Over 200 people gathered at Marblehead’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post for St. Patrick’s Day.
VFW Commander Ronny Knight said he’d never seen so many people gathered at the VFW and that people who came said both sides of West Shore Drive were filled with cars.
“Somebody had commented to me that it was the most people he’d seen at the place since Chris Piper’s funeral, and I was like, ‘You’re kidding me,’” Knight said, adding that he was overseas and couldn’t get home to attend that funeral. “He goes, ‘Upstairs was filled. Downstairs was filled. Out back was filled. All the picnic benches were filled with families, and the kids ran around in the back, and it just kept going.’”
The event had Irish dancers, live music, a local bagpiper and a cash bar and kitchen, and event organizer Bernadette McDermott said, “The whole day flowed really well.”
“The weather was a huge factor because the kids were out playing games, and they were really able to enjoy the entire club,” McDermott said. “I’m so happy (the VFW) let us host our event there.”
She added that the family-friendly atmosphere really resonated with the attendees since this was, to her knowledge, the only family-friendly event on the North Shore.
“There were so many kids who got out on the dance floor, and there were people there from all ages,” McDermott said. “A lot of the feedback I got was that the kid aspect really made (the event). It reminded (older attendees) of way back when (because) that’s how they would celebrate St. Patty’s Day.”
McDermott said it was the sense of community that really impacted her.
“There were a ton of people there that probably wouldn’t have done much of anything (for St. Patrick’s Day), and they all came out (and brought) just a really great vibe,” she said.
Last Sunday’s event, originally scheduled for 1-5 p.m., ran an extra few hours past its designated end time to allow people to continue mingling and enjoying their time at the VFW. To fill the musical void during the additional hours, Rick Broughton and Brian Ware performed downstairs.
The duo had performed at the VFW the night before for an event that fundraised for World Central Kitchen and Wildfire Recovery Fund for Los Angeles fire victims.
“I didn’t understand the magnitude of this St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I’m thinking: ‘After four hours on a Sunday, who’s going to want to hang around?’ But there were so many people (still) there. It was incredible,” Broughton said. “I’m thinking there’ll be like 10 people in the bar downstairs because everybody would have gone home, but it was just the opposite. It was a really fun time.”
