddy's Day
Crews are busy putting up tents as St. Paul is gearing up to celebrate St. Paddy's Day. "St. Paul outshines Minneapolis on this day," said Pat Boemer, owner of Patrick McGovern's Pub along west Seventh Street. The party begins at noon Saturday, that's when Luckypalooza gets underway. "The guy across the street, Cossetta, and I created [Luckypalooza] about 10 years ago. And we used to close the street down and got everybody on the avenue from Kellogg to Walnut involved," Boemer says. Luckypalooza got its start at the request of many of his younger regulars. "The 21- to 31-year-old or whatever came in and they would always want to party on the weekend the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day," Boemer said. So the celebration includes many of the watering holes along the avenue. Burger Moe's has live music and here at McGovern's Pub, live DJs will keep you moving to great music. "We've got a dj in the tent we got a dj on the patio we got a dj upstairs so you ve got a venue going just about in every part of the building and it fun," said Boemer. This year, the street will be closed. Barricades are ready to block traffic to keep all who celebrate St. Paddy's Day or weekend should we say, safe. "There are a lot of people who are going to be coming this way and they didn't feel comfortable with having the street open a lot of drinking going on and so they think it safer especially after the New Orleans deal they are going to close the street which is a good idea for the city," Boemer said. Luckypalooza begins tomorrow, and bars along West Seventh Street will celebrate St. Paddy's Day all day on Monday.
