St. Paddy's Bash Packs Community Center

The Exchange Club hosted its 45th annual St. Patrick's Dinner Saturday evening.

From the balloons to the beer, the San Clemente Community Center was decked out for the Exchange Club's 45th Annual St. Patrick's Dinner and Dance Saturday.

"This is one of our major fundraisers for all the stuff we do for San Clemente," said event coordinator Tom McKeown. "All of our members pitch in and we also get a lot of support from our sponsors."

About 600 people came dressed in all things Irish to enjoy an evening of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and other traditional Irish eats as well as raffles, the Anair Irish Dance Academy and the Couchois Brothers Band, who did not hesitate to get the evening started with Irish jigs and green beer toasts.

"This event is always a huge success," said Exchange Club President James Patrick O'Brien. "It's only a quarter after five and we're already full."

The event included a raffle with a chance to win $1,000 and several "bars" chock full of green beer and liquor. All proceeds go to the Exchange Club. For more information about The Exchange Club of San Clemente, visit exchangeclubsc.org.

Read the full article at: https://patch.com/california/sanclemente/all-things-green-came-out-the-community-center