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Keith McCord Reporting People here are celebrating today, whether they're Irish or not. That's always the case on St. Patrick's Day, and with today being a Friday, the partying started early.
A local establishment has been hopping all day. Customers started lining up at Murphy's at 10:45 this morning, before the doors opened at 11:00. It's been jammed ever since.
Now, on a day like today, having fun is one thing, but drinking and driving is something that law enforcement agencies will be keeping an eye on tonight.
Green hair, green hats, lousy singing, and traditional food like corned beef and cabbage. It's all about having fun on St. Patrick's Day.
At 1:30 this afternoon, Murphy's was packed,standing room only. By the end of the night, thousands will have partied there and scarfed down more than 200 pounds of corned beef.
Rob Beddington, Owner, Murphy's: "We ran out last year at 3:00 in the afternoon."
And folks will imbibe a bit on this day, as they usually do. Since St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday this year, the Utah Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are stepping up their DUI patrols tonight. UHP Lt. Shawn Judd says for years, New Year's Eve was the big night for increased patrols, but big celebrations also take place on days like today, July 4th and Halloween.
Lt. Shawn Judd, UHP: "Some of these other holidays have been missed a little bit, so that's what we're trying to do is make sure that people are aware. Go out enjoy the evening, celebrate how you wish, but if you're going to drink, have a designated driver."
Last year in Utah nearly 190 impaired drivers were arrested between March 17th and March 20th. It could be higher than that this weekend alone.
Lt. Shawn Judd: "That's definitely possible. You factor in that UHP, what we do, and other county sheriff's and police departments, it could very well be more than 200 arrests of impaired drivers during this time period."
The DUI patrols will start about 9:00 tonight. Most bars and clubs do make it known that they'll call a cab for customers if they need one.
