The free medical clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties might best be known for serving people of quite limited financial means in western Wisconsin — pardon me but you might think about the Irish in the potato famine of older days that afflicted people — but once a year the camaraderie of its laid back staff, which has busy streaks but not always, extends to one of their patrons who is truly Irish to the core.
Jean Conant dons her green garb, clothing, elongated pointy and thin shoes, bright hat and scores of beads and shamrock jewelry and has a tradition with them of singing the best of Irish tunes, much to the pleasure behind the oval front counter of the dozen or more staff, who enjoy service every Tuesday evening run at the Vibrant Health Clinic at River Falls Hospital, but in this case song even more — aided by the fact that St. Patrick’s Day is on a Tuesday; you knew that already.”We would just love it when she would sing for us each year,” several of them said as one. That is why she has been asked to get on all of her nearly single-purpose whole closet full of green, not just the parts most convenient for driving from North Hudson to River Falls like in past years, and regaling them completedly this year. For past costume contests where almost always kicks butt like any good Irishman (or Irish women in this case) would do in a spirited fight like this. And in much the same costume with even more contest although tweaked to become a Halloween witch, she made it a cardinal rule from which she would not budge not to stay in costume that includes gobs of makeup, or put them on for more than one night for each day of what can be an extended holiday weekend, plus one more time around if Halloween falls during the week. Be she will make an exception for the annual RF revelry and stay much longer in costume and in character which includes being in near-constant conversation, which can take fairly exhausting mental effort. Add to the hours the fact that the clinic opens right on the tick of the clock right after 4 p.m. and a lot of the other cool stuff on this particular day goes on until bartime. That will be more than 10 hours, not counting all the hours to get dressed, when all that green paint goes on and can cake and be a wee bit uncomfortable long before she jumps in our old Ford Focus. In another form of focus on what’s truly important and mirthful and only comes once a year and make it count — the workday can most every day and maybe, just maybe, it can wait just a bit — Conant’s clan at the front desk do not get their to be on deck until a bit later, although on this day they might go sooner and meet her at the door when it opens. And the intake staff in that far back door that’s the only one used that early, would certaintly find they getup a hoot also, and that might prompt the ditties to kick in. Not the Celtic women, but quite good, all said.
One of the most favorite of the fans is a nursing volunteer who also is a longtime teacher, who had to retire, so to speak, because of a family situation. She always would do her imitation of a jig, by dancing and shifting back and forth, as the songs played out, and added that she misses these times greatly now that she is not there every Tuesday, but mostly on the one closest to St. Patrick’s Day. Others of the group say that the lively and upbeat style of these classic ditties, by contrast to the somber tones you might expect, is what they enjoy the most, and why she has been extended a chance to do the full performance, in the fullest of garb, this year.
It might be a be a wee bit hard in 2020, though, because her big green pointed shoes, a foot long and much more in girth than her normal size eights, have been broken while in storage the other 364 days — or should we say a full, sort of, 365 this time around due to leap year. That was the full costume that captured a win in a contest a couple of years ago, when she crossed the St. Croix River into Minnesota to hit the American Legion hall in Bayport. The band, it should be noted, was was a full six-some ensemble of all women that included some songs from those Celtic women that have been favorites.
Conant also applied some green face paint a couple of times in Hudson to gain wins in costumes there that were tweaked to show her as an old hag witch, this time for Halloween, at both Dick’s Bar and the Smilin’ Moose, on different years and only a leprachauns sprint away, or one might say two blocks. These got her a total of $200, and that will supply a few rounds of Jameson. People said they liked her as this character in large part because her missing tooth that gleemed in its absense, making for a wry smile none the less.
The tunes lean more to the American-Irish. One of the group’s favorites might not be among the most well known, except to Irish through the through.
Here goes, to the style the truly Irish name, Eileen Augg. “Oh fiddle de diddle dee, eats and pain me quick or I be gone, fiddle de diddle dee, cats and mini me, I’m a leprechaun. When I was a wee lad, about 17, people need to say, and they would always sing …”
The crew got a warmup on a night right before press time for an Irish magazine, for which I write articles that are much like this, as they were not at their stations yet, so for Conant and I though a bit early despite the time I pushed it to meet deadline and could have backed things up quite a bit, it was over to the receptionists, who greeted her with broad smiles. Then it was back to the counter, and the first one their was Lee, who is probably the most over-the-top in her liking of the interaction. “Gee there were 16 people who signed up,” Conant said, to which her friend said “how did you know that befofe I did?” And so it goes between them. And if the shoes cannot be seen, she said, there is always a counter between them anyway. It had been 11 years since the severe electric shock that she had that put her in the situation of coming here, Conant noted, to which Lee said, “has it been that long? We’re all still here.”
Conant added that she to the nextdoor Allina Clinic, for a separate matter, a frostbitten finger, which she might have been playing up a bit like an Irishman telling a tale. Or did see get this on a frosty Irish night? Anyway, it was agreed, adding to the tale that you’ve got to be an MVP to need two clinics on the same wee night.
But it was the performance at the Smilin’ Moose last Halloween, again, like a tweaked leprachaun, that really stole the show, which gives away a total of almost $1,000. Conant, who gave out allegedly poison apples to all comers, was attracting a gentlemen crowd even though she is is disabled and uses a walker, on which she was seated when coyly giving out the fruit. Then, when she was selected as a finalist, to get on stage that was three feet high, a problem presented itself.
With the help of as couple of not so wee lads, Conant was able to take her place on the stage, much to the applause given that was by far the most of the night for any contestant.
After a bit, she upstaged even the best of the beauties. Much like the proverbial Eve, another of the contest winners, reprising an earlier victory, a Medusa all clad in gold like the pot at the end of the rainbow, clapped even moreso for the one in green.
But to the point of the coming St. Patrick’s Day, will all was aware in on a Tuesday, Conant although prized was told not to show until after the busy first half-hour the clinic is open, a tough task for an eager Irishman. So maybe first a Guinness…? All the better to free up time for songs of Erin, so maybe come and listen?