Lex Valluzzi, Staff Writer
Now that spring break has come to an end and college students make their way back to campus, it is almost time for St. Oney’s Day to roll around once more. The local holiday, celebrated by students of SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick college, features a full day of drinking and bar crawling. Additionally, this year’s St. Oney’s Day is to include what students have advertised as “a ginger run” which includes a group of red-headed students running through the quad.
The holiday was founded due to the fact that St. Patrick’s Day overlaps with spring break and students wanted a chance to celebrate the Irish holiday as a campus. The first weekend after St. Patrick’s Day is when students break out the decorative green outfits and crowd the streets of Oneonta for a long day of partying.
This year’s St. Oney’s Day took an unexpected turn this semester. The local bars were expected to open early in the morning. Before heading over, students bought limited-edition St. Oney’s Day 2024 merchandise at Stoneonta Clothing located on Main Street. It’s been strongly suggested that you purchase your green attire ahead of time while supplies last.
To prepare for this year’s events, most of the resident halls provided water bottles and some grab-and-go breakfast options in the lobby for students to enjoy before heading out for the day. Students who went out to celebrate were seen staying hydrated and being mindful of the increased police presence around town. Especially when Oneonta police have been cracking down on underage drinking and drunk disorderliness.
However, this St. Oney’s Day was a bit different from those in the past. The weekend had heavy snowfall and temperatures as low as twenty degrees, which setback some of the student’s plans. “The ginger run” that had been advertised by posters around campus was to take place at noon in the quad, but sadly didn’t occur due to the large amounts of ice covering the campus grounds. Which also meant outdoor parties were canceled and rescheduled to take place indoors in the evening. But luckily this didn’t let this stop their holiday, students went straight to the bars dressed in their green attire to celebrate.
There has been some speculation from students about moving St. Oney’s Day plans another warmer weekend, but the tradition of St. Oney’s Day being after spring break runs deep. In years past, Oneonta has seen some great celebrations, but this year was slightly underwhelming due to the horrible weather conditions. Maybe better luck next St. Oney’s Day. But for now, St. Oney’s Day 2024 has come and gone once again. See you next year!
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