As per Pontiac tradition, beers were raised and hearts rejoiced at the annual St. Patrick’s Day event at Gavan’s Hotel in Quyon on Sunday, a week ahead of the annual Irish celebration.

Hosting a huge variety of musicians and dancers to keep everyone on their feet, the event was a much-needed break from everyday life.

Pauline Brown, owner of a step dancing school in Ottawa, watched from the crowd as her students performed on stage.

“I just love it. I’ve been coming since I was just a little kid, with Gail’s dad at the bar,” Brown said.

Hundreds from across the Ottawa Valley attended the event.

In the proper St. Patrick’s Day spirit, clovers and vibrant Irish green could be seen in every corner of the room.

“It’s really festive. There’s so many . . .

people. It’s so loud. It’s so fun,” said Rameen Kabir, one of the performers at the event and one of Brown’s students.

“There’s a lot of people, a lot of energy, [and] it’s great to be performing in front of the crowd.”

Ottawa Valley country singer and member of the original Gavan family Gail Gavan emceed the event in her childhood stomping grounds.

“It’s fantastic to see everybody come out and it’s honestly like a big kitchen party. It’s like we’re all one family and it’s so important to be together like this on a day where people are smiling and hugging and singing and dancing because we don’t have enough of that in our lives.” Gavan said.

“I used to take all this for granted so much. Dad would get us to blow a thousand balloons and decorate it,” she said.

“Now as I get older, I realise how important it is to hold our culture together and enjoy it and celebrate it.”

Gavan’s owner Jim Cain has been attending the event at Gavan’s for a long time, and now, in his second year running the show, is working to keep the tradition alive for others.

“Our family has been coming to St. Patrick’s Day here for 50 years,” Cain told THE EQUITY.

“This was one of the cornerstones of why Gavan’s is so important to the community. It was a no-brainer to preserve it. There are regions of Canada that are known for a rich kind of music culture. People don’t realize that the Pontiac is one.”

While Cain knows preserving the venue’s staple St. Patrick’s Day party will be critical to the success of his business, he is making changes that he hopes will bring in more people year round, including reclassifying what was formerly the bar as a pub, and opening a family dining section with the hopes of attracting diners of all ages.

“I love that we’ve been able to maintain the tradition that is this wonderful Patrick’s Day event,” Cain said.

“With our new family dining and our pub hurting to try and be more of a community place to attend, hopefully we’re going to add that piece to the brand moving forward.”

Cal Cummings (left) entertains the crowd in a quiet area accompanied by Rhonda Cummings Côté (right) on vocals.

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