Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
Search

Event

St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1979

Also 1979 St. Patrick's Day Dance

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeEvent
Date1979-03-17
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Event
Date
1979-03-17
Kind
Celebration
Where
Holy Cross Parish Hall · Holy Cross Catholic Church building
Carried out by
Holy Cross Catholic Church
Followed by
St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1980
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
celebrationcommunityheritageirish-arranmore
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The Beaver Beacon’s February 1979 issue announces a Mass, potluck dinner, and dance at Holy Cross Church and Parish Hall; its April 1979 recap reports the evening’s most distinctive feature — the first public performance of a newly formed island ladies’ chorus that had just applied to charter as an official Sweet Adeline Chapter, plus a Jr. High School Band performance and a dance with continuous live music.

Program

Mass (5:30 p.m.) at Holy Cross Church, a potluck (traditional) dinner, and an evening of dancing and entertainment at the Parish Hall. After dinner, the newly formed ladies’ chorus performed under Nancy Rafferty’s direction — “Let’s Sing an Old Time Song Together,” “My Wild Irish Rose,” and “Danny Boy” — to a standing ovation. A Jr. High School Band performance followed, directed by Joe Moore. The evening dance featured continuous music from the high school band and a newly formed local musicians’ group, also organized by Joe Moore.

Evidence limits

Both sources are contemporary Beacon accounts; no attendance or proceeds figures are given. The April recap frames the ladies’ chorus debut as Beaver Island’s “first” step toward an official Sweet Adeline Chapter, but does not report whether the chartering request succeeded. No Chicago party report was found in the issues checked for this edition.

Open questions

  • Did the ladies’ chorus succeed in chartering as an official Sweet Adeline Chapter, and is that traceable in a later Beacon issue?
  • Was this the debut of what later Beacon issues call the “Sweet Adelines” on Beaver Island (see the 1982-02 program, which already treats “Sweet Adelines” as an established island group)?

See also

Sources

  1. Announces "Mass at 5:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Church followed by a potluck dinner and an evening of dancing and entertainment at the Parish Hall. Come and join us for an evening of fun!" The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1979-02_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held ten-page combined February–March issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the St. Patrick’s Day announcement.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1979-02_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Reports "the traditional potluck supper was as delightful as ever," followed by the first-ever performance of a newly formed ladies' chorus under Nancy Rafferty, singing "Let's Sing an Old Time Song Together," "My Wild Irish Rose," and "Danny Boy" to a standing ovation — the group had "recently contacted the Sweet Adelines, Inc. International Office and requested steps for chartering as an official Sweet Adeline Chapter," described as "a first for Beaver Island." Also reports a Jr. High School Band performance directed by Joe Moore, and a St. Patrick's Day Dance with continuous music from the high school band and a newly formed group of local musicians organized by Joe Moore. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1979-04_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held eight-page April issue PDF is paired with the canonical OCR source and confirms the St. Patrick’s Day outcome report.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1979-04_Beaver-Beacon

Added 3 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “St. Patrick's Day on Beaver Island, 1979”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-st-patricks-day-1979/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, February 1979, "CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK'S DAY ON BEAVER ISLAND!" (and 3 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

BibTeXRIS