The savory smells of a home-cooked, traditional Irish meal and the sounds of Irish folk music greeted guests at the Rittenhouse Village at Portage, which played host to its community for an afternoon of St. Patty’s Day celebration.
Family and friends gathered in the upstairs lobby of Rittenhouse Village at Portage for a taste of an Irish tradition that’s been around since 461 AD. Residents and the local community enjoyed a corned beef and cabbage carryout and dine-in experience, which consisted of a hefty portion of corned beef and cabbage, chopped red potatoes and steamed carrots—oh, and the delicious green cake!
The event simultaneously raised funds for the Bonner Senior Center and Maria Reiner Senior Center, which provide opportunities for local seniors to get out of their homes and engage with one another. An example could be dinner and a movie at the Portage Cinema.
“We partner with them quite a bit in order to help educate the seniors in our community with what their care options are and, quite simply, for something fun to do,” said Danielle Balek, Senior Lifestyle Counselor at the Rittenhouse Village at Portage. “There’s green cake, green punch and everyone is having a great- green time!”
Ron Barny donated his time by serenading the Rittenhouse guests with Irish folk tunes. Music was played both on acoustic guitar and a traditional Irish Bouzouki, an oversized mandolin but one that is iconic to Irish folk music, that gave off a brilliant, rich-twangy sound that everyone’s ears adored.
“It’s so nice to see everyone here, out and about, enjoying themselves,” said Jenet Chem, a Senior Lifestyle Counselor from Bonner’s Senior Center. “It becomes so much more necessary to engage with others as we age over time, which is why I’m just so happy to facilitate more opportunities for them to get out of the house.”
As the evening concluded, residents played Bingo and simply enjoyed one another's company as they nodded their heads to Barny’s Irish melodies.
“THANK YOU RITTENHOUSE,” yelled a very pleased guest as he exited the building.
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
For more information on Rittenhouse Village at Portage, visit www.rittenhousevillages.com.