Big Irish bash planned for McCarthy's Restaurant and Pub

pfanner@sanduskyregister.comHundreds of locals will celebrate with green beer, food and fun this weekend for the McCarthy's Irish Restaurant and Pub anniversary celebration.The celebration is planned for their 10th anniversary and for St. Patrick's Day."St. Patrick's Day is our biggest holiday for business," said restaurant manager Denise Stanziano. "This is going to be the perfect storm with our anniversary and the holiday running so close together."The festivities will kick off at noon Saturday at 101 Madison St. and continue unit 1 a.m. A family fun time is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m.Stanziano said the restaurant will celebrate on Madison Street as well as inside the restaurant. They plan to have a massive tent outdoors with dozens of vendors selling beer while bands perform throughout the day."We'll definitely have some Irish food and drinks to celebrate," Stanziano said. "We're going to have face painters, balloons and a clown to perform for the younger crowds earlier in the day. This will be great for families looking to get out of the house."Several vendors will sell food and drinks throughout the day.Angry Irishman, a sauce company from Woodville, is going to have a table outside to sell their sauce. Additionally, Great Lakes Popcorn will have a table set up to sell popcorn."One of the things we hope is that this gets people to come downtown and enjoy themselves," Stanziano said.Revitalize downtownStanziano said the owners sat around one day and thought about how to bring more people to Port Clinton's downtown."They were all talking one day about how businesses downtown were disappearing," Stanziano said. "They thought this would help attract more people to the area and I think they're right."Continued Stanziano: "We've never done something to this scale before. This is going to be a huge a blowout party to celebrate being here for a decade and to thank the community."Port Clinton, like most of Ottawa County, is known as a seasonal location for tourists.Stanziano, who has been with the restaurant since 2008, said its those who stay in Port Clinton all-year-long who kept McCarthy's open for 10 years."Most of the people in the downtown have really supported us," Stanziano said. "It really shows with how we're blocking the street and how everyone is on board with that. We're hoping a lot of people come downtown not only for the party, but to see that there is a downtown to come to that has something for everyone. The more people that come downtown, the more businesses will want to open businesses here. This has the potential to become a positive cycle."The restaurantMcCarthy's Irish Pub is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Mondays through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays now through Easter.The location opened 10 years ago to the day on March 14, although the restaurant went through several improvements since then.The most significant: Expanding to include a dining room.There used to be a pizza restaurant next door, which closed in 2007. McCarthy's bought the location, remodeled it to fit the atmosphere of the existing restaurant, and nearly doubled the amount of guests they can serve at any given time."Our location is excellent and its successful because its family owned," Stanziano said. "We're not a place where people come to throw back shots and get drunk, we're a neighborhood pub. We're friendly and I think that's what brings people back."One for allMcCarthy's anniversary celebration this weekend will do more than help the restaurant and the downtown, its also going to help fund the Port Clinton football stadium renovation project."We're going split some of the profits from the outdoor portion of the celebration to help that project," Stanziano said. "We think its a worthy project and the school is grateful for the help.""We have many sponsors involved with this (stadium) project," Port Clinton Schools superintendent Pat Adkins previously told the Register. "It's wonderful to see this kind of support from the community."Stanziano said its the locals who inspired those at the restaurant to organize a celebration of this scale."We've been very lucky, and that is one of the biggest reasons to hold this party," Stanziano said. "We just want to have a big celebration and to say 'thank you.'" Want to go?WHAT: McCarthy's Restaurant and Pub 10th anniversary celebration WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday WHERE: 101 Madison St, Port Clinton MORE: A portion of Madison Street will be rented out with a tent for guestsRegister photo/PATRICK PFANNER Restaurant employee Areil Duncan pours a beer for a customer.Register Photo/Patrick Pfanner McCarthy's Restaurant and Pub will host a massive anniversary celebration this weekend.Register Photo/PATRICK PFANNER McCarthy's manager Denise Stanziano (center) stands behind the counter with employees Areil Duncan (left) and Sarah Lopez (right). Regiter Photo/PATRICK PFANNER McCarthy's weekend celebration will coincide with their anniversary and the St. Patrick's Day party scene.