2nd Annual Robert Burns Supper

Whisky, Haggis and Poetry are on the Bill of Fare
Friday, January 25, 2013

On Friday, January 25 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., the University Club will celebrate all things Scottish with their second annual Robert Burns Supper at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street.

Phil Bayly will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which sold out last year. Bayly anchors NewsChannel 13 Today and Early Today. He has been reporting for television and radio since 1975 and has been a member of the news staff at WNYT since June of 1986. He’s covered the New York State Capitol beginning with Gov. Mario Cuomo, along with local and presidential politics.

Event chair Meredith Helgerson, who has hosted several Burns Suppers, is looking forward to Phil’s assistance in leading participants in songs, whisky toasts and poetry, and continuing Albany’s enduring tradition of celebrating Robert Burns. “Phil is a standout in the annual ‘Legislative Correspondents Association’ show which pokes fun at Capitol happenings in story and song, and is well-suited to lead Burns Supper guests in the singing of Auld Lang Syne,” said Helgerson.

Phil has a familial connection to Crawford Priory, a country house just outside of Fife in Scotland. It is a former residence of the Earls of Crawford, Earls of Glasgow, and Barons Cochrane of Cults. Originally built as Crawford Lodge by the 21st Earl of Crawford in 1758, it was substantially enlarged and extended in the early nineteenth century by a sister of the 22nd Earl, Lady Mary Lindsay Crawford. Today it exists as a ruin.

The University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. is presenting this event, and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend.

Robert Burns (January 25, 1759-July 21, 1796) is one of the most enduringly popular and important poets of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and is widely regarded as the National Poet of Scotland. Having witnessed his father’s struggles with poverty, Burns became a vigorous social and political critic, championing civil and economic equality for all people, especially the working class. Much of his work reflects his social, moral and philosophical values.

According to the official Robert Burns website, www.robertburns.org, “Burns Suppers range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers … adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honored form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard.”

The U. Club’s Burns Supper is aiming squarely between the formal and the rave-up. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails followed by a bagpipe procession to the dining room and a dinner buffet complete with the presentation of the haggis, cock-a-leekie soup, neeps and tatties, and plenty of other delicious dinner choices.

This promises to be an unforgettable evening, whether or not you claim Scottish heritage! The cost for dinner and entertainment is $50 per person, two for $95, and includes a glass of wine with dinner. Tickets may be purchased with cash or check made payable to the University Club of Albany Foundation or online at http://tinyurl.com/uclub-robertburns. Reservations are required and may also be made by calling the Club at 518-463-1151.

The University Club Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.