Mount Prospect’s ‘Titanic’ party sails on April 14

A century ago, the R.M.S. Titanic departed from Southampton, England, on a brisk April afternoon and sailed into the arms of history. The voyage remains one of the most storied, romantic tragedies of the 20th century.

If you had been on a transatlantic ocean voyage a century ago, do you picture yourself living the high life at the Captain’s Table or would you have been rollicking down below in steerage?

You might want to give it some thought because the Mount Prospect Historical Society and River Trails Park District are planning a unique party on Saturday, April 14, at the Rob Roy Golf Course clubhouse, 505 E. Camp McDonald Road, Prospect Heights, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic.

Those attending will have two options. Some guests will choose to dress elegantly and enjoy a gourmet meal at the Captain’s Table, personally prepared for them by “Ship’s Chef” Dave Esau of Dave’s Specialty Foods of Mount Prospect. This luxurious menu will feature boneless, tender beef short ribs with classic Lyonnais brown sauce, potatoes with fresh herbs in the Parmentier style, and seasonal cream of barley soup “a la chef du R.M.S. Titanic.” All recipes will be inspired and prepared in accordance with the surviving First Class menus from the fateful voyage.

Those who feel that rubbing elbows with the High Seas Victorian elite isn’t for them will dress more comfortably, sit at the steerage tables, and enjoy a fun buffet of corned beef and cabbage, as well as Shepherd’s Turkey Pie, catered by Rob Roy’s 10th Hole Bar and Grill of Prospect Heights.

Tickets at the Captain’s Tables, where you can converse with Captain Edward J. Smith and maybe even enjoy the company of the Unsinkable Molly Brown, are $75 per person. Tickets for the more casual and down-to-earth steerage tables, on the other hand, are $25 each, according to Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Mount Prospect Historical Society.

But no matter where you choose to sit, he added, you will enjoy period classical music during the cash bar and dinner; some Titanic trivia, photo opportunities, and Titanic exhibits; and later, the authentic maritime and the Irish pub music of “Merry Measure,” a Chicago-based trio. Festivities begin at 6 p.m.

Tickets are limited and may be reserved individually or in tables of 10. For more information, log onto www.mtphist.org or call (847) 392-9006, Tuesday through Friday during office hours.