Bob McCarthy’s Irish Christmas Returns Dec. 5 with Food, Music, and Holiday Cheer
The beloved holiday tradition returns for its 20th year on Friday, December 5th at Ellicottville Brewing Company. With live music, Irish fare, auctions, and community spirit, Bob McCarthy’s Irish Christmas continues to raise vital funds for programs supporting local families.
Let it snow! We are adding to the fun at this year’s Bob McCarthy’s Irish Christmas, happening Friday, December 5th at EBC. With the generous support of the Ellicottville Brewing Company and the Winery of Ellicottville, the 20th annual tradition will see all proceeds from special beer and wine proceeds go to the Bob McCarthy Foundation’s programs. Brew master Dan Minner has created a special draft - the traditional McCarthy Irish Red - to commemorate the legend at this event. Come hungry as the “Taste of Ireland” will feature special dishes served up by local restaurants: Katy’s (Guinness Irish Stew), Madigan’s (Guinness Mac & Cheese), The Silver Fox (Bangers & Mash), Villaggio (Pasta & Meatballs - no Irish here), and Dina’s (Tom’s Irish Cream Bread Pudding). Believe it or not, each of the food and bar items listed above can be had for a small donation of $5 each, with all proceeds helping the Bob McCarthy Foundation.
If that wasn’t enough, the event held in EBC’s great beer hall kicks off at 6:00pm featuring an energetic live show from South Buffalo band, Crikwater. Their up-tempo music conjures scenes of gritty, smokey Irish pubs, whiskey, pints of stout, and good craic. You will enjoy the multi-part vocal harmonies, engaging fiddle tunes, and intricate musicianship while chatting with old friends and browsing the extensive Irish Basket Raffle Silent and live auction items.
A toast to Bob, which will be kicked off by Asa on the Bagpipes with great Irish dancers, will lead into the live auction which starts at 7:30pm, hosted by Brooks LeFeber. Brooks, a local legend, will surely entertain the crowd with a limited number of auction treasures which includes special Bob McCarthy originals along with a special coat rack from Ed Frederickson and a beautiful handcrafted bench from Sam Sheehy of the Winery. Sally and Mike Nickolson have donated their fabulous 2-bedroom Florida condo, and Mud, Sweat n’ Gears has donated a Rossignol snowboard. All auction items are accompanied by a homemade pie or baked item, keeping with the long tradition. A silent auction added last year has some great gifts this year for that special someone. The Irish basket raffle, which will be held in the upper room of the hall, is the creation of Erin Cornelius, Brooke Szpaicher, and Mila Clauss so all people attending can participate with many lucky winners taking home great gifts for a minimal donation (20 tickets for $25). Many local businesses have provided great seasonal gifts for the Irish basket raffle. Admission is free, so just come to browse if you like, but I know you will be caught up in the excitement!
This fun event is always the holiday’s most talked about, reflecting the generosity and compassion of our tight-knit community as so many turn out to support the cause. Hosted by The Bob McCarthy Foundation, this event serves to raise funds for our main initiatives, which are Santa’s Workshop, Shop with a Cop, and the Santa Sheriff Program. Proceeds also provide funding for our year-round family support services as we strive to provide a quiet helping hand for those less fortunate in our community.
It was McCarthy who said, “I love doing Irish Christmas, which is a night of Irish magic. I don’t know how the magic gets there, but it just does. That’s the beauty of it.” Well, last year’s event was indeed magical with overwhelming support from our community, kicking off the Bob McCarthy Foundation’s funding year with the largest proceeds in our 20-year history!
If you can’t attend but want to donate to the cause, visit www.bobmccarthyfoundation.com/donate or via the mail at McCarthy Foundation, PO Box 301, Ellicottville, NY 14731. A little goes a long way!
The evening will be a ton of fun for all! Bob always found a way to make the holidays magical, and this year it will be exceptional! Make sure you mark your calendar for Friday, December 5th at 6:00pm at EBC. This will be one you won’t want to miss!