The luck of the Irish may translate into good business in downtown Petrolia during a new St. Patrick's Day Weekend event.
The Town of Petrolia and the Downtown Revitalization Project will hold the event from Thursday until Sunday.
The town entered into a partnership with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) last year as part of the revitalization project in order to boost local business and improve the overall experience of living in or visiting Petrolia.
SLEP Downtown Revitalization Coordinator Leena Bourne said during the St. Patrick's Day Weekend, family-fun activities will be scattered downtown.
On Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., free face painting will take place at The ArtZ Den, and balloon twisters will be at Gramma's Candy Store and Elite Star Dance Academy.
There's also an incentive to shop local.
"If you look for a St. Patrick's Day window display, go into one of those stores, if you purchase something, you can fill out a ballot [for a chance] to win huge prizes -- up to $1,000 in gift cards, or season tickets, or Petrolia bucks," said Bourne.
"For kids who are participating, there's also going to be a scavenger hunt. So at any of the participating stores, pop in there and there's a scavenger hunt sheet … if you finish the scavenger hunt sheet, bring it back to one of the participating businesses and you could win one of five big gift packs!"
Bourne said kids' prizes include passes to the YMCA, candy and treats, and Petrolia bucks.
Live entertainment will also be set up downtown.
The Downtown Revitalization Project is a long-term initiative and at this point, they're nearing the completion of phase two.
There are four phases in total. Phases three and four are expected to begin this spring.
"At that point, we're really going to focus on how the municipality and the economic partnership can assist our business district," Bourne said.
She also said research collected is still being analyzed in order to see how the community can best be served.
