Celebrating Irish Heritage with Cherish the Ladies

The Water Works Conservancy (WWC) is celebrating New Jersey's second largest immigrant group by presenting a celebration of Irish heritage with Cherish the Ladies on Sunday, 3pm at .

The benefit performance features traditional Irish music dedicated to upholding the heritage of Irish music, song and dance in America. Under the leadership of Joanie Madden on flutes and whistles, Cherish the Ladies has grown from a one-time concert concept to an Irish traditional music sensation and are the most successful and sought after Irish-American group in Celtic music.

The Irish heritage celebration is part of the Water Works Conservancy's spring history theme of "Celebrating the Immigrants" whose cultures have impacted New Jersey and Bergen County and exploring the ways in which New Jersey and Bergen County impacted those immigrants.

The performance will be preceded by a 1 p.m. Irish brunch at River Dell High School, catered by , where premium ticket holders will get to meet and greet the musicians and singer of Cherish the Ladies. During the brunch, premium ticket holders will hear Joanie Madden, the group's leader, give a talk on the heritage of Irish music and traditional Irish instruments in America.

The brunch menu will include baked Irish bangers, cheese and onion omelet, baked spinach, mushroom, melted brie omelet, traditional corned beef and cabbage, New Jersey roasted potatoes, shepherd's pie, "old country" roasted root vegetables, "wearing the green" tossed salad, scones, muffins, Irish bagels, rye and pumpernickel, Hackensack River Valley Irish apple cake and more delights.

Tickets for the Celebration of Irish Heritage with Cherish the Ladies are $60 for premium tickets, which includes the brunch with The Ladies, a talk by Joanie Madden and front center seats in the auditorium for the performance; $35 for general admission; and $30 for seniors and students. Tickets can be ordered online by going to WWC's website and clicking on the events page and following it to the ticket order form. For more information, call 201-265-1000.