ATT: Irish or not, anyone can party with St. Paddy

3/18/2010

Yolanda Szuch, Carmelita Crocker, and Sue Purewal at the St. Pat's Day party at Belmont Country Club.

The Irish — and the Irish wannabes — were out and about yesterday for St. Patrick's Day. Among the places to cruise through was Mickey Finn's Pub on Lagrange at Huron, which celebrates St. Patrick's Day on the 17th of every month. Shawn's Back Door on Heatherdowns Boulevard and its new branch in Waterville were also on the pub crawl list of many.

But many folks got a head start on celebrating the luck of the Irish.

A “Welcome Back St. Patrick's Day Party” was at Belmont Country Club Saturday in honor of its opening for the season. They gathered in the newly decorated bar on the main level, then meandered into the dining room for a buffet, including a Jiggs dinner. Gadding about with the members and guests were new club manager Chris Myers and his wife, Elaine; new tennis pro Greg Mahosky and his wife, Cecelia, and golf pro Brad Apple and his wife, Debbie.

Among the crowd of nearly 100 were Cary and Dave Wise, John and Yolanda Szuch, Breen and Tara Lyden, Dave and Myrna Bryan, Art and Betty Raker, Joyce Quinlivan and Mike Fitzpatrick, Dean and Lil-Mar Stroh, Rob and Melinda Johnston, Rita Kern, Linda and Mike Stanford, Carl and Margaret Hedlund, Sue and John Byerly, Nancy and Bill Behe, Chris and Darla Clark, Steve and Jane Hopkins, Kevin and Sara Mowery, Carmelita and Doug Crocker, Suzanne and Doug Neckers, Belinda and Rocky Cavins, Alex and Tracy Gerken, Rick and Laurie Avery, Enos and Kathy Farnsworth, and Peter and Margo Eagle.

Social chairmen of the event were Sarge and Sue Purewal.

ERIE Street Market hosted its annual St. Patrick's Day Bash Friday and drew nearly 500 revelers.

Music from live bands vibrated the souls all night long. And if one didn't have something Irish to wear, no problem, because Howard Beal was there with his Everything Irish collection of jewelry, sweaters, hats, and more. Plenty of food was available at CJ's and Bailey's Pizza. Cashing in on the event was Project iAm, an autism foundation that gives funds directly to families dealing with autism. It is 100 percent volunteer based, said Nicole Khoury, the director, who is also a volunteer. That night the project made $400 from the sale of their wrist bands.

ALSO getting a head start on being Irish for a day were revelers who stopped by the Blarney Irish Pub and Pizza Papalis on Monroe Street in downtown Toledo last weekend.

TOLEDO Yacht Club's annual Back to the Bay party was Saturday in anticipation of the upcoming boating season, which includes trips to Put-in-Bay. But there also were plenty of party-goers who sported green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

THE TOLEDO School for the Arts (TSA) fifth annual “Steppin' Out” event presented by Rudolph Libbe was at the Toledo Club Saturday night. The funky shoe event encouraged guests to sport wild footwear with their party attire, and many did, from decorated tennies, disco-days platforms, and decorated stiletto heels made to look like flying pigs, the unofficial school mascot.

The Not-So-Silent Auction was in the Centennial Room on the main floor where party-goers shopped as they listened to performances by TSA's Glass City Steel drum band, the Urban Jazz Collective student group, the TSA Pop Combo, and more.

Then the supporters retired to the dining room for dinner and a lively live auction by Karen Rose. Sold! Sold! Sold! Artwork, gift certificates for restaurants and entertainment, a hot-air balloon ride, a hot tub, and vacation packages were sold at a fast pace.

The estimated net is $30,000, thanks to the nearly 200 attendees including honorary chairmen Tom and Betsy Brady. Also seen were Karen Merrels, Marna and Suresh Ramnath, John and Jeannie Hayward, Ann Baker, Tim and Areka Foster, Yvonne and Tom Goodwin, Judd and Sheila Johnson, Alice and Mike Momonee, and John Miller and his wife, Janine Ody-Miller, who donated one of her art pieces to the auction; it received an over-bid.

To observe some of the great talent that comes from the school, the Toledo Club has joined with TSA to offer evening entertainment by TSA students at the club. Dates will be announced soon.