Another Mel Pig Tale…ok…Blog!

On my mom’s side, my great-grandparents were Patrick and Mary Agnes (Murray) Lynch. On my dad’s side, my grandparents were Peter and Helen (Symth) Stanton. Each family immigrated from Roscommon and Mayo, Ireland, respectively.
Growing up in Rocky River, Ohio, I swear everyone was Irish (lol). The Mcnallys, Speallacys, Connellys, and Clearys are just a few of the families I have great memories of. Another one was the Conway’s. Dan and I spent much time together attending St. Christopher’s grade school and playing basketball. You may have heard of the company he and his brother Pat started 30+ years ago. Great Lakes Brewing Company! It was the first microbrewery in the State of Ohio. Google it. It’s a great story and business that brews great beer. Dan and Pat are servant leaders who support many worthy causes, including Mel’s Charities. Their beer is offered at many of our Great Times for Great Causes. Who would have thought that two kids whose lives crossed in the 1970’s would lead to this? You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.
Why provide you with all this Irish history? Well, that leads me to the story of the Cedarburg Shamrock Shenanigans.
In early 2021. Jen Elgin-Gelinskey approached me with the idea of her and her friends putting on an Irish-themed pub crawl event through downtown Cedarburg to benefit Mel’s Charities. I had met Jen during her days working at Wayne’s Drive-in. She began attending our events, volunteering whenever asked, and becoming great friends with our ambassadors Aaron, Andy, and Ross.
So, when I informed our Board of Directors of her idea, it did not take long to give it the “thumbs up” because they also had witnessed her passion for supporting our mission. The first year, no pre-registration was required; people were just asked to meet outside the Anvil Pub and Grille and pay then. We both thought that we would be happy with for-75 participants. Well, 150+ showed up! We learned much that first year, especially when the City of Cedarburg called on Monday morning. They were very understanding. We did not know the city required permission and a permit to hold such an event. We do now!
In 2023, 400+ joined Jen and friends at the 3rd Annual Shamrock Shenanigans. It’s because of these next generation of Doers at Mel’s Charities, I continue to believe we are just getting started in having fun and impacting lives!
If your 21+ and want to join us on March 9. Click the link https://givebutter.com/3DXAwl