It’s time for March Happiness.
That’s the theme of a fundraising event at Ceruti’s Catering that combines March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day and the chance to donate money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
It’s just one of several local fundraisers this month.
•The March Happiness event begins at 11 a.m. March 17 at Ceruti’s Summit Park, 6601 Innovation Blvd., off West Ludwig Road.
It will feature a lunch buffet with barbecue pork sliders, corned beef sliders, wings, Irish stew, salad bar, waffle fries, ice cream and beverages. A cash bar will be available.
There also will be a cornhole tournament, free-throw contest and several TVs showing the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling 207-2000. A limited number will be available at the door.
All sales benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
•The third annual “Taste of Waynedale” event, a benefit for Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, will be March 22 at Kingston Residence.
The event runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 7515 Winchester Road.
About two dozen restaurants will offer samples (and some coupons). They include Azar’s Big Boy, Bandido’s, Casa Ristorante Italiano, China Palace, Chuck and Bird’s, Dairy Queen, Ellison’s Bakery, Hall’s, Hill’s Meat Market, the Lantern, Nine Mile Restaurant, Penguin Point, Pike’s Pub, Pizza Hut, Subway, The Stand, Waynedale Café and Waynedale Bakery.
There also will be a silent auction.
Tickets are $15. Reserve them by March 18 by calling 747-1523.
Last year’s event raised $7,500.
•SCAN’s annual Brown Bag Lunch fundraiser will be March 30, featuring meals from Casa Ristorante Italiano.
The meals will include Casa salad and breadsticks ($7) or pasta with meatballs and a Casa salad ($9).
Family-style meals that serve up to 20 people can be ordered.
Orders will be taken online at www.scanfw.org until March 23 (or until the limit of 2,300 is reached).
Pick up your orders between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 30 at the Masonic Temple, 216 E. Washington Blvd., or have them delivered (minimum five orders).
Dining in the Dark in Columbia City
The “Dining in the Dark” event, which is organized by the Tri-Lakes Lions Club and the Lakota Chapter of the American Council of the Blind in Indiana, will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Eagle’s Nest Event Center in Columbia City.
Yes, diners will eat the three-course meal while blindfolded. (You must be 13 or older to attend.) You’ll get a brief orientation before the meal.
The guest speaker is Linda Scribner. Carolyn Clifford-Hindbaugh of the Blue River Big Band will provide the tunes.
Advance tickets are $50.
Tickets will be available at 2 p.m. Friday at two Columbia City businesses. Westrick Family Eye Care is at 513 N. Line St. and J&J Insurance is at 155 Diplomat Drive, Suite A.
For more information, call 260-248-9692.
The Eagle’s Nest is at 125 S. Eagle Glen Trail.
Ivy Tech offers taste of Ireland
If you’re already making plans for St. Patrick’s Day, consider sampling some traditional Irish cuisine.
That’s the theme of the next Special Cuisines dinner March 17 at Ivy Tech Community College.
The meals are planned and prepared by students in the culinary arts program.
The menu includes smoked salmon on Irish soda bread, a potato soup with bacon and blue cheese, spinach salad with pears, chicken breast stuffed with apples and white pudding, mashed potatoes with cabbage and a caramel-nut tart.
The dinner is $20.
Call 480-2002 for reservations, which are available between 5 and 6:30 p.m.
All dinners are in the hospitality room (Room CC1696) on the Coliseum Boulevard campus; enter Door 24.
Spring on menu at Eddie Merlot’s
Enjoy a taste of spring from a special menu that’s available through April at Eddie Merlot’s in Jefferson Pointe.
The three-course meal is $29.95, which doesn’t include tax or gratuity.
First-course choices are flatbread with chicken, mushrooms and smoked Gouda; ahi tuna; soup of the day; or a half-order of Caesar salad.
Second-course choices are Wagyu flat-iron steak; walleye with lemon beurre blanc; cedar-plank salmon; or herb-crusted pork tenderloin.
Desserts are triple berry pie with vanilla ice cream; coconut cream pie; or chocolate pot de crème.
Plus, the Lobster Festival runs Fridays through April 22. Enjoy all-you-can-eat lobster with potatoes and Caesar salad for $39.95.
For reservations, call 459-2222.
Tidbits
•Peony Tea House, 503 W. Wayne St., will have a spring lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 19. The menu includes creamed chicken, homemade biscuits, salad and other treats. It’s $15.12, which is all-inclusive. Reservations are required; call 426-4832.
•Paula’s On Main, 1732 W. Main St., has daily seafood specials for Lent, including Mediterranean-style whitefish, enchiladas, crab cakes and fish tacos. The market carries trout, red snapper, perch, sea bass, salmon and other fresh fish. For reservations or orders, call 424-2300.
•Crossroad Inn, at the junction of Indiana 9 and Indiana 14 in Whitley County, has these March specials: Get two dinners (with dessert) for $15.99. And after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, enjoy all-you-can-eat fish, chicken, ribs and shrimp for $12.95. On March 20, the restaurant will have a fireman’s breakfast from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
