Meeting Tonight

The Celtic Fringe, they of the Grand Prize win in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, hold their monthly meeting tonight at 7:30, in the back room at Charlie Hooper’s on 63rd Street in Brookside. There is a significant overlap between the Fringe and the Irish Fest staff, as it happens. The Celtic Fringe president Sarah Walsh, along with her husband Barney, chairs our Site Host committee. Our newly minted raffle bosses, Maureen Deeds and Jayme Wear are Celtic Fringe board member and secretary, respectively. Fringe VP Stevan Ryan is an Irish Fest Site Foreman and run supervisor. Fringe treasurer Rory O’Connor serves as a director of Irish Fest. Ed Scanlon serves on the boards of both organizations. I myself was Celtic Fringe vice president in the failed McGonigle administration some years back. You may have seen my impeachment hearings on C-Span.

I could go on with the Fringe/Fest connections, but here’s the point, and I do actually have one: If you enjoy Irish Fest, whether as a volunteer, a committee head, or a patron, do yourself a favor and go to the Celtic Fringe meeting tonight. They’re informal (note that location again), fun, not terribly long usually and full of some very friendly people from both sides of the Atlantic. And what with the celebratory mood over the big parade win, this meeting should be especially giddy. I can honestly say that of all the great Irish organizations in Kansas City, this is the one of the ones I happen to belong to.

See you tonight?