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The excess of green decor donned by the Irish horde was conservative compared to the noise the dozens of people generated as they paraded all the way ... across the road.
The Irish parade was Saturday at 3:17 p.m. at the intersection of 311th Street and Spring Valley Road. It has become a tradition for Terry Robinson and her close family and neighbors for six years. After leaving the driveway, the group walks down a gravel road, turns around in a circle drive and returns, making noise and yelling.
“Happy March 13!” Robinson shouted, laughing about the four-day discrepancy between their celebration and the holiday. She said the parade begins at exactly 3:17 p.m. since they can’t have it on March 17.
Robinson’s father, Joe Burke, and his two brothers were the first Irish triplets in the Kansas City area, which was enough to land them a spot in the Kansas City Saint Patrick’s Day parade in 2003, where his float took third place.
The smaller, local parade began the following year when the family decided it was too much hassle to make it up to the city.
This year was the sixth annual parade, which was one of the best ones ever, Robinson said. There were a few more families present than in the past. The growing trend is something Robinson said she hopes remains slow.
“I’m scared it would lose its charm,” she said. “This is a good size group, but the Irish are crazy so who knows what’s going to happen.”
There were many positions within the parade, including a grand marshal Alex Delorenzi, whose last name was temporarily changed to O’Delorenzi for the day. Peggy Sowders, Robinson’s sister, wore a shiny green “inaugural” dress and accompanied O’Delorinzi in the main float as grand marshalette.
Rick Neuer, decked out in a tall green hat and large green glasses, acted as the crowd control officer.
Safety goggles on and mask adjusted, senior Austin Oliver is right at home as sparks fly in the Paola High School welding class Thursday mornings. This is what he was born to do.
Oliver has known it since he first enrolled in welding class as a freshman.
Now, four years later, he has plenty of honors for showcasing his ability across the country.
Oliver won a $500 welding scholarship during a competition at the Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, Okla., Feb. 2. The school also has a location in Jacksonville. He scored among the top 50 in the competition of more than 209 students from 14 states.
Oliver placed fifth in the Louisburg Agriculture Mechanics competition March 3. He was third in the Paola competition in January.
He was awarded a $200 scholarship from the Paola FFA alumni association during the annual banquet last week.
At the end of the month, March 31, Oliver will light up the welding torch at a competition in Coffeyville.
Paola residents might be inclined to take shorter showers or to use less water after rates go up at the end of this month.
The average family will see a $5.45 increase on its monthly water bill after Paola City Council members passed Ordinance No. 3008 during their March 9 meeting. The increase will take affect March 31.
Council members discussed the best option for city residents when it comes to raising water rates, but they also kept in mind the payments the city must make to the Marais des Cygnes Public Utility Authority (PUA) in order to use its water supply.
City Manager Jay Wieland presented council members with four water-rate projections, which laid out different monthly debt-service fees as examples for members to see how rates would be affected.
Currently, the city’s monthly water rate is $8.50, and members were interested in the second option of projected numbers, which proposed a rate increase of 25 cents, to $8.75, with the monthly debt-service fee increasing from $14 to $15. The usage rate will also rise from 50 cents per 100 gallons used to 57 cents.
Over the years, Wieland funds collected for the additional debt payment totaled around $583,000, and he factored using a portion of that amount into some of the proposed scenarios.
Middle school students from all over Miami County dressed in green and danced the night away Sunday.
The St. Patrick’s Day dance was hosted by Paola High School’s After-Prom Committee at American Legion Post 156 to raise funds for the after prom party, which is April 17.
Carol Brophy, junior class president Jenna Larson’s mother, has led after-prom fundraising since May of last year, with the help of other junior class parents. Brophy said the dance was the last event on the list, aside from area businesses donating funds and items for the event.
“We’ve done all of the concessions for basketball games this season,” Brophy said, “as well as a wine-tasting event, a chili feed and a cookout for the football homecoming.”
She said about $20,000 is the ultimate goal for the After Prom Committee, in order to purchase prizes and to have funds left over with which next year’s class can get started.
The after prom will also include inflatable equipment, carnival games, salsa dance lessons, a DJ, food and human bowling, among other activities. Prizes for juniors and seniors attending will range from TVs to iPods and area business gift cards.
The cooking students asked “How long?” and “How much?” time and time again, as per the habit of Americans cooking by numbers with utensils to measure out the smallest amount of ingredients. “Enough” is the measurement authentic Italian chef Laura Caponetti gave as an answer during her cooking class Saturday morning at Casa Somerset.
“It’s more important ‘what’ than ‘how,’” she explained. “You’ve got to choose a good product.”
Caponetti, who hails from Tuscany, operates her own Italian cooking school and holds a degree in Italian Gastronomic History. This was her third time to leave her home in Italy to visit Casa Somerset. Teaching the class of local culinary enthusiasts is something she said she enjoys.
“The most interesting thing for me is to transmit to people not just the recipe, but the heart in cooking — the feeling,” she said. “It’s not just cooking, it’s food.” In addition to visiting larger cities like New York City or San Francisco, Caponetti said she makes it a point to spend plenty of time in the Midwest to experience true American culture.
“This is a part of ‘real’ America,” she said. “I don’t like being only a tourist.”
As a food expert, she shared her opinion on the local popularity of barbecue, which she said was good, but not her forte.
“I could only eat it about every six months, and that would be enough,” Caponetti said. “We don’t eat big pieces of meat (in Italy). We eat more pasta and vegetables.” Mike Hursey, owner of Casa Somerset, had more than a dozen guests attend the class, all of whom had plenty to say about Hursey’s home and business, as well as the opportunity to learn authentic Italian cooking.
“It’s beautiful and elegant. It’s a great place to entertain with classes and dinner parties,” Paolan Linda Gibson said. “It’s a jewel for Miami County.”
The lessons learned from Caponetti include the simplicity of making common household food items like mayonnaise, which is basically egg and oil mixed together with a little salt and lemon juice. Her broth is the remaining water from boiling veal, which she uses as an appetizer the next day.
“Why buy something predone and precooked if it’s so easy to make?” she asked. “Eat simple, but eat well and fresh.”
