The beer was green, and the streets were packed with happiness in Martinsburg on Saturday, March 18. Did the day’s rainbow end on Queen Street?
The general feeling was that the rainbow did in fact, end on Queen Street in downtown Martinsburg on March 18 as Main Street Martinsburg hosted its second annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which struck gold once again. There was green beer, Irish music, and all the food you could imagine.
Main Street Martinsburg was the host for Saturday’s events in downtown, and Main Street Martinsburg has become quite popular over the years for throwing extravagant social events, festivals, and parades to get the broader community into Martinsburg’s downtown for a fun time.
The mission of Main Street Martinsburg is to ensure the Main Street Martinsburg Historic Downtown District continues to be the heart of the community. Main Street Martinsburg is a collaboration of dedicated volunteers, business, and property owners, concerned citizens, and local governments working together to promote and enhance the economic strength of historic downtown Martinsburg. The group wants to protect downtown’s heritage and history while encouraging a diverse and robust economic ecosystem.
Unbeknownst to many, there is a rich Irish heritage in Martinsburg, as one section of the town is called Irish Hill, and the city used to have a beautiful green fire truck in operation that also looked to embrace some of the residents of the locality’s ancestry.
Main Street Martinsburg wanted to, and effectively did help celebrate that rich history with the event they hosted on March 18 in downtown Martinsburg. The event was free to attend and had well over 10,000 attendees.
While attendance was free, there of course were options such as 20 different food trucks, along with 15 different draft beers on tap, live Irish bands rocked the stage, and even the kiddos got to have some fun in the designated kids’ area.
The event ran from noon to 6 pm and was also able to have many different vendors’ stands, where all types of items were being sold and businesses got to highlight their products. The event was sponsored by multiple local businesses such as Alleghany Farm Landscape Supply, DRB Homes, Apple Valley Waste, Ollie’s VIP, SC Studios, and Rent-A-Center.
Main Street Martinsburg’s Executive Director Robby Blair and his Administrative Assistant Raven Lamp stated: “This event would not have been such a success without our amazing community, sponsors, and volunteers. It was truly a team effort! Many of our volunteers worked double shifts to help with the demand of the crowd and for that we thank you!”
The team at Main Street also took a moment to thank both the Martinsburg Public Works Department and the Martinsburg Police Department in this statement: “Thank you to the Martinsburg Public Works Department for securing our floor plan for the day and going beyond with assisting us throughout the event. And of course, a huge thank you to the Martinsburg Police Department for keeping our downtown safe and secure during the event!”
It truly does seem as though downtown was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on March 18, and Main Street along with their support staff, sponsors, and vendors, were able to make sure that pot of gold could be enjoyed by many people.