By Jacquie Rath
The Rockville Centre Lions Club is hosting a unique experience of dining on Mar. 21 at Chadwick's restaurant at 49 Front St. in the village. The event has been dubbed "Dinner in the Dark." All participants in the evening's events will be temporarily rendered unable to see. Chadwick's windows will be draped with a heavy, dark material, which will allow absolutely no light into the restaurant, and the lights inside will be turned off. Luckily for participants, the wait staff will retain their sight with the aid of special nightvision goggles.
"The purpose of the dinner is to increase awareness about the types of obstacles the blind must overcome each day," said Lions Club President Michael Jordan, proprietor of Jordan Lobster Farms in Island Park.
Lions clubs around the world have a long standing tradition of working for charities that benefit the visually impaired. In 1925, Helen Keller challenged members of the Lions organization to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." Since that challenge was issued, Lions around the globe have continued to raise awareness and funds for the blind
The upcoming event will allow guests to experience a gourmet meal as a blind person would. "The dinner is designed to raise the consciousness of the attendees," said Jennifer Guttenberg, co-chairwoman of the Dinner in the Dark. "They will have a unique opportunity to experience the daily challenges that face the blind. The experience has such potential to raise awareness about things we normally don't have to deal with. I hope it will make people feel empathy toward the blind, and that people will remember not to take their sight for granted."
"I hope people embrace the event with an open mind," said Bruce Merkin, a Lions Club member and proprietor of Accent on Eyes, which will supply the night vision goggles. The goggles were donated by Bushnell, the parent company of Bole Sunglasses.
The event is scheduled to kick off at 7:45 p.m. with a well lit, 45-minute cocktail reception. After that, the lights will be turned off and the wait staff will guide participants to their tables. At that point participants will have to think, feel and experience things as blind people would.
"It's great to be involved with this event," said Susan Milone of Chadwick's. "The menu will consist of an appetizer, salad, main course and dessert. We are not going to make it easy on the participants. They will have the full dining experience. Everything the Lions Club does is top-notch, and they keep the money in our community. They're a great group of people."
Ted Fass, a Rockville Centre resident who lost his sight at age 11, offered some thoughts on what challenges the evening may present for the diners. "I would expect them to spill quite a lot during dinner, because it's very difficult to judge distance when you can't see," said Fass. "It can be difficult to find your silverware or beverages. You may not even know if there is a bread basket on the table, or even salt and pepper. People will have a hard time focusing in on conversations, especially if there is background music, and may not even know when they are being spoken to."
Fass also offered some suggestions on getting through the meal successfully. "Think of your plate as a clock, and ask which food is located at what hour on the face," he said. "When adding milk to your coffee or tea, let a bit of your index finger rest inside the cup and gage how full it is."
Proceeds from the dinner will go toward the Lions Clubs' Campaign Sight First II. The campaign's goal is to raise $150 million from clubs around the world to enable work on the prevention of blindness and sight restoration to continue.
For more information about the Dinner in the Dark, or to obtain tickets for the event, call Jennifer Guttenberg at (516) 763-3222 or Lisa Spatz at 887-4411.
