Fastnacht at the Clair Inn and Cafe

You’ve done Mardi Gras, now experience Fastnacht!

What’s Fastnacht, you ask? Fastnacht Day is an annual Pennsylvania Dutch celebration that falls on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The word translates to “Fast Night” in English. The tradition is to eat the very best foods, which are part of the German tradition, and lots of it, before the Lenten fast.

Fastnachts (pronounced fos-nok s in German) are doughnuts, made with potatoes and yeast. All are slightly crispy on the outside and not as sweet as standard doughnuts.

OK, sounds fun. Do I have to go to Germany?

Nope—just show up at Clair Inn in Youngsville on Saturday, February 10th at 2pm with an appetite and $20. All you can eat German buffet, courtesy of the gang at Clair Inn, and fastnacht doughnuts courtesy of Sullivan County’s favorite Pennsylvania Dutch boy, John Zimmerman. Of course, you can’t eat German food without beer, and a selection of interesting brews will be available along with the standard bar fare, so join us at this zammelaaf (gathering) and kumme esse (come eat) some hinkelwelschkann-nudel supp (chicken corn noodle soup) and other tasty dishes in the baerschtubb (bar room) and by the time you leave, you’ll be fluent in the mutersproch (mother language)!

The Clair Inn will be opening its restaurant exclusively for us for this event, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Catskills Pride’s Sheldon Soffer Scholarship in Music and Arts Fund. What’s not to like? Good food and a good cause!

Mer hoffe mer sehn eich datt! (We hope we see you there!)