St. Patrick's Celebrations

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If you be celebrating the wearing of the green this St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17, you might want to drive a wee bit slower as the police will be out on anti-DWI enforcement patrols.

According to acting county executive Adele B. Reiter police agencies across Ulster County will participate in a statewide special enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend, March 15 through March 18.

They’ll be joining law enforcement agencies throughout New York State and will be out in force in this coordinated effort to reduce the number of impaired driving-related injuries and deaths.

“I hope everyone enjoys the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and in doing so, please remember to celebrate responsibly and arrange for a designated driver or for alternative transportation,” said Reiter. “It is important to plan ahead as it could be a matter of life or death for you or someone else on the road. Our law enforcement will be out during the weekend to help keep our roadways safe and I would like to thank all of them for their on-going efforts to save lives and stop impaired driving.”

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York State have led to significant reductions in the number of alcohol and drug-related vehicular fatalities, too many lives are still being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers, Reiter added.

Highly visible and publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving and help save lives. Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce drunk driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.

Sobriety checkpoints and patrols play a key part in raising awareness about the problem.

The STOP-DWI St. Patrick’s Day Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from the STOP-DWI Foundation courtesy of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The Statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign also targets Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, the holiday season in December, and the Super Bowl weekend.

However, if the spirit moves you, and you have a bit of a spring, and a dance in your step, you might want to check out this activity to celebrate.

St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Café at the Rosendale Café will be rocking the Bodhran.

The happy confluence of Sarah Underhill and Ian Worpole’s mostly monthly Celtic Cafe Sunday and this year’s St. Patrick’s Day results in the 3:30 p.m. March 17 performance of the best of Irish songs and tunes on just the right day, at the Rosendale Café, 434 Main St., Rosendale. Admission is free.

For more information, call 658-9048 or visit rosendalecafe.com.

Unfortunately you’re a wee bit late to take part in the annual Rosendale St. Paddy’s Day celebration, it was last week, March 9 at St. Peter’s Church.

But don’t be fretting, Manuela Michilescu was there with her camera and took a few snaps of the festivities, including outside the church after Mass on March 12.