Nancy and Debbie Dailey are dressed in their Irish best at the St. Patty’s Day celebration at the Shell Factory on Thursday.

There was green beer, shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, and more beer on Thursday as the Shell Factory & Nature Park held its annual St. Patty’s Day celebration, which gets bigger and better every year.

Thousands came to hear bagpipers, see Irish dancers, listen to Irish and non-Irish music and dress in their gaudiest green costumes to show their spirit.

Owner Pam Cronin said the day was phenomenal, something her late husband Tom would have loved, being Irish himself and having started the tradition of celebrating the day 15 years ago.

They increased the scale of the event in recent years, turning it into one of the biggest events of the year and never missing a single one despite the pandemic.

“Everybody is having a good time, everybody is Irish and everyone is wearing green so they don’t get pinched,” Cronin said. “It’s one of those family fun days here.”

John Starbody and Julie Bauman after they split the $5,000 pot of the reverse raffle at the St. Patty’s Day celebration at the Shell Factory on Thursday.

The idea of holding events like this is to bring people in who have never been to the Shell Factory before. Some people tend to think of it as just a tourist attraction, though the locals see it as a fun family destination, Cronin said.

Many who came for the first time included the Cummings sisters, all eight of them, who came to a wedding this weekend and decided to take a day at the Shell Factory as well.

“I’m visiting from Charlotte, N.C. We all rent houses here in Pine Lake and Lake Fairways and we’re all here to celebrate and my great niece is getting married tomorrow,” said Sue Cummings.

Kitty Toomes, a true Irish and Scottish woman who carried a picture of Rowdy Roddy Piper and a set of bagpipes with her, was enjoying every minute, especially when the bagpipers performed.

“We’re ready to get as rowdy as we can and I want to keep the legacy of Roddy Piper going,” Toomes said. “I’m a European mutt but I love to hone in on my Celtic ways. Bagpipes are so soothing and Haggus is the most cherished meal.”

Another component was the reverse raffle, where the winner would get $5,000 if their ticket was pulled last. However, when it got to the final two tickets, the two “survivors,” John Starbody and Julie Bauman decided to split the first prize.

“It was the smart thing to do. I didn’t want her to lose and she didn’t want me to lose, so we split it,” said Starbody who winters here from Decatur, Ill. “I think I’ll spend it foolishly.”

“I would have been the winner if we didn’t decide to split it, but I could have also walked away with nothing,” said Bauman, who lives in South Fort Myers and said she didn’t know what to do with the money. “I’ll talk to my husband about it. Maybe we’ll take a trip.”