Last year, St. Patrick’s Day 2020 was all but canceled due to a new pandemic sweeping across the globe.
A day usually celebrated with corned beef, shepherd’s pie and green beer with friends and family was essentially put on pause. The cheers and fun times were halted as we collectively learned the words “stay-at-home order” for the first time.
But this year will be different for St. Patrick, according to Santa Clarita Valley business owners.
Restaurants and bars around the SCV are committed to making sure their customers and regulars have a chance to participate in the traditions — albeit ones altered by COVID-19 restrictions, once again.
On March 17 — almost one year exactly after California and Los Angeles County issued a shelter-in-place health order, the SCV will have St. Paddy’s Day once again.
Schooners Patio Grille
The owners of Schooners Patio Grille have said they expect this St. Patrick’s Day, especially after last year’s abrupt cancelation, to be one to remember, after what has been a trying year for them and restaurants everywhere.
“Everybody’s really excited to celebrate again, and I feel like it’ll be our first party since we’ve been back,” said Teri Ledesma, owner of Schooners. “Unfortunately, there will still be restrictions, so it can only be as busy as we can be. But we’ll be offering the green beer and we’ll be offering food specials throughout the day.”
Schooners’ St. Patrick’s Day plans would not only provide a welcome environment for customers to again enjoy, but also include some holiday treats.
“We’ll have beads, we’ll have our music going and we’re just going to make it a lively event,” said Ledesma. “We’re just going to do whatever we can to make our customers happy.”
Schooners is located at 22903 Soledad Canyon Road. For more information, visit www.schooners
santaclarita.com, or call (661) 3884765.
Drifters Cocktails
Drifters Cocktails in Canyon Country is expecting a larger than normal crowd on St. Patrick’s Day due to their holiday celebration.
“We’re actually doing live bands all day, and then we’re going to have a DJ that night,” said Drifters owner Dennis Marazzito, “(and) we’re doing corned beef and cabbage sandwiches.”
In addition to the food and musical entertainment, from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., Drifters is also planning to have a number of St. Patrick’s Day drink specials, including $3 green beers, $5 Jamison shots and $6 Irish Car Bombs.
“We have three really good days out of the year: We have St. Patrick’s Day, the day before Thanksgiving is always busy and we have New Year’s. We kind of lost all of those last year,” said Marazzito. “Less for me and more for my employees, I’m excited that they’re going to be able to actually make some money, make some tips.”
The festivities at the bar on St. Patrick’s Day will be socially distanced and outside, and some of the usual activities, such as karaoke, are currently prohibited, Marazzito said. Nevertheless, the bar and restaurant are planning to make the best of the situation.
“(All bars) got shut down on St. Patrick’s Day of last year, and so this is going to be a great St. Patty’s Day,” said Marazzito. “We’re just so excited.”
Drifters Cocktails is located at 18240 Soledad Canyon Road. For more information, visit drifters-
cocktails.business.site or call (661) 252-2471.
Rose & Crown
One of Newhall’s most visited themed restaurants, the Rose and Crown British Restaurant on Lyons Avenue is said to be offering treats and food from across the pond in the lead up to and during St. Patrick’s Day.
Advertising on their social media pages for March 16-17, the Rose and Crown is selling “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Boxes;” a themed package consisting of a three-course meal, sparkling cider, festive decor, themed accessories, musical playlist, fun games and more.
“I actually don’t know how to judge what’s going to happen, because last year I was expecting it to be relatively quiet. The closures were new, but we ended up being rather busy last year for takeout,” said Greg Sutton, manager of the Rose and Crown. “So, I’m expecting it to be rather busy again.”
The restaurant will also serve its famous corned beef and cabbage meal the week of St. Patrick’s Day, said Sutton.
“It’s always been a good time because this place sort of has a real genuine atmosphere,” said Sutton. “At least last year and this year coming up, it’s been kind of sad because it hasn’t been that genuine experience, but it’s been so nice to see everyone still support us and to still get that experience through takeout.”
Rose & Crown is located at 24246 Lyons Ave. For more information, visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Rose-and-Crown-British-
Restaurant-SCV-111187015580763, or call (661) 255-5048.
