DELAND — Whether they had Irish in them or not, residents got their green on at the city's 4th Annual Shamrocks and Shenanigans event earlier this week, while more celebrating to come.
Traditional Celtic music by MacGilliossa filled the air as residents, many of whom were dressed in some shade of green, dined on corned beef, a popular Irish-American dish Thursday evening at Earl Brown Park.
Even dogs got in on the fun.
Waiting in line to sample the corned beef made by a crew from Brian's BBQ, Roo, a brown Chihuahua/Beagle mix, stood on her hind legs to get a whiff of what her owners were about to taste.
"You've got to chill out, little girl," Roo's owner, Stephanie Midkiff, said as they waited for their plates.
Midkiff and her husband, Derrick Midkiff, made sure Roo got a little taste of some corned beef, which the couple sometimes prepares at home.
"You can get fancy with it," Derrick Midkiff said. But most noteworthy is "the longer it cooks, the better it smells."
Midkiff said they've lived in DeLand about a year, and this was their first time at the city's event celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
The actual holiday, which is now celebrated around the world, is March 17, the day the patron saint of Ireland died.
Many more activities are planned for the Volusia-Flagler area on Saturday, including another event in DeLand. From 5 to 10 p.m., the Rotary Club of Downtown DeLand is hosting a charity St. Patrick's Day Street Party on East Indiana Avenue to benefit the Childhood Cancer Foundation. The $35 ticket price includes entertainment, a corned beef and cabbage dinner and two drinks.
While for many celebrating the holiday in the United States means drinking green beer, eating corned beef and cabbage and wearing green, its origins are a bit different.
The way tradition tells it, Saint Patrick made Christianity more widespread, and while celebrations of his life in Ireland were more reserved, they transformed over several decades after Irish people emigrated to America.
Marie Pietrowski, who's lived in DeLand for 15 years, donned about as much green as she could find at the Earl Brown Park event. She wore pants with clovers all over them, a St. Patrick's Day themed T-shirt and a green clover pin.
"It seems like we celebrate it more than New Year's," Pietrowski said of her family's handling of the holiday.
But the day is even more special because it's when her grandson was born.
The Orange City-based Journey Church, which is opening a campus in DeLand later this year, won the corned beef competition. Church members said they will give their winnings to The Neighborhood Center, which provides housing, food and other assistance to homeless people.