Bar Hopping in the Emerald City
A guide to St. Patrick's Day in Eugene
BY MEGAN UDOW

The Irish are coming! St. Patrick's Day is only a mug of Guinness away, and the Eugene bar scene is getting ready to party it up Irish style.

Although the favored drinking day may be on a Monday this year, that won't stop true St. Paddy's aficionados from drinking their weight in beer. And if you too won't allow work to interfere with a good night of partying, then the local scene has everything you'll need to celebrate.

The party starts with DJ SIMY and DJ Redd Fox, who will be spinning hits on Monday at The City. Hosted by Emma from KNRQ, the festivities start at 9 pm with no cover charge. And lassies, don't forget to dress up, because prizes for the most spirited green Irish costume will be given.

Some venues haven't limited themselves to partying on Monday night alone. The Cooler hosts an Irish festival (benefiting Mid Valley Rotary) all weekend long, starting with a performance by the Spruce Roots Band on Friday night. Saturday the Irish Tenors and Celtic bagpipers Piping Hot perform, and Sunday the Gaye Lee Russell Experience, a Janis Joplin tribute band, will perform starting at 11 pm. Opening for the group are Deb Cleveland at 8 pm, Barbara Healy at 9 pm and JC Rico at 10 pm. Things truly get Irish on Monday with performances by Irish Kitty, Mercenaries, Irish Echo and an encore performance by Piping Hot. At 9 pm Saturday, Fenario Gallery welcomes Medium Troy and Rootdown for "The Sea of Green," an event that includes performance painters Marlis and Dominique Dillkinz.

Kolvane, which mixes British and American blues and rock, will be playing at Mac's at the Vets Club on Saturday night for an early St. Patrick's celebration. That same night, The Nettles make a second-year-in-a-row appearance at Sam Bond's at 9 pm.

Sid and Fancy

Come Monday, Luckey's will be passing out the pints at its biggest celebration this year with headliners Sid and Fancy, a punk-bluegrass band. Along with them the Irish folk/rock Starboard Morning will perform, followed by Eugene's Jesse Meade and other artists later in the evening. The show starts at 8 pm and cover is $5-$10 on a "sliding scale." At Diablo's Downtown Lounge, you can start the evening with St. Patrick's Day bingo at 7 pm and continue with Altamara and The Skyline at 10 pm. Should you feel like skipping (jigging?) to the next town over, Cottage Grove's Axe and Fiddle will welcomes the Celtic/pirate themed group Man Overboard at 8 pm.

While the jig will be taking over stages all over Eugene on Monday, there is plenty of room for music of other genres among the celebrations. John Henry's hosts a St. Patrick's Day hip hop party featuring performances by Animal Farm, Garden Entertainment, Mic Crenshaw and DJ Wicked starting at 9 pm with a $4 cover.

For those who don't feel like Irish car bombing their way to an early coma, Sam Bond's Garage will be offering its usual Monday night bingo — but with a St. Patrick's Day twist, of course.

Eugene has a lot to offer this St. Paddy's Day — more than we have room to list here. So whether you feel like celebrating your (real or imagined) Irish heritage on Monday or all through the weekend, the Emerald City's bar scene has you covered.