Dick Helmstetter and Barb Mussman enjoying Irish beer tasting
Amy Volstromer
The month of March brought some of the Irish American Club’s favorite activities of the year. Kicking off the activities with an early celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the monthly club meeting included an informative cultural presentation on the history of Irish pubs. Of course, what would the history of Irish pubs be without a little Irish beer tasting! Our members at the meeting were treated to a surprise beer tasting, including a tasting of the most notable Irish red ale, Smithwick’s, established at the brewery in Kilkenny in 1710, making it Ireland’s oldest ale. It was our most well-attended meeting, with approximately 140 members in attendance.
The next March activity was the 14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament. As always, a fun time was had in this festive ‘wearing of the green’ tournament. This year the tournament included its first ever live auction during lunch. Some of the exciting auction items included two e-bikes, art items by local PC artists, lunch with the mayor, a dinner at the Goodyear Firehouse, and a ‘barrow of fun’ (wheelbarrow filled with spirits). We look forward to sharing the charitable results and pictures of the tournament in next month’s issue. This tournament takes countless hours of work and a large group of volunteers to make it a successful fundraising event. Buíochas (pronounced Bwee-kus)—an Irish Thank You to our hardworking golf committee members.
Following the successful golf tournament was our signature formal event, the Emerald Ball, which began in 2008. This event, held on St. Patrick’s Day, always sells out quickly. The dinner included some Irish favorites, a shamrock salad and champ (creamy mashed potatoes blended with scallions). Many of our club members came donned in green sequins which sparkled across the dance floor while dancing to the tunes of the Highway 85 Band. It was a great way to end the merry month of March!