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JAMESTOWN – Final preparations are underway as the City of Jamestown gets ready to turn the Chadakoin River Green this weekend.
The annual event takes place in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day. City Arborist Dan Stone is one of many working to dye the river a vibrant green.
“At 11 o’clock tomorrow morning the BPU will slow the dam down for us,” explained Stone. “The leprechaun will get down and touch the water with his shillelagh and turn the river green.”
Stone assures us that the dye used to turn the river green is eco-friendly, and is completely safe.
“It’s the same materials they use when they test the pipes and waterways, so it’s really safe, non-toxic,” explained Stone.
The annual tradition started around 20-years-ago, with the Saint Patrick’s Day committee commemorating the history of Irish Americans in Jamestown.
“There was a group that formed and there’s a monument right here, our Blarney stone has the names of the committee at the time that did it,” explained Stone. “They started with the Blarney stone first then they came up with the idea of turning the river green.”
Jamestown is one of only a few cities in the country to turn a body of water green to celebrate the holiday.
“Mostly the bigger cities I’ve heard of, Chicago, out in El Paso Texas, things like that,” stated Stone. “It’s nice that we can do it here in Jamestown and we’ve been doing it for about 20-years-now.”
Hundreds of people will arrive for the festival, which will start with Celtic music at 9 a.m. along with the leprechaun attending, and the river will start to change colors around 11 a.m.
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