Knights of Columbus hold St. Patrick’s Day dinner

By BRITTANY FHOLER 

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove Knights of Columbus Council 6658 held its annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner Saturday evening at the Knights of Columbus hall. 

Guests enjoyed a traditional Irish dinner of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, soda bread and freckle bread, with cakes, cookies and lime sherbet for dessert. Those over 21 also had the opportunity to enjoy beer or an Irish coffee topped with whipped cream. 

The dinner acted as a fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus, with plate tickets sold for $15 a plate and raffle tickets sold for $1 a ticket or six tickets for $5. Two baskets were up for raffle, with one filled with Irish beer and the other a bottle of wine and a bottle of Irish whiskey. 

“The event was put on Jim French a long time ago, him and old fellow Knights that put this together, and it’s been a tradition passed on, and now I have it and I want to keep it going,” said Grand Knight Eddie Ganceres. 

The event has traditionally been held the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17. St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. The first ever parade for the holiday was held in New York City on March 17, 1762. 

“We’re here for social and just all around having a great time with being with our neighbors and our friends and family,” Ganceres said before Father Patrick Ebner of Holy Family Catholic Church who said a prayer at the beginning of the dinner. 

While the dinner was not very crowded, a few dozen people showed up, decked in their green apparel, ready to celebrate the Irish holiday. 

Throughout the meal, people listened to Irish music as they enjoyed their dinner. 

Annie McGuire wore a green satin blouse and paired it with festive jewelry. She even brought her own folder of jokes for the evening to share with people. 

McGuire has attended the St. Patrick’s Day celebration every year, she said.  

“It was supposed to be for two years, and it’s 40, and I come to every party,” McGuire said about the history of the dinner. 

Her favorite part about the event every year is the food, especially the corned beef, which is brined for two weeks and then boiled, and the sides, she added. 

“I eat it in the Tilted Kilt, but they don’t know how to cook it,” McGuire said. “It’s fast food and this is slow food and good food.”