Butler Knights of Columbus have a ball getting community together
BUTLER — Being dedicated to public service doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun in the process.
On Saturday evening, Feb. 14, Knights of Columbus Butler Council 866 held its first Valentine’s Day ball at the hall at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church.
Taking the idea to hold a ball from a suggestion made at a regular meeting to a reality didn’t take long.
Once it was decided to hold the event, an organizational committee, headed by Knights Parker Bowser and Simon Smith, set out to bring the idea to fruition.
The Knights decided Valentine’s Day would be an ideal time for the ball. However, Bowser, who pitched the idea, said work to hold the event didn’t really get rolling until after New Year’s, resulting in a tight timeline to bring the idea to fruition.
A 2024 graduate of St. Vincent College, he said the idea to hold the event came from his time there. He noted the Knights organization was very active at the school and one popular event was an annual “classy dance.”
He said individuals who matured during the COVID-19 pandemic sometimes lean toward being introverted and the dance provided in-person social interaction in a form that seemed to draw some of those people.
“A lot of people made good friends,” he said.
Now in Butler County and one of the many younger Knights active with Council 866, he said he wanted to try something similar.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we create a place for people to get away?’” he recalled. “A place to get off your phone, give people an opportunity to connect.”
Based on early turnout and RSVPs, the success of the event seemed ready to mirror Bowser’s experience at college. The event garnered 40 reservations and organizers said they had anticipated a turnout of about 60 people once those paying at the door rather than with advance tickets were accounted for.
It was figure they were reappraising shortly after the doors opened at 6:30 p.m. By just before 7 p.m., 38 people had already arrived and the parking lot near the hall was almost full, with many individuals yet to make their way inside.
“We’re going to get a full house, probably,” Bowser predicted.
The ball served as more than just a way for the Knights to raise money.
“It was suggested at one of our meetings... not only as a fundraiser, but to foster the spirit of community and fellowship.” Herb Nichol, Council Public Relations director, said.
Bowser echoed the sentiment, stressing the multi-generational nature of the event and the opportunity to bring people together across different age groups.
“We’re very dedicated to serving,” he said. “This is a new way to do that... giving people a place to get together.”
Isaac Bruce, a friend of Bowser and fellow Knight, noted he hoped the event would serve to restore a sense of shared culture at a time when younger people are being drawn to community organizations again.
“Community is important to me,” he said. “A lot of American culture has just been dropped... Culture serves as a bridge between people.”
He noted the wide range in age of attendees, a group that even included children with their families.
He noted the event aimed to provide, “an environment that’s conducive to good, that’s wholesome.”
In an effort to appeal to wide-range of potential attendees, the group opted to provide music most are familiar with.
“Since this is a ‘ball,’ it was decided to feature a classic dance music mix from the late 1940s and 1950s,” Nichol, who also DJed the event, said. “It is a music genre of hits familiar to young and old alike. Music that would be considered ‘pre-British Invasion’ before the Beatles’ influence on American music.”
Proceeds from the event are slated to support Knights’ public service work locally, regionally and at the level of the overall Knights of Columbus organization.
“Locally the Knights of Columbus participate with and help fund the community dinners. We volunteer at food packing events assisting organizations eradicate hunger in the Butler community and worldwide,” Nichol said. “We assist with the Boy Scouts, help fund disaster relief, the Special Olympics, Butler Catholic School and support our local veterans in the community and the veterans’ hospital.”
The Council also supports the New Brighton-based McGuire Memorial Home, a facility for those with complex learning and support needs in Western Pennsylvania, and St. Anthony School Programs aimed at helping children and young adults with special needs in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
