St. Catherine to host its Irish festival Saturday

It's that time of year again when the parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena Church transport a wee bit of Ireland to the corner of routes 31 and 72 in West Dundee.

Tickets for this weekend's festival are $8 a day, $13 for a two-day pass or $20 for the three-day pass. Children younger than 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Senior citizens pay $6 per day.

The doors open at 5 p.m. Friday for food and shopping. No one will go hungry and the variety to choose from crosses all national boundaries.

Bennigans's will be selling its Turkey O'Toole Sandwiches, potato soup and brownie bottom pie. Lee's Concession will provide egg rolls, chicken on a stick, vegetable fried rice and vegetable lo mein.

El Somberito Rojo will have tacos, burritos, nachos, tostadas and quesadillas, and Victor's Grill will have gyros, shish kabob, chicken pita and homemade sausage.

The Knights of Columbus will serve corn on the cob, corned beef sandwiches, pizza, fish 'n' chips, cheese fries and PBJ kid's meals. St. Catherine's food booth will have hot dogs and hamburgers.

Your sweet tooth will be content with treats from the Windsor Fudge Company, Mr. Funnel Cake and a smoothie from Maui Wowi.

If you're watching your weight but not your wallet, the Irish marketplace will have many vendors selling jewelry and fine Irish goods, clothing and souvenirs, gifts and all the best from Ireland.

St. Catherine's Home and School will have children's novelties and the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be hold gift basket raffles.

At 6 p.m. Friday, the Celtic Aires and the youngsters from The Mayer School of Irish Dance will perform. It's a real delight watching the girls with their beautiful costumes and bouncing curls do the traditional Irish step dancing. Perhaps you might even spot a future "Lord of the Dance" among the group.

Later that evening, Brigid's Cross and the Larkin and Moran Brothers will entertain until 10:45 p.m.

During the fest, the Wee Folk area will be open with games, crafts and entertainment for the little ones as they are moved into the air-conditioned indoor stage. The area is open from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

The price for wee folks activities is $3 (three tickets), which includes Blarney Bingo, musical entertainment and Irish jig lessons.

On Saturday and Sunday the performances begin at 1 p.m., but you can enter any time after noon. There will be old favorites and some new groups, too.

Performers include Solid-Aire, Anam Mor Irish Dancers, Chicago Pipe Band, The Dooleys, Mother Grove, Chicago Celtic Pipe Band, Donnybrook, Celia Farran and Lil Rev.

Saturday evening performances end at 10:45 p.m. and on Sunday the Irish Fest ends at 7 p.m.

On Saturday evening there will be a new addition of Ceili (kaylee) dancing to the lineup. Kathy Clark, one of the organizers of the Irish Fest, said Ceili dancing is a form of Irish group step dancing. Ed Heffeman will be teaching youngster, as well as adults, how to do it.

Admission to the Ceili dance is free with regular paid admission and will be held in the indoor stage beginning at 7:15 p.m.

For a complete listing of performance times, visit www. stcatherinesirishfest.com or call (847) 426-2217.

This weekend also will feature the Irish Jig Jog, a one-mile fun run, 5K and 10K run that benefits St. Catherine of Siena School. The Saturday morning race, which begins and ends at St. Catherine's, has attracted participants from babies in strollers to serious competitive runners.

While only in its third year, organizers expect more than 300 runners and walkers. It has become CARA-certified and U.S. Track and Field approved, has bar code timing for personalized and immediate results and expanded age categories for awards.

To learn more about the event or to register, visit www.irishjigjog.com.