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Written by Dan England
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Thursday, 13 March 2008 |
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Whenever Tim and Karla Gravert would celebrate their Irish heritage and go out for St. Patrick’s Day, they were always a little disappointed.
The bars in northern Colorado never seemed to offer more than some beads, beer with green food coloring and drunken, rowdy college kids.
When the Greeley residents thought of a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, their mind always wandered back to 2001, when they carved a few extra days out of Karla’s London conference, hopped a $50 flight to Dublin, Ireland, and spent the night in a castle. That same night they went to a pub and were blown away by the music, the people and the dancing (and they figured out why they dance in that stand-up style, mainly because there’s no room to do anything else).
So with the help of former Greeley residents Gerry and Melissa Stanley, that night in the pub, and their own frustration, eventually became “Kilts, Kegs and Ballads,” the Gravert’s annual celebration for St. Patrick’s Day. The third annual party will start at 6 p.m. Friday at The Bayou House, 33131 U.S. 85 in Lucerne.
“We wanted to raise the bar a bit,” Tim said. “We wanted to do something special for northern Colorado. But, to be honest, we also wanted to do something for ourselves.”
The party, after all, saves them a drive to Denver and a stay in a hotel room. And the response was encouraging. The first year, at the State Armory, was so packed the bar had to go to liquor stores for beer (Guinness especially, of course) three times throughout the night. The next year the couple moved it to the Bayou House, and the party made a profit.
The Graverts wanted the party to break even, but they weren’t expecting a profit and didn’t really need one, so this year they’ve decided to make it a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system that affects Tim’s aunt and mother, Teresa Gravert. Teresa now lives in Iowa but grew up in Greeley on the Tigges farm.
“We’re going out to visit her around Easter and she isn’t doing that well,” Tim said, “but she’s the toughest person I’ve ever known, and fortunately she’s my mother.”
Her condition taught Tim that the everyday things in life that most moan about don’t really seem to matter.
“It’s life little adventures that make the mundane worth living,” Tim said.
It turns out that’s true of the party they put together, too. It’s the kind of party that features an older crowd, generally in the 30-50 age range, Karla said.
“It does get younger as the night goes on,” she said and smiled.
There will be Irish food, music and dancing, just like that pub in Dublin that inspired the party in the first place. Just don’t expect any green beer.
“That’s a definite no-no,” Tim said and laughed.
To Go
• “Kilts, Kegs and Ballads” will begin at 6 p.m Friday, March 14, and end at 2 a.m. Brian Clancy, one of Colorado’s finest Irish performers, will play from 6-11 p.m. at the Bayou House, 33131 U.S. 85 in Lucerne.
• Tickets are $5 at the door. Those under 21 will be allowed in with an adult until 9 p.m.
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