Forty fortunate diners shared a three-course meal and a historical program Thursday at a Hometown Heritage fundraiser called, Night at the Carnegie, and the demand for the $50 tickets outpaced the supply.
“We had to turn people away,” said Hometown Heritage Director Bill Clark. “The response was just overwhelming.”
The evening began with a social hour in the lobby of the Hotel Pattee, with beer, wine and soft drinks whetting the historical appetites of the friends of Perry history.
Dinner, catered by the Hotel Pattee, was served in the Carnegie Library Museum at 6:15, beginning with a house salad with dried fruit, nuts and blue cheese.
The entree was steak de Burgo, a central Iowa regional favorite. The beef dish was complemented by a vegetable vinaigrette and duchess potatoes. Whispered praise of the food could be heard over the sounds of tinkling ice cubes and cutlery.
The dessert offering was a cranberry vanilla cake, which the diners indulged in while the historical program began with Darcy Maulsby. The Lake City author shared the background story of steak de Burgo, the choice to serve which perfectly suits the current Catalonian restiveness and the nationalist fervors closer to home.
Hometown Heritage Director Bill Clark spoke about the historical archives housed by Hometown Heritage and his efforts to make the rich collection more widely available to online scholars.
Proceeds from the fundraiser support Hometown Heritage’s mission of historical preservation in Perry. The dinner was sponsored by Hometown Heritage, the Hotel Pattee and the Perry Public Library.
