Fake Patty’s Day has grown to be one of the largest – arguably the largest in Midwest/Great Plains – Saint Patrick’s Day event in the country.
Every year before March 17th – hence the name fake – party goers and college students hit the streets of Manhattan for unlimited drinking opportunities. It is one of the few days where public intoxication is almost tolerated.
Alexander Robinson, Riley County Public Information officer said that months of planning goes into the preparations for the drinking holiday.
“This isn’t something that we just wake up on Saturday morning and say ‘oh shoot, it’s Fake Patty’s Day what are we going to do’; there’s months and months of planning involved in this and it includes bringing in about a dozen outside agencies to help us,” said Robinson. “[Law enforcement] is going to have a pretty heavy presence, and that’s just to make sure that everyone is safe on Fake Patty’s Day.”
Thousands of people will flock to the streets of Manhattan, primarily in and around the Aggieville Business District, and most of them will be intoxicated.
“If someone is just drunk and walking down the street on the sidewalk, that’s not any issue for us – but if they can’t stand and they continually fall down, we’re going to get them hospital and make sure that they get that care that they need,” said Robinson.
Robinson added that most incidents that do occur during the Fake Patty’s celebrations are non-violent and result in few arrests. “If they are inebriated in the street and won’t get out of the street, that’s an arrestable offense because we don’t want them to be injured because they don’t know what’s going on.”
First responders will be on standby throughout the day Saturday.
“Via Christi and our ambulance services at Riley County EMS are [going to be] busy all day long with people who’ve had too much to drink and are entering stages of alcohol poisoning,” said Robinson. Riley County EMS will be station in the City Park “roundhouse” area throughout the day Saturday.
Robinson confirmed that among the dozen outside agencies called to assist this weekend are the Geary County Sheriff’s Department and the Junction City Police Department.