Green Beer Day 2021 calmer than officials expected

At 9 a.m. on Thursday March 25, Miami University students were already participating in Green Beer Day (GBD) festivities.

One senior zoology major who wished to remain anonymous said she and her friends had been out since the night before. After going to a bar and a party, they stopped at Bagel & Deli Shop to eat green bagels before heading home for a power nap.

She said they were celebrating because it’s their senior year.

“This is our last time to do so and our only time as 21 [year-olds] to do so because last March, we didn’t get a Green Beer Day,” she said. “So it’s kind of the only time as legal adults, last time to do it.”

She wasn’t worried about the increased police presence Uptown because she’s not underage, but said she was worried for her sister who is a first-year.

“We were a little worried when we were at a bigger party,” she said. “I’m more worried for younger aged kids.”

Oxford Police Department (OPD) Lieutenant Lara Fening said around 9:30 a.m. that the day had been “super quiet” so far in comparison to previous years. Fening attributed this to COVID-19 factors that weren’t at play before.

“[There are] COVID, university regulations and warnings on mass ordinances; new regulations and ordinances that probably should affect how [students] think about [Green Beer Day],” she said.

Lindsay Douglass, a sophomore anthropology and Spanish double major, decided not to participate in GBD activities. Instead she wanted to take the day off to play volleyball, take a nap and relax. She also said she wouldn’t participate because she is underage and has concerns about COVID-19.

“I think it’s fun that our school has a tradition,” she said. “I wish that it wasn’t so focused on binge drinking.”

Miami’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) set up a station Uptown to hand out doughnuts to students. Kyle Naderhoff, a junior finance major and president of IFC, said it was to encourage safe behavior among students.

“We understand that Green Beer Day is definitely a day where people are drinking a little bit too much and not eating enough,” Naderhoff said. “So we just wanted to help people find a healthy alternative and make sure that they get the proper food.”

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They started handing out doughnuts at 8 a.m. and handed out pizza starting at 3 p.m., Naderhoff said.

Kyle Bower, a sophomore and employee at Brick Street Bar and Grill, agreed that the morning was a little less busy than normal. He said when Brick Street opened at 5 a.m., it was a lot busier but had started to slow down.

Bower worked a shift from 5-11:30 a.m., and before 10 a.m., Brick Street was already getting a delivery because they were already running low on supplies.

He said Brick Street prepared for GBD by scheduling more staff and giving servers smaller sections. Bower also said he wished people who celebrated GBD followed COVID regulations.

“Just put on your masks and listen,” he said. “And respect the people who are just trying to keep you safe.”

Despite the large police presence during Green Beer Day, just one mass gathering citation was issued between Wednesday and Friday for a 50-person gathering on Church Street.

Additional reporting done by Asst. Campus & Community Editor Cosette Gunter.

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whitehan@miamioh.edu