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Campaign Seeks To Make St. Patrick's Day Official

POSTED: Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Labor Day -- they've all made the cut as national holidays. But one of the most celebrated days of all -- St. Patrick's Day -- remains unofficial.

With luck and a lot of signatures, St. Pat's may finally get the respect some feel it deserves.

"Proposition 317" asks Congress to make St. Patrick's Day an officially-recognized holiday in the United States.

"I'm not Irish, I'm far from it, but it would be pretty cool to make it a national holiday," said Jeremy Smith.

The March 17 festival for Ireland's patron saint is already celebrated with parades in more than 90 American cities -- one of the biggest just in Savannah.

The most famous Irish brewery, Guinness, is leading the effort to make St. Patrick's Day an official holiday, with banks and government offices closed.

"Maybe school, too, for kids, that would be cool," Smith said.

  SURVEY
Should St. Patrick's Day be an official holiday?
"I haven't heard about that yet. I think it would be cool," Jeffrey Kile said. "(It's) another reason to have fun and party."

The goal is to get at least 1 million signatures on a petition supporting Proposition 317 by midnight on Sunday so they can be presented to Congress the next day, St. Patrick's Day.

With Guinness behind this campaign, partying may be a big part of the motivation for this campaign. Critics might even argue that Guinness is simply pushing a popular cause in order to sell more beer.

A quick, on-the-street survey didn't find a single person opposed to the idea, with most already dreaming about what they'd do with that extra day off.

"I'd probably go out with friends... go to a bar," said Stacey Mammone. "Green beer, oh yeah!"

"I go out, just chill. Wear green and pinch people that aren't wearing green," Kile told Channel 4.

To sign the online petition, visit Proposition317.com.
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