Green Beer And A Lot More St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day -- the one day when green liquids and grown men dressed like leprechauns are accepted as the norm. Downtown, the festivities kick off at 6 a.m. today, when Mayor Greg Ballard hosts the annual Hoosier Lottery Greening of the Canal.

Your early-bird reward? Free coffee and doughnuts, plus live Celtic music and Irish dancers. The 10 gallons of environmentally safe food coloring should keep the water a lovely verdant shade for up to a week, event director Bryan Apolskis said.