TOLEDO, Ohio — After two years of COVID-19 regulations and shutdowns, OB's bar and grill in West Toledo is once again swarming with people on St. Patrick's Day.
For owner Paula Robinette, who purchased the bar in 2017, seeing people come out in droves means she can finally breathe easy.
"Every day was a state of panic, 'am I going to make it for this month? Am I going to make it for the next month?' It's awesome to be back out of that," said Robinette.
And Robinette isn't the only one happy to shake off the pandemic blues with a celebration. Customers shoulder to shoulder inside OB's are all smiles as they grab St. Paddy's Day-themed drinks without worrying about any kind of regulations.
"Feels good, ya know? Last couple years have been rough, so to be able to come out with your friends and family and be able to drink normally, it's good," said Nate Waller, a customer at OB's.
West Toledo isn't the only part of the city getting into the festivities. The Blarney in downtown Toledo has an impressive crowd of its own, with people decked out in green shuffling inside and out as people take advantage of the unusually warm March weather. Owner Ed Beczynski says not only is the holiday the biggest day of the year for his bar; it's also a signal to people that they can have fun again.
"Mentally, we needed this. You just see people smiling and laughing and spending time with friends they probably haven't seen in a while. This is huge," said Beczynski.
With beers and Jiggs dinners being consumed in equal measure, the energy and enthusiasm across the Glass City is rising with each hour. And everyone I talked to seems prepared to celebrate in a way that would make St. Patrick himself proud:
"I'm gonna eat and drink all day," said Jackie Hendry, a patron at The Blarney.
And over at OB's, Nate Waller shares a similar sentiment.
"Drinkin', hanging out, having a good time. It's gonna be an all-day thing," said Waller.