By: centraljersey.com
PRINCETON – When patrons raise a glass of Guinness at the Alchemist & Barrister’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, they will be helping to set a local hero back on the road to recovery.
Marine Lance Cpl. Colin Pascik, of Monroe, is the beneficiary of this year’s Longbeard Contest, a Princeton tradition for more than 30 years.
Men register, clean shaven, and donate $25 to participate in the contest. The winner is named at the St. Patrick’s celebration.
All proceeds go to a local charity, and this year, the event will benefit Cpl. Pascik, who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan.
The Colin Pascik Road to Recovery Fund is the project of the Monroe Township VFW Post 262.
While Cpl. Pascik is an outpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, members are working to ensure he and his family will have everything they need from transportation to and from Washington to caregivers, special equipment and, in the future, any needed construction on the family’s residence.
Cpl. Pascik has been fitted for prostheses and at Walter Reed is undergoing rehabilitation therapy so he can walk again.
"We are in this for the long haul," said Chuck Corbett, senior vice commander of VFW Post 262 and co-chairman of the Colin Pascik Road to Recovery Fund.
Mr. Corbett is also a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and served in the Navy.
"The members are committed to providing whatever Colin needs, now and in the future," he said.
He added 100 percent of the funds raised will go directly to Cpl. Pascik.
Alchemist & Barrister plans several fundraising events between now and the bash St. Patrick’s Day. Each year, guest bartenders serve in the A&B’s pub and donate earnings to the fund.
Both local citizens and Princeton’s top mixologists from neighboring restaurants will be behind the bar each week.
St. Patrick’s Day, festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with Irish fare, specialty drinks and mugs of Guinness.
"Our St. Patrick’s Day party and Longbeard Contest always benefits a local charity," said executive chef and owner Arthur Kukoda. "We want to do all we can for this brave young man, who is working so hard to recover and who sacrificed so much for us."
More information about Cpl. Pascik and his fund can be found at www.Colinpascik.org. Donations can be made by check, payable to VFW Post 262: Road to Recovery. Checks can be mailed to Monroe Township VFW Post 262, Colin Pascik Road to Recovery Fund, 120 Monmouth Road, Monroe Township, New Jersey, 08831.
For reservations, call 609-924-5555. Alchemist & Barrister is at 28 Witherspoon St.

