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Manhattan businesses trying to end Fake Patty's Day event

Dublin and other cities cancel St. Patrick’s Day parades amid COVID-19 outbreak
Posted at 3:33 PM, Feb 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-18 21:36:42-05

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Businesses in Manhattan's Aggieville entertainment district don't plan to support the traditional Fake Patty Day's celebration this year.

The event has been held in March before students go on spring break, and it drew thousands of people in the past.

But attendance has dropped in recent years and the Aggieville Business Association no longer believes it is worth the effort to provide events or promotions connected to it, said Dennis Cook, executive director of the business association.

"There's pretty much a general consensus that that's an event that we don't need," Cook said. "We can be fairly secure that's probably never coming back. . It's just a black eye we just can't get away from. That was a great event in the beginning and then it had some issues. These things all just have run their course. It's time to let that one go."

Fake Patty's Day began in 2007 was a prime partying opportunity, particularly for college students. It has been criticized for encouraging excessive drinking and a related increase in crime, The Manhattan Mercury reported.