Around this time of year, we toast to the luck of the Irish. There are as many ways to celebrate as there are shades of green. The Chicago River runs green, Guinness sales nearly double, T-shirts tell us who to kiss, and, of course, the Irish-American staple of corned beef and cabbage is at the top of every menu.
On Friday, at the Moose Lodge in a tucked away corner of Oneonta, Women of the Moose hosted an event where for $10 at the door patrons received a healthy portion of the St. Patrick's Day meal, along with potatoes and carrots, finished off with a dessert of ice cream.
The dinner is one of many the Women of the Moose host throughout the year. Heidie Elie, recorder and Moose Lodge member, said they try to do one for every major holiday.
The motto of the Moose, “A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many,” is on display at this dinner, where the proceeds go to the services the Moose fraternity provides for underprivileged children and the elderly.
According to the Moose website, the fraternal order annually contributes between $75 million and $100 million worth of community service through volunteer hours and monetary donations.
Elie's been a member for 10 years and the dinners had been going on before she got there.
Women of the Moose, of which there are 55, do all the cooking and serving for this meal, which Elie said consisted of four generous heads of cabbage and four slabs of corned beef.
For some, this dinner would be their only celebratory St. Patrick's Day event. Others planned on eating more corned beef and attending a parade.
Elie jested maybe this would be the year she tried green beer.
Attendees were cracking jokes and eating ice cream together, discussing the activities that pop up when spring is near. Someone teased the Elie about the flavor of ice cream they got. This casual jabs and conversations are part of why people come to the dinner, to connect again.
“It's good to have the community come out for a good cause,” Senior Regent member Kayla DeSilva said, as she sat at the front table taking money and doling out tickets for the 50/50 raffle.
Most of the people in the hall were familiar faces, with a few newcomers. Dale Gordon and Georgetta Skovsende, both first-timers who live in Franklin, came in search of the corned beef and cabbage, a tradition for them.
As the dinner was winding down at 7 o'clock, Skovsende and Gordon were returned to the lodge, pulling giant metal cooking pots from the trunk of a small SUV. They said their church didn't need them anymore and thought that the Moose Lodge might. One burden, a little lighter.
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