CASSOPOLIS — Decked out in a pair of bright green sunglasses and a tall, green hat with a gold band around the middle, Cass County Council on Aging employee Sandi Hoger said she hopes area seniors can feel the luck of the Irish this week.

The COA will host a St. Patrick’s Day event at noon Friday. Both the Cassopolis Lowe Center location and the Dowagiac Front Street Crossing location will host a corned beef and cabbage lunch, which will cost around $5. Additionally, the Cassopolis Lowe Center location will host a party complete with Irish music and giveaways of live shamrock plants. Both sites will be decorated with St. Patrick’s Day themed items, according to Hoger, an organizer of the event.

“It’s so much fun,” Hoger said. “Everyone gets all dressed up, and everyone wears green. There are so many different shades of green in that room, you think, ‘how can that be?’ It is just a really fun time.”

Hoger estimates that the COA has been hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party for at least 15 years, which is something the organization does for most major holidays including Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras and Christmas. Depending on the weather, each of the parties the COA hosts brings in around 100 visitors, Hoger said.

“Our people love parties, and we love parties,” she said. “We take every opportunity to host a little party, have a little fun and get people together. … [Local seniors] really seem to love it, and they tell us they love it, so we keep trying to do as much as we can in the community.”

More than just showing visitors a good time, Hoger said the events the COA hosts — like the St. Patrick’s Day party — are important to the community as they get area seniors out, active and socializing.

“We like to do everything we can do bring programs and fun things to the community,” Hoger said. “Parties are one way to have a good time and show people we care about them.”

Hoger said she would encourage any area seniors to attend Friday’s St. Patrick’s Day party, saying that it will be a good way for them to get out of the house, don their favorite green clothing and socialize with others.

“We are trying to get rid of the winter gloom,” she said. “Come out and celebrate the spring and St. Patrick’s Day with us. We will have some good fun.”