Marquette business and law enforcement prepare for St. Patrick’s Day

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - St. Patrick’s Day is on Friday and U.P. businesses and law enforcement are making key preparations for the holiday.

The City of Marquette Police Department is taking steps to keep people safe. Capt. James Finkbeiner of the police department said if you are out during the holiday expect to see more officers.

“If you are out in the bars and restaurants, you’ll probably notice our officers making some extra checks, definitely in the downtown area, but in other areas too. We try to be as visible as possible and try to deter people from the biggest thing which is drunk driving,” Finkbeiner said.

Though with an impending winter storm bringing rain, mixed precipitation and snow, Finkbeiner said on-duty officers will have to be more cautious on the roads.

“If the weather is really bad, as it’s expected to be on St. Patrick’s Day, of course people traveling become an issue. We have to deal with accidents, deal with people sliding maybe into the ditch, that type of thing. So we will be a little busier probably because of weather,” Finkbeiner said.

Businesses like Remie’s Bar on Third St. are also ready for larger crowds. Owner Russell Modell said he is making sure to have a full staff ready.

“More aggressive scheduling and phasing in of our shifts for bartenders. Of course stepping up security with checking ID’s and providing a safe atmosphere for our guests,” Modell said.

Modell said the upcoming storm could play a factor in terms of business.

“We’re predicting that if the crowd doesn’t all come on Friday, it might be spread out a little bit through the weekend, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So I believe it will play a part, we’ll just see how much of a part it will play,” Modell said.

Capt. Finkbeiner said if you do plan on heading out for the holiday have a designated driver or make a plan on getting home safely.

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