By Jason Stuart
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
After a one-year hiatus, the Eastern Montana Celtic Committee Pub Crawl appears poised to return to downtown Glendive this St. Patrick’s Day.
EMCC representatives Connie Hilger and Pat Mischel approached the city Ordinance Committee on Monday to request a waiver of the city’s open container law from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. between the 200 to 400 blocks of Merrill Avenue on St. Patrick’s Day, which happens to fall on a Friday this year, relieving most revelers of the headache of having to go to work the next morning.
The Ordinance Committee agreed to recommend approval of the open container waiver request to the full city council. The council will vote on whether or not to approve the request at their meeting next Tuesday, March 7.
Ordinance Committee members did briefly note some lingering concerns left over from the 2014 pub crawl, which was marred by copious amounts of litter along the route — including broken glass — and a few acts of vandalism. However, they also noted that the 2015 pub crawl was relatively free of incident and credited the EMCC for working to ensure there was not a repeat of the issues plaguing the 2014 event.
Hilger assured the committee members that the EMCC will work with the bar owners along the route to ensure that no glass bottles make their way outside the bars, that there are plenty of trash cans available along the route and that pub crawl attendees are on their best behavior.
“Even though this is a pub crawl and a celebration, there is a certain level of decorum that is expected,” Hilger said.
During the pub crawl, St. Patrick’s Day revelers follow bagpipers down Merrill from bar to bar. Hilger said the primary reason there was not a pub crawl last year is because the EMCC could not get a commitment from a bagpiper, and as she noted, “it wouldn’t be much of a pub crawl without a piper.”
The group has a commitment from one piper so far and hopes to add more, Hilger added, and is also looking to possibly add drummers to the mix as well.
Just prior to the pub crawl, the EMCC will host their annual Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner at 6 p.m. at the VFW. The dinner is open to the public and the cost per person is $8.