There's more than one day in Syracuse when everybody seems Irish, claims they are Irish, acts like they were Irish.
Appreciates Irish music and dance, that's for sure.
Ownership has gone to all for St. Patrick's Day in March. As they proved once again last Friday and Saturday in Clinton Square, Central New Yorkers are sure darn glad they've got the Syracuse Irish Festival come early September, too.
Even during a late lunch time Friday, interested spectators were walking amid the craft tents. One of the white canopies featured the Wine Barrel Designs handiwork brought from Elmer, N.J.
"Wine Inspired Decor and Furniture Made from Retired Wine Barrels," is the way it's described on the gentleman's card. The big wood discs finished and hanging for display featured the fine names of O'Flanagan's and Fitzpatrick and Mulligan's and Sullivan's. A personalized version awaited anybody and everybody for the "festival special" price of $250.
Another booth featured the more refined representation of Symphoria, or "Music in the Key of CNY," as the marketing-themed bookmark handed to me and my dear wife Karen later Friday declared on one side, with www.ExperienceSymphoria.org on the other. T-shirts were piled under a beige canopy representing Syracuse's symphony orchestra, with signs telling of age-appropriate shows with free admission for kids and $5 for college students.
Yes, the Syracuse Irish Festival is for everybody.
The dinner and happy hour crowd watched the Butler-Sheehan Academy students dance in red-and-black costumes on a platform, and then modern Irish music band Tallymore, brought in from Milwaukee, perform happily on the main stage beside it.
Down on the other end of the two-block-long fest site, veteran Syracuse musician Bill Delaney presided on the Traditional Stage, accompanied with acoustic guitar standouts Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb. Delaney weaved stories between their glorious pieces, including a tribute to his friend Ray Delaney of the Delaney Brothers bluegrass band, who passed away in April. The smart Syracuse crowd gathered around the mobile band box knew of what he spoke ... and of which the trio played.
The Syracuse Irish Festival is for everybody.
Somehow, the layout chosen for this year's event -- with the big main stage pressed up on one edge against South Salina Street and the Beer Garden up against Water Street and the Traditional Stage way back there against South Franklin -- made Clinton Square seem bigger to me than it has ever felt for any fest. And as you've probably heard, perception is reality.
The Syracuse Hibernians believe it, so they put a whole bunch of different Central New York artists of Irish influence on one CD and sold it for $10.
The Irish American Cultural Institute believes it, so they sold Celtic jewelry and books and pictures.
A handful of T-shirt hawkers believe it, selling Celtic Attitude and more.
And you didn't have to be Irish to be buying the whole darn thing.