Last year at this time, “community dinner season” was ramping up here in the village of Covington. A few of those dinners were accomplished, but the rest, unfortunately, were canceled or postponed as the novel coronavirus came upon us. A year later, we are still dealing with restrictions on gatherings, so many community groups, in order to continue their fundraising events which were mostly canceled last spring, have made necessary alterations to their plans.
The first community dinner on which to report is this Friday, March 5, and is the St. Teresa Catholic Church Lenten fish fry. The church is located just east of town, at 6925 W. U.S. Route 36, and will again be offering delicious meals for sale this Friday from 4-7 p.m. in the parish hall, carryout only. But as is customary, St. Teresa’s fish fries feature their traditional tasty golden-brown fish, their highly anticipated green beans, applesauce, and a roll. The cost is still only $8 each. This will likely be one’s only chance to experience this delicious fish this year because as of this writing, there are no other fish fries scheduled for St. Teresa in 2021. So if you’ve been craving this meal, come out and enjoy the “world-famous walleye” at one of the best fish fries in the area.
Then, this coming Sunday, March 7, the new Mariachis Mexican Grill and the Covington Bucc Boosters will host a fundraiser for the Bucc Boosters, with 15 percent of proceeds that day going to the boosters for Covington student-athletes. Come support the new Mariachis II, and show your Buccaneer spirit by mentioning that you are supporting the Covington Bucc Boosters. This will ensure that 15 percent of your order, both dine-in and carry-out, are donated to support Buccaneer athletes. This will take place all day on that Sunday, during the normal Mariachis business hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Next Wednesday, March 10, the annual Covington High School Spaghetti Supper will be held, with carry-out dinners only this year. On the evening of the event, pickup times will be from 5-6:30 p.m. in the bus loop near the Covington K-8 School entrance. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Covington Schools Scholarship Fund Program. Each dinner will include Italian spaghetti with meat sauce, homemade coleslaw, garlic toast, and a dessert. The cost of all dinners this year is still only $5 each. Full instructions on how to get a ticket for the dinner were in my last column, or email Mrs. Karen Brackman at [email protected].
Lastly, the Covington Noon Optimist Club will be holding a Drive-Through Pancake Day on Saturday, March 20, to benefit the youth programs of our community which the Optimist Club supports. 2021 marks the 56th annual Pancake Day event in Covington, which was originally started by the Kiwanis Club in 1965. Due to pandemic restrictions, this year’s event will be drive-thru only, and serving hours will be from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year’s pancake breakfast will be by donation only; no tickets will be sold at the door or ahead of time. It will again be held at the Covington K-8 school building, and the drive-thru will be in the bus loop. And as always, all proceeds from Pancake Day stay in the Covington community to benefit the youth of the village.
The Covington Noon Optimist Club, begun in 1985 and meeting every Wednesday at noon at the Covington Eagles Aerie No. 3998, is marking its 36th year as a “Friend of Youth” to Covington kids. In addition to generous contributions to the CHS Scholarship Fund Program, the Noon Optimists sponsor numerous other youth events. This includes recurring support of the annual Oratorical Contest, Halloween Costume Contest, High School Honors Banquet, the P.L.U.S. organization, the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference for CHS students, Covington music programs, and numerous other donations to worthy Covington youth-oriented causes.
Pancake Day would not be possible without the continued generous support of numerous Covington area businesses whose sponsorship will be visible on the placemats. These folks were so kind to make their donations for 2020’s Pancake Day, before the beginning of the pandemic abruptly canceled the event last March. Thank you to the Covington Eagles Aerie #3998 for their generosity as the major sponsor again this year. In addition to each business that is a placemat sponsor, the printing of the placemats is sponsored by The Covington Savings & Loan Association, sausage is sponsored by Sprankle’s Butcher Shop, and the pancake batter sponsors are Littman-Thomas Insurance Agency and Moore Funeral Home. The Optimist Club invites all Covington and surrounding area residents to join them for golden brown pancakes to continue the strong support of our youth in the Covington community.
