Blarney Blew It

McMurphy's Uptown Tavern 1:00 PM

Even though the "Half Way To Blarney Blowout!" promotion disappeared from their Facebook page only 24 hours after it was first posted (long enough to get over 130 "people are going" responses) that did not stop college aged youth from lining up at their door starting well before noon. 

McMurphy's Facebook page September 19 (since deleted)

Before this weekend even started ETOH (alcohol OD) transports by Amherst Fire Department to Cooley Dickinson Hospital so far this month were tied with last year's September total. 

Last night into early this morning there were at least four ETOH runs.

And based on the line at McMurphy's this morning, today's gorgeous weather, and what happened last year at the Blarney Blowout, tonight could be alcoholically epic.

Ban The Blarney

 

McMurphy's downtown Amherst 3/10/12 10:45 AM

UPDATE (Sunday afternoon):   

Looks like the "Half Way to Blarney Blowout" promotion disappeared from the McMurphy's Facebook page over the past 24 hours. What's up with that? Something I said, hopefully.

Original Post:

"You're name is mud" may still be a familiar expression as the negativity is obvious -- even if you don't know the sad story of Dr. Mudd and his cold hearted patient, John Wilkes Booth. 

The term "Blarney Blowout," unlike the innocent doctor just doing his job,  has also earned a mud like moniker.  A well deserved one.

This promotion encourages exuberant college aged youth to consume copious amounts of alcohol starting very early in the day, all in the name of profit.  What could go wrong?

In July an Amherst man was acquitted of rape using the "morning-after-regret" defense.  Of course the morning after was a follow up to a day of partying during the "Blarney Blowout" 2011 edition.

And we already know the pernicious public safety impact of the 2013 event, when thousands of youth packed the quad area of Townhouse Apartments requiring a bevy of police (town, state and UMass) dressed in riot gear to bring under control. 

UMass/Amherst recently became serious about the dangers of out-of-control partying.  Cancelling Fantazia at the Mullins Center due to concerns over the drug "Molly" certainly demonstrate that. 

The 5-member Amherst Select Board are also the town's "Liquor Commissioners" (and ironically enough, "Sewer Commissioners".)

If Umass can impose its will on the privately operated Mullins Center to cancel a potentially dangerous production, the Select Board should follow suit and come down on McMurphy's Uptown Tavern like a ton of kegs.

And that's no blarney.

Giving responsible drinkers a bad name

Good News, Bad News

 

Large contingent of APD officer 53 Meadow Street 4:45 PM Saturday

So once again the marketing machine at UMass pays off handsomely (besides the "world record" fruit salad story) as today's print edition of the Springfield Republican carries the aging good news story about UMass donating $80,000 to the town of Amherst for extra ambulance coverage.

No mention of this past weekend where the "Blarney Blowout" almost reappeared, or that nine-out-of-17 ambulance runs to UMass were for ETOH students passed out drunk.

 

Note high number of ETOH calls

I was at Wildwood Elementary School playground just after 2:00 PM Saturday with my youngest daughter Jada when I first heard the cryptic scanner reports about a growing storm at Townhouse Apartments on Meadow Street.

So I drove the short distance (my youngest loves the sight of police officers) to check it out and of course immediately realized by the huge throng of students (1,000+) in the quad that there was going to be trouble.

My daughter then asked, "Where are all the police officers?"  Good question. I could only spot three.  Yikes!

 APD officers 2:30 PM Townhouse Apartments.  All for one and one for all

But I figured they were simply waiting for reinforcements --  as they did with the Blarney Blowout -- and would simply allow the kids to party for a few hours and then move in around 5:00 PM with the aid of State PD and UMPD officers all safely dressed in riot gear.

 

Townhouse quad 2:53 PM

I drove home to drop off Jada and jump on my mountain bike for better access to the scene.  I arrived back only a half hour later (3:00 PM) and was amazed to see the small contingent of uniformed officers had waded in and dispersed the h-u-g-e gathering at the quad.

 

Just outside the quad area 3:00 PM.  53 Meadow Street party house in background

Give those boys a medal.

Some people encourage the mayhem

But many of the partiers simply moved to an adjacent party house just across the street (53 Meadow Street) and filled the back yard with drunken revelry.

Although this group was only one-fourth the size (250+) of original crowd in the quad and the police presence was now three or four times greater than the previous incident it still took almost an hour to clear the scene.

53 Meadow Street backyard.  Much smaller than Townhouse Apartment quad

Why so long the second time?  Probably that extra hour so of partying and the effects of that much more alcohol in the system.  After all, this entire event was pretty much one BIG binge drinking affair.

Which leads me to believe that if a harrowing small number of police officers had not bravely moved in when they did early on (without riot gear) to break up the huge gathering in the Townhouse quad, only another hour or two would have been enough time for that army to turn ornery.

In other words, we got lucky.  This time.  

Mayhem on Meadow Street

 

Small number of police disperse large number of students 2:30 PM Townhouse quad

The crowd started to gather in the quad area of Townhouse Apartments -- scene of the infamous Blarney Blowout last March -- just after high noon and a constant stream of college aged youth carrying boxes of beer quickly brought the mob to full strength of perhaps 1,000.

North Amherst center 2:00 PM heading towards Townhouse Apartments

 

At times Meadow Street was a gridlock of cars and partiers

A small number of Amherst Police first moved in around 2:30 PM and pushed the unruly mob out of the quad area.

Many of the partygoers simply moved across the street to a party house on Meadow Street that had also been going strong since probably well before noon.

 Partiers start streaming from backyard towards Meadow Street.  UMPD officer on left

Crowd is pushed back toward Townhouse Apartments

Around 4:30 PM,  after reinforcements arrived, police again moved in to disperse the large crowd numbering in the hundreds packed into the backyard.

 Party hardy types left a bit of a mess in the backyard

The responsible tenants of 53 Meadow Street were given $300 tickets and at least one young lady was arrested for an alcohol related offense.

 Unhappy tenants holding their $300 tickets

Young lady arrested

And by 5:00 PM it was over.  The night, however, is still young ...

 

Yes, APD may see these two again, before the night is done

Well now... if you didn't know the students were back, you sure did today... esp. in N. Amherst! #zoomass #partyheartytheremarty
— Jorma Kansanen (@JKansanen) September 7, 2013

A 19-year-old UMass student was found dead in their Washington Tower dorm room early Saturday afternoon: http://t.co/mkF0j7zUZx
— Daily Collegian (@CollegianStaff) September 8, 2013

Drunken Revelry, Record Fruit Salad

 Breaking News:  UMass Food Fetish

So if you ever wondered why UMass schedules these goofy waste-of-food Guinness World Record events over the Labor Day weekend, I offer you today's edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  Yikes!

While maybe not quite as bad as the "Blarney Blowout" screw up, it's still a sad state of journo affairs when the town of Amherst (Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury and Hadley) can be essentially unprotected for emergency medical calls because all five ambulances are tied up, mostly with drunk students, and the only thing the newspaper publishes is a public relations puff piece. 

But yeah, that fruit salad must have been pretty epic.

   College Town Labor Day by larry_kelley_1

Blarney Blowout Fallout Continues

 Did the "Blarney Blowout" downtown cause riot in North Amherst?

The normally staid Amherst Select Board became uncharacteristically animated this evening when discussing the events of last weekend where riotous behavior on the day of the now infamous "Blarney Blowout" pushed our first responders to the breaking point.

And with all our ambulances and police patrol personnel tied up dealing with drunken college aged youths, average citizens who fund both departments with their tax dollars would have been left waiting if an emergency had occurred.   

 

Vice Chancellor for University Relations John Kennedy

Select Board member Jim Wald seemed to think UMass was trying to blame the town for the riotous event at Townhouse apartments simply because the "Barney Blowout" bar promotion was allowed to occur downtown this year.  SB member Alisa Brewer went so far as to say it was "flat out ludicrous"  and she was "ashamed" of the Letter to the Editor penned by administrator John Kennedy making that association.



The always sedate town manager announced a set of initiatives to address the problem as we head into peak springtime weather:  Musante has asked UMass to keep Health Services open later on weekends to help deal with drunken students, and to provide two staffed ambulances.

He has also requested increased joint patrols between APD and UMPD around the problem areas such as Townhouse Apartments and has authorized AFD Chief Nelson to use overtime to add staffing during the problems weekends coming up.

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe pointed out that even after her strong lobbying effort prior to the Blarney Blowout, the University did not send out a mass email to all students warning about bad behavior.  She said they were afraid it would serve to "advertise" the event.  

O'Keeffe said the charges and counter charges now ricocheting between the University and the Town demonstrate a "sign of frustration."

Well at least they are not throwing cans and bottles at each other ... yet.

The Republican Reports/Suggests

Blarney Blowout Epilogue

Blarney Blowout aftermath

Was this year's Blarney Blowout really "less trouble" than last year?  Well, no.  Sure the downtown bar scene was a tad more controlled, but compared to the debauchery on display last year, not a very high bar to hurdle.

Amherst Police tell their side of the (sad) story

 Daily Hampshire Gazette Break Page 3/11/13

And while the downtown merely simmered, the north end of town boiled over.  Yes, another Meadow Street marauders incident.

 Blarney Blowout taxed our first responders

Part of the problem is the bars naming that which should remain nameless, thus giving impressionable youth more of a reason to party into unconsciousness (not that some of them need a reason).

And giving immature cheerleaders who profit off such boorish behavior, a reason to celebrate.

As Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe pointed out last week, the "Blarney Blowout" has taken on a life of its own.

The only good news in all of this is town officials can get the attention of rough-and-tumble business owners by threatening to pull their permits.  It worked a dozen years ago when these same bars (under previous management) were flagrantly violating the town's groundbreaking smoking ban.

Amherst and State Police in riot gear prepare to break up Townhouse Apartments "party" 

So I hope the Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods Working Group is paying attention.  Do you really want to get the attention of Party House landlords and give them an incentive to enforce civility?

Enact a rental permit system which allows the town -- in extreme circumstances -- to pull the permit, shut down the business, end the pox on our neighborhoods.

And yes, it's also time to end the "Blarney Blowout."

Amherst firefighters union did not appreciate Gazette coverage

WGGB CH 40 TV reports

CBS CH 3 reports  

WWLP CH 22 reports

Bostino reports

The Republican reports 

  Gazette Front Page (above the fold) 3/12/13

Blarney Blowout 2013

And so it begins: Friday afternoon delivery to Stacker's.  My Anon photo contributor tells me there were at least three dozen kegs that came off this one truck.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MOST RECENT UPDATES

APD checking up on Stackers 10:55 AM Saturday morning

Hide the women and children, the 2013 Blarney Blowout has begun! And, unfortunately, the weather is fine.

Yeah, sounds like I'm writing a song.

I don't wake up this early for class but ill sure wake up this early to drink #blarneyblowout
— Tim Collins (@m0hawk_f0_sH0) March 9, 2013

Crowd waiting at The Pub much larger than Stackers or McMurphy's 10:30 AM

 Amherst Town Center 1:30 PM Post Office Bus Stop

 

 North Pleasant Street just outside Town Center

#####

4:00 PM

Townhouse Apartments Meadow Street North Amherst

Townhouse Quad area starting to look like Woodstock (including the mud) 

APD and AFD on scene for 18-year-old female passed out drunk

Couple thousand students cram into the Quad area Townhouse Apartments

#####

5:00 PM 

And we just knew this was gonna happen.  Amherst and State Police, including a K-9 unit break up the party.  Rather quickly.

Somebody is going to have a major clean up tomorrow 

How many cop cars do you count? This was shot just after Amherst and State PD broke up the party.

#####

The Morning After

45 Phillips Street 

20 Allen Street

However ... According to the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette:

BUSY DAYS FOR AFD

Blarney Blowout: Unintended Consequences

McMurphy's Uptown Tavern 9:45 AM

The Select Board last night, sort of, addressed the Public Relations nightmare caused by the "Barney Blowout," one of the more juvenile celebrations hosted in downtown Amherst.

In fact, it used to be called "Kegs 'n Eggs" but came under such criticism two years ago for boorish bad behavior that they simply changed the name rather than the behavior.

Call me a prude or a cranky old reformed drunk, but I have serious problems with a downtown public promotion that encourages heavy drinking before noon.

Especially when that production abuses Irish heritage.

Email back story

A Drastic Measure

 A mountain of beer

Everyone -- except maybe for the culprits causing the chaos -- seems to agree the rowdy behavior bringing down the quality of life in neighborhoods around Amherst is not getting any better.

Noise and nuisance beat on unabated, cars continue to be piloted by drivers under the influence even after a young man was killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on a state highway last spring, and UMass is still reeling from an alleged gang rape.

And the common denominator is of course alcohol -- or I should say, too much of it.

In this ultra PC Happy Valley, the term "bully" is negatively applied more frequently than sunscreen on a hot summer day at Puffers Pond.  But the term "bully pulpit" is a positive one.  A politician using their office to communicate standards of behavior expected of the populace at large.

Our Select Board has used their bully pulpit all too infrequently on this matter, and even then only to applaud ineffective Public Relations -- almost comedic schemes -- promoted by UMass to address the serious problem of off campus student behavior perpetrated by a distinct minority of their clientele. 

A decade ago, after a particularly violent Hobart Hoedown caught APD off guard and resulted in injured officers and two patrol cars with over $10,000 in damages (Chief Scherpa had them parked in front of police headquarters for a week so the whole world could see), I asked Governor Romney to mobilize the national guard the following weekend.

Not that I thought state and local police could not handle things, but simply to send a message loud and clear that maintaining public order is job #1 for government, be it local state or federal.

It's time for our local Select Board to send a stern wake up call.  As liquor commissioners the Select Board can shut down all liquor sales for up to three days "in cases of riots or great public excitement."

Amherst Attorney Peter Vickery suggested it earlier this month in a letter to the Select Board requesting they invoke the measure around this coming St Patrick's Day considering the debauchery of last year's infamous Blarney Blowout.

And attorney Vickery followed it up with a letter to UMPD Chief John Horvath the day after UMass hosted a public forum on reigning in rowdy behavior (where, unknown to us all, they were in the middle of the alleged gang rape investigation).

Letter to UMass Chief Alcohol Sales

Halloween is coming up fast and is sure to be one of the top party events of the year -- probably both on Wednesday as well as the weekend(s).  If the Select  Board suspended the sale of alcohol on Tuesday and Wednesday it would have a lesser impact on law abiding mature citizens who handle alcohol with respect and as such probably do not drink heavily in the middle of a work week.

A brief 48-hour prohibition on Halloween would send a loud message to everyone, and put purveyors of alcohol on notice that the irresponsible freewheeling party days of yore are over.

Peter Clark DJ Facebook page

Blarney Blowout Busted?

Last night Town Manager John Musante "updated" his bosses, the Amherst Select Board, on important "quality of life" issues that give the town a horrible name, namely party houses like the one at 186 College Street (owned by individuals more interested in profits than peace) and party businesses--McMurphy's and Stacker's--only interested in keeping the taps flowing via irresponsible, juvenile promotions like "Blarney Blowout".

And while it sounds like Musante is taking the responsible parties to the woodshed for a much needed spanking (metaphorically speaking of course), since those discussions are private, we may never know.


Excuse the buzz in the background. Amherst Media seems more interested in TV than Internet feeds

Calm after the storm

 Theta Chi Frat, 496 North Pleasant, UMass, Amherst

Even though this past weekend actually included St. Patrick's Day, Amherst was a far calmer, nicer place to be.  Amherst police issued only one $300 Noise Bylaw ticket and four warnings as opposed to last weekend's 14 Noise Bylaw tickets, 12 Noise warnings, 7 Nuisance House violations, and 12 open container infraction arrests--the majority meted out on Saturday during the "Blarney Blowout".


And Amherst Fire Department did not have to transport a single ETOH (passed out drunk) patient as opposed to 14 last weekend.

Why the night and day difference?  Spring Break, of course. The students have migrated elsewhere for a week.  And just to show it is a very tiny minority of party types who give all students a bad name, the only ticket handed out this weekend was to a serial offender,Sergey Vuytik. 

Even Pike fraternity has behaved these past two weeks after APD issued them two "nuisance house" tickets for boorish behavior, but another on campus frat--Theta Chi--made the police report for a "panicky college age female who overdosed on shrooms and doesn't feel good now."

Still, this week promises to be a throwback to the quaint, quiet Amherst of old.  Enjoy it while you can.