Did You Know Only One City In New York Turns Their River Green for St. Patrick’s Day?

Everyone is Irish when celebrating St. Patrick's Day. We dig out that one green shirt we have, grab a green beanie and hoodie and off we go to the big parade. The party continues with a corned beef and cabbage dinner and perhaps a pint of Guinness.

That scene describes the St. Patrick's revelry in cities and towns across the United States. However, only one New York town takes it a step further by coloring their river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

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When it comes to dyeing a river green for St. Patrick's Day, the city of Chicago tops the list for the annual coloring of the Chicago River. According to NPR this tradition began in 1962 by Mayor Richard J. Daley, who originally wanted to dye Lake Michigan but was persuaded otherwise.

There are other cities around the country that also dye their rivers green. San Antonio, Texas and Tampa, Florida are two of the biggest. But there is only 1 city in the Empire State that practices this tradition.

The city of Jamestown is the only New York city to dye the Chadakoin River green for St. Patrick's Day. Similar to Chicago and San Antonio, Jamestown uses a non-toxic, USDA and EPA friendly dye that is typically used to find leaking gas lines.

The town of Jamestown dyed the Chadakoin River green on Saturday. Although the brightest color was only display in the first few hours, there will be a trace of that green appearance for a few days.