St. Patrick's Day celebration raises money
The leprechaun, played by Roger Brown, tells folk that they'll never find where he has hidden his pot of gold.
Sherrill Christensen works in the kitchen. Here, she works on preparing the cabbage.
Abbie Dellinger shares a laugh with John DuBois after having kissed the Blarney Stone at the St. Patrick's Day event.
With leprechauns dancing about, shillelaghs for sale and pots of gold and green decorations hanging about, St. Patrick’s Day was in full swing at the DeBorgia schoolhouse.
This was the second year that the Historic DeBorgia Schoolhouse Foundation held a dinner at the schoolhouse to raise funds for the building’s preservation. Between the silent and live auction, the meal, and kissing the Blarney stone, those attending also found time to catch up with their neighbors.
“We are constantly looking for things to do that are for the community,” said John Dubois, from the foundation.
DuBois said that during the time St. Patrick’s Day rolled around people were tired of winter and there wasn’t much to do. They decided to have a dinner on St. Patrick’s Day. Last year, 55 people showed up. This year, they planned for a hundred.
And though the event was held on the west end of the county, folks from throughout the county came out to have a traditional Irish meal.
The advertisements that the group put out for the foundation’s event also featured other events that were happening at two of the area’s restaurants. A sign off the DeBorgia exit directed people to the different events by what food they preferred. The schoolhouse’s event served corned beef and cabbage, O-Aces served up Irish Pasties and Billy Bigriggers served up Irish cabbage roll.
Sherrill Christensen and Helen Tooker were the two cooking in the kitchen during the event at the schoolhouse. Sherrill said that they got there earlier in the day, sometime around 10 a.m., to start food preparation.
Each place had its own activities, but the event at the schoolhouse featured the Blarney stone. Lying on their backs, folks had to tip their head down over the edge as the stone was out in front of them, reaching to kiss it. If they could, they received a certificate citing the rigorous accomplishment.
Many believed they wouldn’t be able to do it or pleasantly refused, but DuBois eagerly encouraged them and before they knew it, most of those who didn’t want to or thought they couldn’t have kissed the stone.
DuBois said that he felt it’s important to bring business in to the West End of the county.
“It is important that the businesses out here can get some extra people in town as well,” DuBois said. “If they get ten extra people tonight that’s some extra money for them.”
Every extra dollar that the foundation earned from the Schoolhouse event will be put towards a painting project that has been in the works for quite some time. DuBois said that they want to redo the paint on the outside of the schoolhouse.
“It’s been long anticipated,” he said.
The project doesn’t come with the smallest of price tags either. It’s going to cost somewhere between $11,000 and $13,000. DuBois said that the old stuff has to be stripped away and they will be doing a lot of preserving.
“It’s a big process,” DuBois said.
The good news is that the foundation received a $3,000 grant for the project, which will help tremendously. The grant is from Plum Creek Timber.
DuBois said that with the library in DeBorgia now, they’d like to see the two buildings be color coordinated.
In the meantime, between now and painting, DuBois said they are planning to hold another St. Patrick’s Day Dinner next March.
“It’s still a work in progress,” he said of this year’s event, “but we’re getting a handle on it.”