Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
CUTTING ONE of many cakes made by members of Council 1396 of the Knights of Columbus on Saturday is Joanne Lauzon. She was setting up dessert for takeout orders for the annual two-day La Rosa Dinner being prepared in the kitchen area of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Ironwood. Normally, the tables and chairs behind her would fill with patrons enjoying the meal in each other's company, whereas this year's event was strictly take-out.
By P.J. GLISSON
Ironwood - In 45 previous years, the annual La Rosa Dinner at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church has resulted in a dining hall filled with folks happily chowing down a homemade spaghetti dinner while visiting with family and friends.
The COVID-19 pandemic now makes that sort of gathering impossible, and - as though that didn't represent enough of a challenge - Mother Nature also took the past weekend's wind chills well below zero throughout the region.
Even so, Alison Schlag said on Saturday afternoon that she and fellow volunteers were hoping to sell 1,300 dinners between Saturday and Sunday night.
"All meals are take-out only," said Schlag, who is the Faith Formation Coordinator for the Ironwood church and learning center.
A takeout lane was set up directly outside of the entry to the church's St. Joseph's Room, and "carhops" were assigned to deliver the meals to drive-thru patrons.
The meal is part of a church education fundraiser, along with raffle tickets, expected to result in one lucky winner getting a grand prize of $5,000.
Schlag was working with Warren Even to fill bags with bread and butter for the event, which was held this year for the 46th time.
Meanwhile, Jerry Nezworski was standing by in a green apron, joking that he was their supervisor. "I take care of meatball sauce and spaghetti," he said, claiming that he'd taken a couple days off from his work with the Gogebic Range Trail Authority in order to help with this year's dinner.
The volunteers said that salad also would be included, and Joanne Lauzon was cutting one of 10 huge cakes made by members of Ironwood's Council 1396 of the Knights of Columbus.
Schlag said she expected to see about 50 volunteers in and out over the weekend. "Normally, we have a lot more," she added, referring to the table setters, bussers, beverage servers, and other helpers who did not work this year because of the takeout-only restriction.
Several local businesses also help to support the event.
In a sign of the times, even the life-size cut-out of Pope Francis in the St. Joseph's Room has a mask over his mouth and nose.
According to Schlag, the pandemic also has had an effect on the church's programming.
She said that All Saints Little Lambs Daycare offers daycare for babies from birth to children of five years old.
She added that a three-year-old program and a four-year-old kindergarten program (which she said some people call "kindergarten readiness") also are available, but clarified that "at the moment" no instruction exists for kindergarten or above.
"When COVID is done, we'll go back to the before-school and after-school program," she said.
Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church was created in 1986 when the three Ironwood parishes of St. Ambrose, St. Michael's, and Holy Trinity joined forces.
At that time, according to the church website, the church also chose the theme song of "Let Us Build a City of God" as "an outward sign of God's love all through the new millennium."
Father Binu Joseph now heads the parish.
