Changes Coming To St. Pat's FestivitiesChanges are coming to a nearly 30-year-old St. Patrick's Day tradition in downtown Springfield. This year, if you want to drink, you'll need a wristband. That wristband will cost you $1. It doesn't get you drinks, just lets everyone know that you're old enough to drink. The money will help pay for the parade, which has a price tag of up to $20,000. That includes the cost of portable bathrooms, street cleaning, and extra police. The St. Patrick's Day parade committee said the extra dough is needed, because in the past, it was local businesses who ended up forking it over. "We hope to be able to offset quite a bit of our costs," committee member Victoria Ringer said. "It's between $15,000 and $20,000, and we have to raise that money, or sponsors, or the bars, frankly, have stepped up and paid for it. They've split it amongst themselves." The wristbands are also a way of discouraging people from bringing their own alcohol--something that hurts alcohol sales downtown, and created a problem for street cleaners last year. Fifth street was closed until midnight while they cleaned up broken glass. The parade committee does not yet have an estimate on how much the wristbands will bring in. Story by NewsChannel20.
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