Retirees honor Irish past

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As MSU students took part in St. Patrick’s Day activities at bars and houses throughout East Lansing on Wednesday, a slightly older crowd also celebrated the Irish holiday not far from campus.

Burcham Hills Retirement Community, 2700 Burcham Drive, held a St. Patrick’s Day party for residents of the community and their family members. Partygoers enjoyed various snacks, green beer and traditional Irish entertainment.

Alexis Schneider, the recreation coordinator at Burcham Hills, said the party is not an unusual occurrence for the community.

“We always try to do something fun on St. Patrick’s Day,” she said. “So we’re just having a good time. Everything is green, and everything is fun.”

Celtic music duo String Cheese was the featured act for the party. Diana Ladio and Ali Haraburda, who play the fiddle and cello, respectively, performed traditional Irish songs such as “Grandma Betty” and “Whiskey Before Breakfast.” Haraburda said she and Ladio prefer playing venues such as Burcham Hills on occasion.

“It’s a nice change from the pub atmosphere,” Haraburda said. “It’s nice to look out and just see hundreds of smiling faces.”

Liam the Leprechaun, who’s real name is Liam Lynch, is a talent agent for Irish music groups in Michigan and was contacted by Burcham Hills two months ago about finding a performer for the party, he said. Since most St. Patrick’s Day slots are filled a year in advance, Lynch said it was difficult to find an available act, but String Cheese was perfect for the party.

“I could have brought in a Celtic punk rock band, but that probably wouldn’t have gone over too well,” Lynch said. “These girls are truly talented and they can play to any kind of audience.”

Burcham Hills holds at least one gathering similar to the St. Patrick’s Day party every month, Schneider said. Doing so not only gives the residents an opportunity to interact with other residents, but also provides another reason for family members to come and visit.

“We have a lot of families that come for the parties,” Schneider said. “We’re just glad to be able to open this up to the whole community and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.”

Residents of Burcham Hills who attend the parties appreciate the effort of the staff to help them socialize and have a good time.

“They always do a great job of getting everybody out of their rooms and down here,” Burcham Hills resident Doris Anderson said.

“They decorate and have good music, and everybody enjoys it.”

Before the party, Schneider said she expected about 150 guests and said at least that many made it to the community’s Ada Whitehouse Room.

“As of today, it looks like we need to expand our room and add a little bit more space for everyone,” Schneider said. “It turned out to be really popular.”

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