SHELBURNE FALLS — For many, getting to the Iron Bridge Dinner involved a quick car ride or a simple Sunday walk, but it was a much bigger ordeal for at least one diner.
Alice La Brie’s trip was an overnight affair. She originally planned to come as part of a tour group from New York City, but the organizers under-booked the trip and it was canceled.
“I decided I’d come on my own,” she said. A former employee of the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service, she’s traveled the world, often in unfriendly territory.
“They told me I’d never get a ticket,” she said. “But I believe in miracles.”
By the grace of God and Greyhound, she made it. She reached out to dinner organizer Shira Lander, looking for tickets to the sold-out event. Lander found someone who was looking to sell her pair, and La Brie bought both.
She was glad she came, and she hopes to bring a bit of Shelburne Falls back to the city. She said she’d love to have a similar event held on the Brooklyn Bridge or one of New York’s many other crossings.
While there have been years when people had to dine in the rain, Sunday’s weather couldn’t have been better.
“Last year, one person wore an umbrella hat,” said Lander. “We had a slight drizzle during dinner, and just after we finished, it started pouring. It was perfect timing.”
Lander said the dinner’s never had to be canceled for weather. It’s a good thing, because people look forward to it all year. Planning starts in January, and when tickets go on sale, there’s a line out the door.
Doris Lewis, who lives on Florida Mountain, has been looking forward to it since the first year. Sunday, she finally got to experience the bridge dinner, along with her sister Liz Long, nephew Ed Smith and his wife Kathy Smith.
“Now that my younger sister is back in the area, I had someone to go with,” Lewis said.
The annual dinner, in its 17th year, is a fundraiser for the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association and the Mohawk Athletic Association. It’s staffed by student athletes and volunteers from businesses and the community.
With 400 people to serve, there’s nearly one volunteer for every four diners.
Lander said there are between 40 and 50 student athletes helping, plus adults from the school community, as well as about two dozen more volunteers from local businesses. That’s teamwork that goes beyond the playing field.
“The Mohawk kids are great,” said Amy Shapiro, one of the directors of the business association. “They really come together with the businesses to make it happen. We couldn’t do this without a lot of community support.”
Bringing the community together is what the event is all about.
“It’s a great opportunity to have dinner with your neighbors in a beautiful location,” Shapiro said. “And just about every year before dinner, a bald eagle flies over us. I take that as a good omen.”