BURRILLVILLE – At Bella Restaurant in Glendale Sunday afternoon, the grand prize of heart shape ruby and diamond earrings and matching pendant necklace shined as bright as the faces of the 100 or so people in festive attire celebrating at the Burrillville Lions Club & Knights of Columbus Pascoag Council 383 Valentine’s Dinner Dance. The rare February warm weather outside at 50 degrees and sunny was as bright as the people and the jewels.
The Kay’s Valentine’s shiny jewelry prize was donated by Tina Brunette.
“My husband started this [dinner dance] back at Knights of Columbus and he was in the Burrillville Lions,” Brunette said of her late spouse Robert Brunette.
Initially the two local organizations couldn’t see her husband’s perspective – his vision that the two groups should come together for an event. Robert Brunette’s idea was of the groups “combining forces,” explained Thomas Tatro, president of the Burrillville Lions. The two organizations “do similar work all for the community and both struggle with [building] volunteers and membership,” he said.
“Robert Brunette was instrumental,” in the establishing of the annual dinner dance, said Scott Blanchette, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Pascoag Council 383. Almost a decade later, the dinner/dance is still the social event of the year, agreed Blanchette and Tatro.
“It’s a community event, all about building community and two charitable organizations,” said Blanchette.
“The idea is something people get to do in the midwinter doldrums,” said Tatro. “There are not a lot of places to go.”
The dinner dance is always on a Sunday afternoon, he explained.
“The crowd likes to be home before dark,” said Tatro. “They get a nice dinner at Bellas and a great raffle. It’s always a great time with the group the Bel-Aires – Burrillville born and raised.”
The Bel-Aires could be called the “Burrillville version of a guy group of the 60s,” said Tatro.
The band’s first gig was on Valentine’s Day in 1961 and they practice every Thursday night. And as the anniversary of their first show comes around each year they come together to “take the roof off the place,” according to Tatro.
“It’s very festive having it in the middle of the winter,” said Nancy Vermillion, the Lions membership chairperson. “And with having the Bel-Aires – it’s a Burrillville thing.”
The dinner dance gives people the opportunity “to have some fun on a lazy sunny afternoon,” said Vermillion, who is also past president of the Burrillville Lions and the current District 42 Zone Chairperson.
Ron Parenteau said the only year the dinner was not held was during COVID.
The representative of Knights of Columbus Pascoag Council 383, Parenteau joked “we pretty much do the lion’s share.” He added the work of putting on the dinner dance indeed “is collaborative.”
“We’ve got pretty much the crowd we get every year. They enjoy it,” said Parenteau. “If it hadn’t been postponed, it would have been held on Superbowl Sunday; and they would have said ‘lets get out of here fast.’”
The dinner dance was scheduled for February 9 and was postponed because of inclement weather.
“Today we are blessed with a great day,” said Tatro.
He was already busy that day locking in next year’s dinner dance date. Undoubtedly, the jewelry or other prizes will shine, as will the celebrating guests, clad in their festive best for the annual dinner dance, no matter the weather.
Awesome mustache Mr Nolan! Perfect fit!
Great job by all the Lions and Knights involved. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help.