Roughly 13% of Nebraskan’s are Irish so let’s get our Paddy O’Party on! Whether you’re having an online party, an in-person party or going out, here are some ideas for serving, family activities and a few of my pub and restaurant favs. And let’s not forget the virtual fun. We’re going to look Covid right in the face and say, I can adapt by creating a St. Pat’s day celebration that’s amazing regardless of the venue.

Table Settings

Green, green, and green. What can I say? Tis the season. The fortunate thing is that you can find Kelly green in so many things from plates to linens, greenery and, if you want to get ultra-crafty, then get out the green paint and decorate wine glasses or paint a glass vase or mason jar for flowers and plants. And don’t forget to add in the shamrock shape someplace. There are plenty of home goods stores that sell seasonal linens and dishware for this holiday so do it up. I enjoy taking advantage of after holiday sales and saving my treasures for next year.

Family Fun

Believe it or not there is a Gnome hunt at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Nebraska city is known for being the birthplace or Arbor Day and they host a lot of lovely events like the Apple Jack Festival and Halloween egg hunts. But during this time of year, we’re apparently welcome to hunt up some Gnomes for St. Patrick’s Day. The event will be going on from March 6-14th. Find more information about it at www.arbordayfarm.org/events Also, consider spending the day at the Omaha Children’s Museum. Kids can create their own leprechaun trap in the Tinker Studio, learn about rainbows at their S.T.E.A.M. cart, make a leprechaun card for a friend, and go on a museum-wide hunt for magical pots of gold! Activities are included with regular museum admission and free for members. www.visitomaha.com/event/st-patrick%E2%80%99s-day/35612.

Food

Of course, there’s the original corn beef and cabbage dish for that comes to mind but where do we find other treats? If you’re in the mood for some traditional Irish fare, then Brazen Head Irish pub is the place for you. It’s well rated and has menu items like bangers & Mashed and corned beef and cabbage. www.brazenheadpub.com. They also have a celebration on St. Patrick’s Day with meal specials. There are certainly Irish pubs a plenty in some trendy areas like downtown Omaha as well as some out of the way places. A simple web search will help you find them all and give you important details like hours of operation, events, menus, and any restrictions.

Adult Fun

Now green beer may or may not be your thing on St. Pat’s but how about a fun pub crawl? It doesn’t much cooler than Omaha’s Old Market and that’s where you’ll find the Dubliner Pub certain to be on any pub crawl list with live Irish music, Irish whiskey and, yes, even green beer if you so choose. This spot is a neat basement location on Harney Street that you can’t beat. Put together your own crawl or sign up for an event online that will take you around town to the coolest Irish pubs for various libations. But don’t call me. I’m more of a stay at one place kind of girl. Usually, it’s my backyard deck.

Web Party Ideas

You don’t have to be an outdoor party animal this year. If you’re being cautious and want to remain indoors, there’s plenty of opportunity to part online with friends. Just login to Zoom or Microsoft Teams, throw on some green hats and celebrate in the new normal. I recommend creating an informal agenda for your online celebration or an outline or ideas list. That way you won’t run out of fun before you even get started. Begin with some quick intros and conversation. Catch up with folks you may not have seen in a while. Then quickly move on to online friendly games like trivia, Twenty Questions to help you get to know one another, and providing you have all adults, Cards Against Humanity is a blast.

To find out more about the author or this blog, Sallie Elliott, or the Priority Group go to omahaprioritygroup.com and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all you awesome folks out there in web land.