Fun o' the Irish at the Gala

 

We’re sure that the 2009 Gala will prove to be as memorable as previous Galas. This year’s Irish Gala will be held on Saturday, March 7 at the Don Morris Room at the MU Student Center.

 

Cabell County Library employees (from left) Jhonda Page, Norma Casto and Katie Hamlin show off items that will be given as door prizes at the upcoming "Irish Ceilidh." The event is set for Saturday, March 7, in the Don Morris Room of the Marshall Memorial Student Center. -- Photo by Steve Christo

There will be an all-Irish menu and an Irish pub where you can sample Irish brew. Music will be provided by Wendell Dobbs with Blackbirds and Thrushes. They’ll be bringing a clump of Irish step-dancers who will instruct guests in the finer points of this pedestrian artform. There’ll even be an Irish sing-along.

 

In Ireland, a gathering or dance is called a "ceilidh" and that tradition provides the theme for this year's charity party.

 

Organizer Norma Casto, the library's special events coordinator, noted to Dave Lavender of The Herald-Dispatch that we've been making our way around the world with previous theme parties based on the food, drinks, culture and games of such countries as Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Argentina and Australia.

 

With such a thick Scotch-Irish ancestry here in the region, and yet a lack of St. Patrick's Day events, Ireland seemed like the perfect theme country for the party.

 

"More than one in every 10 Americans has Irish ancestors," Casto said. "But whether you're Irish-American or not, we promise a good time for all -- and that's no blarney."

 

She said that part of that good time is had by not making the gala too formal. "We've kind of found our niche. We try not to do the formal thing. We play games, and I've had a lot of people say they would much rather come to ours for that reason. We've had a couple corporate sponsors that have gone from one table to buying two tables."

 

The dinner menu will consist of Pride of Erin Soup (cream of potato with bacon), Irish Pub Salad (mixed shredded cabbage, pickled beets, diced eggs with vinaigrette dressing), Riley's Potted Crab Bake, McGuire's Savory Lamb Chops and Bailey's Pudding Parfait. An appropriate wine will accompany each course.

 

Casto has had good response from the community, "not only in getting tables," reports Lavender, "but also in donating door prizes including a Pot of Gold featuring 200 WV Lottery tickets to seven boxes of St. Patrick's Day decorations donated by the Wal-Mart on U.S. 60." Gala tickets are $150 a person, with corporate tables encouraged, and all of the money goes to the library's endowment fund.

 

Library Director Judy Rule notes that in addition to having a good time, those attending the Gala will provide support for the Cabell County Public Library for years to come, since proceeds are earmarked for the Library's Endowment Fund. "Although the Library is supported by tax dollars," she adds, "we all know that these funds are limited. Our Endowment Fund is a way of supplementing those tax dollars, helping us provide high quality programming and materials to the people of Huntington and Cabell County."

 

The fundraiser generates about $25,000 for the library to augment ever decreasing funds to pay for computers, as well as community programming at 31 affiliate libraries in a seven county region.

 

For reservations or more information, call 304-528-5700.