'Leprechaun' brings golden times, pub crawl to Woodland on St. Patrick's Day

Green drinks. Green hair. Green outfits.

The City of Trees turned green Saturday, as a throng of pub crawlers strolled downtown going from bar to bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Presented by Firehouse Entertainment, the St. Patty's Day Pub Crawl 2012 started at 2 p.m. at Brown's Corner and hit up six more local establishments before calling it a night at The Stag at 9 p.m.

The event was organized and promoted by Josh Hilliard, a Woodland firefighter who co-owns Firehouse Entertainment, a full service mobile disc jockey/master of ceremony company.

Hilliard, who dressed up as a leprechaun for the occasion and was distributing "golden coins," said he spent three to four weeks organizing the crawl, which also made hour-long stops at Kenny's Bar & Grill, Maria's Cantina, Tazzina Bistro, Burger Saloon and Mojo's Lounge.

Firehouse Entertainment employees were handing out pub crawl cards, which contained the locations and times people should be at each bar.

Each venue had a unique stamp to punch the cards with. At the end of the evening, those who had their cards fully stamped were encouraged to put their card in a box at The Stag for a random drawing today to win $100 and $50 cash prizes courtesy of Firehouse Entertainment and the seven "pubs."

Some of the participants were first-timers while others claimed to be veterans. Some appeared en route to having "a good evening," while others were going to complete the challenge of getting their pub crawl card punched
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at each bar without having a single drink.

Heidi Van Atta of Woodland, sporting green hair, was a designated driver for the affair by default. She was spotted at Maria's Cantina drinking just cranberry juice because she was a pregnant pub crawler.

"It'd be more fun to be drunk," she said, "but it's fun to be sober and watch."

Other Woodlanders, such as Adrian Dorado, were determined to complete the quest and were having multiple beverages at each bar.

Patrons at Maria's Cantina enjoyed Irish-inspired drinks, such as the Mexican Leprechaun. Elsewhere, crawlers consumed Irish staples, including Jameson whiskey and Guinness.

The back of the pub crawl cards provided a number for A-1 Taxi and encouraged people to "PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!"

Late in the afternoon, Hilliard said, "Everything is going smooth so far. I haven't found any hiccups yet."

The services of Firehouse Entertainment, co-owned by Woodland Fire Department's Capt. Erik Komula, are available for weddings, parties and school dances.