We know that the first day of spring is coming up later in the month. But we have always judged the real first day of spring on what comes first:

a) the first spotting of a mob of National Youth Leadership Council participants in line to get free Bourbon chicken samples in the Union Station food court.

Or …

b) when the Dubliner brings out the port-a-johns for its St. Patrick’s Day drinking tent.

Well, this year, the Dubliner has officially declared it is spring, as you can see from this photo we snapped this afternoon. (Pardon the black and white, we didn’t realize our settings were on the b/w option … think of it as a statement on the gloom of winter, or something like that.)

We pity those who have to clean these things after the Dubliner diehards have their way with the drinking tent.