A packed house greeted members of the Escalon Lions Club as they put on their traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner to observe St. Patrick’s Day.

The dinner was hosted at the Escalon Community Center on Thursday, March 20.

Event supervisor Chuck Sawyer said they were anticipating serving around 275 meals, both those eating in at the Community Center and those picking up meals to go at the drive-thru set up outside.

He said the club members cooked up 300 pounds of corned beef, 150 pounds of cabbage, 150 pounds of potatoes and about 100 pounds of carrots.

Along with the meal, there were drawings for a number of prizes along with some auction items up for bid.

Among those on hand, selling tickets for the drawings, was Taylor Scully, reported to be the first woman member of the local Lions Club. Marylyn Salvin, a longtime supporter of the club whose husband John is a past president, gathers the majority of the prizes for the evening, coordinating that effort for several years.

In the kitchen, a large crew was hard at work getting the food prepped while diners mingled to socialize and look over the various prizes being offered.

Going home with what seemed to be the most coveted prize – a large, kid-friendly collection of items topped by a fluffy stuffed animal Easter Bunny – was Barbara Langum.

The dinner, along with being hosted to observe St. Patrick’s Day, was also a special fundraiser, as $5 from each ticket sold was donated toward LA fire victims relief.