By Corey Poole

From left are Margaret Vienne (2009), Marti Williamson Vienne (1979), Marilyn Keyser Williams (1930), Mary Williams White (1964), Rosie Prudhomme Finical (1966), Elaine Bacon and Liz Vienne (2006). Bacon sent all her children to St. Mary’s and her home is built out of refurbished bricks from the old St. Mary’s Elementary location, which was torn down.

Around 200 guests dined at St. Mary’s fundraiser Saturday evening, June 4, while raising money for the memorial garden project around the school’s existing grotto.

Chef Henry Chandler, a graduate of the class of 1977, came home from Georgia to cook a Cajun and Creole inspired meal, which included: roasted Louisiana alligator sausage with red potatoes, onions and a blackberry sriracha sauce; a St. Maurice salad; flash fried shrimp and crawfish in a tasso, spinach and garlic cream sauce over linguini; and bread pudding with a warm caramel sauce. Dinner was accompanied by a table of hams from Grayson’s Barbeque in Clarence.

A silent and live auction featured a variety of items for alum and friends of St. Mary’s to bid on. Memorabilia was on display in the school’s library and posters of former classes decorated the hallways.