St. Patrick's Day to-go: Group of friends' tradition continues despite closures



MILWAUKEE -- The coronavirus canceled the St. Patrick's Day parade and closed countless bars. One thing it can't do, though, is break a 25-year tradition for a group of friends.

In the age of the coronavirus, who would have guessed that a sign of hope would come in the form of a man with a kilt and a woman in a green hat.

"Today is St. Patty's Day, but it's St. Patty's Day 2020," said Jesus Carrillo, "so we're having to do it a little bit differently this year."

For the Carrillo family, when the coronavirus closed all the bars where they usually spend the holiday, they knew they had to think of something else to do -- and fast. Their solution? Abide by state health officials' rules for safety and get their meals to-go.

"Rather than sitting down for a traditional Irish breakfast, we decided to make the breakfast anyway and deliver it to all the friends and family that we would normally celebrate with," Carrillo said.

In a small caravan, Jesus and Dawn Carrillo delivered breakfast to their friends isolated at home -- bringing food and, of course, drink. From 5 a.m. until just before noon Tuesday, March 17, the two made rounds in Oak Creek and Waukesha, showing that a change in tradition can sometimes be a good thing.

The group kept each meet-up small and had a designated driver. The couple told FOX6 News that, hopefully, they'll be back pub-side next year.