Derek Maiolo/Steamboat Pilot & Today’s Archive
Luckily, it’s almost Friday and almost St. Patrick’s Day. Better yet, it’s starting to feel like spring and there’s a lot going on for those looking to get out and celebrate the holiday.
Enjoy an Irish pub
After McKnight’s closed on the city’s mountainside, O’Neil’s Tavern and Grill is now the only Irish bar in town, so in preparation for the annual St. Patrick’s celebration on Friday, March 17, the O’Neil’s staff are bracing for impact.
“This has gotten bigger every year,” said Mitch Woods, who runs O’Neil’s and Back Door Grill. “Obviously we’re the only Irish place in town now, so it’s up to us to throw a good celebration.”
For some taverns like O’Neil’s, St. Patrick’s Day is the busiest day of the year and not even close.
“We always know it’s coming, you know,” Woods said. “But it’s fun. Preparing is a lot, but we usually figure it out. Once we’re in it, it’s always a good time.”
O’Neil’s will open at 9 am, two hours earlier than usual, and will feature a piper and a special St. Patrick’s Day food menu. which includes Irish Roast, Bacon Wrapped Scallops and 26-ounce Legs of Lamb. She is encouraged to dress up.
Live music
For those who want to listen to a banger while eating bangers and mash on a Friday night, there are options.
Denver-based band Magic Beans will return to Old Town Pub. Guitarist/vocalist Scott Hachey joked that this will probably be the band’s 50th time playing Steamboat Springs.
“We’re super excited,” Hachey said. “We play there every year.”
Magic Beans is frequently described as a hodgepodge of musical styles, or as Woods describes “the entire diaspora of American music”, from bluegrass to funk, and whose inspirations range from Jerry Garcia to the artist formerly known as Prince.
They will be playing some songs from “Unzipped”, an instrumental album they released last summer with songs featured on the Colorado Sound radio station.
Doors open at 9 pm and the show begins at 10 pm Tickets are $20.
SkiiTour/Courtesy Photo
Further down the road, Schmiggity’s will play host to SkiiTour, a DJ duo from Whistler, Canada who have carved out an interesting niche for themselves as apres-ski musicians.
This will be the first time the duo have been to Steamboat, but the retro ski-town flair they embody should fit the bill, even if they’re both snowboarders.
Tim Livingstone and Dave Rollinson form SkiiTour and have been working together since 2010. They made a name for themselves performing shows in apres-vibe ski towns, complete with fake snow machines and 80s-era ski gear.
“They gave us a space that was dead, mid-afternoon on a Thursday, no one came onstage at the time,” Livingstone said. “So, they gave us a space and we turned it into an apres-ski party.”
Fans of the duo will even turn up to shows in full ski gear, so don’t be surprised if someone shows up to Schmiggity wearing goggles and snow pants.
Doors open at 9:30 pm and tickets are $20.
enchant your ears
Steamboat Chamber Singers/Courtesy Photo
For those wishing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day away from the bars, the Steamboat Chamber Singers will perform two concerts at the Bud Werner Memorial Library on St. Patrick’s Day at 5:00 p.m. and Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Christel Houston leads the group of 20 local singers, and this year’s theme is “Coming Home to Ireland.”
Spilled Pint, a local Celtic band will also play music for the evening’s festivities, and Irish pub food and drinks are included with every $25 ticket.
Go mad
The Steamboat Springs Running Series kicks off this weekend with the Luck of the Irish 7K on Saturday March 18.
Adult registration is $35 through Friday and $40 on race day. For children 17 and under, registration is $15 through Friday or $20 on race day. All proceeds will be donated to Steamboat Springs Middle School’s running and cross country programs.
The race begins at 9 am and takes participants through the center of the city and offers beautiful views of Strawberry Park and Buffalo Pass.
