St. Catherine celebrates 14th Irish Fest in West Dundee
For the 14th year in a row, thousands turned out to jig, jog and swig at St. Catherine of Siena's Fox Valley Irish Fest.
The three-day celebration featured an 8 a.m. 5k run Saturday, along with performances by Irish entertainers, including the Mayer School of Irish Dance, the Chancey Brothers, and the Mickey Finns.
With considerably better weather this year, organizers hoped the fest would surpass last year's attendance record of 7,207.
The fest also featured a Celtic marketplace with jewelry, sweaters and home goods from nearly a dozen vendors, including Murray's Irish Outfitters, Mystic Ireland and Irish Sisters boutique.
The "wee folks" area for children held several new stations aimed at tweens, volunteer Liz Steinhable of Carpentersville said. An Irish Idol contest for kids 13 and under was held at 7 p.m.
St. Catherine's, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, held half-hour church tours from 1 to 3 p.m., with parishioners serving as guides.
Chris Warbiany, the fest's admissions director, said hundreds of individuals signed up to serve as volunteers.
Kristal Carney, husband Patrick and 15-month-old son Brody drove all the way from Harvard to check out the fest.
"We're just looking around, taking it all in," she said. "We'll stay as long as Brody holds up."
The festival continues Sunday, beginning with a Gaelic Mass at 11:30 a.m. and concluding with a $10,000 raffle.
Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and free for children under 12.