St. Patrick’s Day fun, food, music around Sonoma County

As holidays go, St. Patrick’s Day is known primarily as a party time. But traditionally it’s also a community day - a time for folks to gather and share food, drink and good music.

Sonoma County’s celebrations of St. Paddy’s Day cover both categories this year, with civic groups and pubs alike dishing up corned beef and cabbage, as well as jigs and reels. The Irish holiday is also a busy day here for bars and restaurants.

“We usually get several thousand people on St. Patrick’s Day,” said Derek Belanger, manager of Murphy’s Irish Pub in Sonoma.

So get out there and join the happy throng, if you choose. (Designate your stay-sober driver first. We trust St. Patrick himself was sober when he drove the snakes from Ireland.)

St. Patrick’s Day is officially observed on Tuesday, March 17, but you have a week’s worth of parties to choose from. Here’s a sample:

Saturday, March 14

Jasper O’Farrell’s Pub - A corned beef and cabbage meal, live music, and Irish whiskey samples from the 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey Girls. The fun starts at 2:30 p.m. 6957 Sebastopol Ave. Sebastopol. 829-2062.

Sally Tomatoes -Dinner show with singer Shana Morrison at 8 p.m. $25 for dinner and show; $15 for show only. Irish buffet all day. $10.95. 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. 665-9472, sallytomatoes.com.

Windsor Community Center - All-you-can-eat corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by the Windsor Lions Club and Windsor Firefighters Association. $15. No-host bar. 5-8 p.m. 901 Adele Drive, Windsor. 838-4531.

Hollydale Community Clubhouse - Corned beef and cabbage feed. $14. 6 p.m. 10250 Field Lane, Forestville. 887-0330.

Sunday, March 15

Cinnabar Theater - Traditional Irish Music by the Ring of Truth Trio, with Rory McNamara, Henry Nagle and Roxanne Oliva. $26-$30. 7:30 p.m. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 763-8920, cinnabartheater.org.

Penngrove Community Clubhouse - Corned beef and cabbage feed. $15; $5 under 12. 1-5 p.m. 285 Woodward Ave., Penngrove. 217-7161.

Tuesday, March 17

Aqus Cafe -“Wild Green Irish Party.” 7-9 p.m. 189 H St., Petaluma. 778.6060, aquscafe.com.

Jasper O’Farrell’s Pub - Corned beef and cabbage at 5 p.m., plus a Lagunitas Brewing Co. “Pint Night” with souvenir glass included. Late-night live music. 6957 Sebastopol Ave. Sebastopol. 829-2062.

Murphy’s Irish Pub - Corned beef and cabbage, veggie shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Live performances by the Live Oak Ceili Band, 2:30-4:30 p.m.; Keenan Irish Dancers, 4:15-4:45 p.m.; Gentlemen Soldiers, 5-7 p.m.; Tudo Bem, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Plus bagpipers and Irish beer, all in an old-fashioned pub atmosphere. No cover charge. 464 First St. E., Sonoma. 935-0660, sonomapub.com.

Redwood Cafe -Irish jam session, corned beef and cabbage Rueben sandwich, potato leek soup and Guinness stout. 8240 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati. 795-7868, redwoodcafe.com.

Spoonbar - Bartender Fred Dagnino of San Francisco’s famed Buena Vista Cafe serves its signature drink, Irish coffee. Bar manager Tara Heffernon will offer themed cocktails, including her Spiked Shandy, Lucky Charm and Irish Smash. 5 p.m. 219 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg. 433-7222, spoonbar.com.

Stout Brothers Pub & Restaurant - Guest DJ, and “lots of free swag.” 10 a.m.-2 a.m. 527 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 636-0240, stoutbrospub.com.

Saturday, March 21

Odd Fellows Hall - “Maggie & Jiggs Corned Beef and Cabbage Fundraiser,” with food by Dino Bugica, owner and chef of Diavola. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $30; kids $5. Adult admission includes two drink tickets. 857-3606.

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. Read his Arts blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.