Palatine's Paint the Town Green has something for everybody
Palatine's Paint the Town Green 7th annual St. Patrick's Day celebration on Saturday, March 11, is everything Irish, with a parade, food, drink and entertainment all throughout the town.
"Paint the Town Green will be a full day of 'putting on the green' for St. Patrick's Day. We have the parade as well as food and entertainment at a number of bars and restaurants throughout the day," said event coordinator Liz Noe of ElizEvents. "This festival is going to be fun for the whole family. We start with Irish breakfasts at Durty Nellie's, Emmett's and Tap House; move on to the parade; and finish the day with a wide variety of food and entertainment throughout town."
The parade, which begins at 11 a.m., will feature 50 entries including grand marshals Lucky McClover and Katie M'Lady. Irish music will be provided by the Midlothian Scottish Bagpipe Band. The Trinity Irish Dancers, the Lucky Little Leprechauns of Dorset Avenue, last year's winning entry the Palatine Beer Club & Families and numerous other Irish-themed floats will add to the entertainment. The parade begins at the corner of Wood and Oak streets in downtown Palatine and continues west on Wood to Smith and north to Colfax.
Two participants in this year's parade will receive recognition as the top entries. A team of three judges will decide based on their theme, the enthusiasm of the participants and the creativity of the entry. The winning entry will receive a pizza party for 50 individuals and the second place entry will receive a pizza party for 25 individuals, both provided by Durty Nellie's.
Comcast will be recording the parade to be televised on several later dates. For the judges and Comcast there will be three performance areas along the parade route for the participants to highlight the attributes of their entry. The locations are on Wood Street at Brockway Street, Plum Grove Road and at Benton Street.
Street parking is not allowed along the parade route the day of the parade. A number of parking lots along the route will offer free parking. Those lots include ones located at Bothwell and Wood Street, at the train station and at the parking deck on Smith and Colfax Streets.
During the parade, marchers with shopping carts will collect food, clothing and disposable paper products for Journeys the Road Home, an organization serving the homeless and near-homeless in the North and Northwest suburbs. Needed items include diapers, gas gift cards, normal-sized toiletries, bottled water, jelly, tuna, granola bars, nuts, microwaveable paper plates and bowls, toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, laundry soap and dryer sheets.
Traditional Irish meals will be served throughout the village. Durty Nellie's will add Irish treats like shepherd's pie and corned beef to the menu. Emmett's Ale House will serve corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, horseradish salmon and corned beef sandwiches in addition to the regular menu. Tap House Grill will be serving food "with an Irish twist" including Reuben sliders, Reuben sandwiches, Reuben rolls and corned beef and cabbage. TJ O'Brien's Bar & Grill will be serving Guinness, green beer and a number of Irish dishes.
Durty Nellie's, Emmett's, O'Brien's as well as Tap House will all have bagpipers at various times and Durty Nellie's will have music throughout most of the day and night.
At 1 p.m., Emmett's will conduct a firkin tapping ceremony of Emmett's Rafferty Red beer, where a spigot is driven into a small wooden keg with a wooden mallet. Mayor Jim Schwantz will officiate. Tap House will have a tent in the parking lot from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. with a live band, Hooked on Sonics, playing from noon until 4 p.m.
The premier sponsor and presenter of the festival is Durty Nellie's. The media sponsor is the Daily Herald Media Group. Other sponsors include Pan American Bank, CLASS Landscaping, Town & Country Distributors, Lavelle Law and ElizEvents Inc.
For information, visit www.stpatspalatine.com or email info@stpatspalatine.com.