The Kern River Celtic Association held its fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 13.
The KRCA is a non-profit organization. They mainly focus on throwing fundraisers like dinners and concerts to support other organizations around Kern County as well as help those of Celtic descent understand more about their own heritage.
Unlike other events, this celebration’s main purpose was pleasure.
The event was coordinated by Jack Turnbull. Along with six other members of the KRCA, Turnbull was able to seat and feed everyone who had a reservation.
According to Turnbull, KRCA wanted to make this event as authentic as possible. Therefore, there were no beads, streamers, or pictures of leprechauns of any kind.
The event was held in the Noriega Hotel Restaurant on the first floor. There were two rooms; the entrance was an old-fashioned bar where everyone checked in and got a drink before dinner. All around the bar were old frames with old advertisements of drinks and pictures filled with past memories.
The second room was the dining room, which had three long tables with chairs all around. The dinner consisted of traditional corned beef and chicken in the Basque tradition as well as pickled tongue and beans.
To entertain the guests throughout the night, the KRCA hired a local Irish group named Whiskey Galore.
Whiskey Galore is a four-man group that specializes in authentic Celtic music. The groups members are Mike Bowen, Kevin Briley, Jeff Davis and Rich Spencer.
This group plays all around Kern County at charity events as well as at bars.
This event not only attracted many people from different ages. Some were people with Celtic heritage trying to enjoy the culture of their roots while others were actual immigrants from Ireland who wanted to have a little taste of home for a night. Even small children joined in the night’s festivities.
The KRCA members said that they were very pleased with the night’s turnout, and they look forward to many other nights like this.