Enjoy St. Patrick's Day all weekend long in the suburbs, city
There's something about St. Patrick's Day that puts everyone in a mighty good mood. And the best part is, you don't have to be Irish to celebrate.
St. Patrick's Day may be Sunday, but parades, concerts and theater productions keep the fun going all weekend long.
<h3 class="briefHead">St. Patty's parades</h3>
Ÿ Naperville - The West Suburban Irish's St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St., Naperville. The parade heads down Mill Street to Jefferson Avenue, then moves east to Main Street and south to Water Street, with parade dispersal near the Naperville Municipal Center. Visit wsirish.org.
Ÿ East Dundee - The Thom McNamee Memorial St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday on Water Street in East Dundee. It travels south to Barrington Avenue, then east to River Street and ends at Bandito Barney's at 10 N. River St., East Dundee. For information, visit banditobarneysbeachclub.com.
Ÿ Palatine - The parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Wood and Oak streets in downtown Palatine and continues west to Brockway, then south to Wilson. Visit stpatspalatine.com.
Ÿ Lake Villa - Noon Saturday brings the Lake Villa parade, starting at Peter J. Palombi School, 133 McKinley Ave. A corned beef and cabbage meal with entertainment follows at the Lake Villa VFW, 130 E. Grand Ave. Tickets are $4-$8 and available at door. (847) 356-6100.
Ÿ Downtown Chicago - The downtown parade starts at noon Saturday at Balbo and Columbus streets and then proceeds north on Columbus. The viewing station is located in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway. Visit chicagostpatsparade.com.
Ÿ St. Charles - Parade participants step off at 2 p.m. Saturday on Main Street/Route 64 in downtown St. Charles. (630) 443-3967 or downtownstcharles.org.
<h3 class="briefHead">Celtic music</h3>
Ÿ The Celtic band Gaelic Storm plays traditional Irish music, Scottish music and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, Chicago. Tickets $36 and up. Go to houseofblues.com or call (312) 923-2000.
Ÿ Catch Crystal Lake native Megon McDonough and Susan Halloran in "Pot of Gold: Irish Stories and Songs from Two of Chicago's Own" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bodhi Spiritual Center, 2746 N. Magnolia, Chicago. The concert will include classics such as "Danny Boy" as well as songs and stories of being raised Irish American. General admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Go to bodhispiritualcenter.org or call (773) 248-5683.
Ÿ Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake will be awash in Irish tunes at 8 p.m. Saturday, with music from Áthas, comedy from Bob Rumba and Irish dancers from The Rebecca McCarthy School of Dance. Áthas (pronounced AH-hiss) plays traditional and new Irish dance tunes. Tickets are $20 and available online at rauecenter.org, by phone (815) 356-9212 or at the theater, 26 N. Williams St.
<h3 class="briefHead">Irish-inspired theater</h3>
Ÿ The interactive comedy "Flanagan's Wake" allows you to attend a traditional Irish wake without any of the personal grief. Listen in on stories, sing songs and imbibe as family and friends reminisce and regale the crowd with tales of the recently departed title chap. "Flanagan's Wake" plays 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Tickets are $35. Call (847) 577-2121 or visit metropolisarts.com.
Ÿ Get a look at some crazy Irish characters by way of Utah when David Ivers and Brian Vaughn, the co-artistic directors of the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, recreate their recent production of the international hit comedy "Stones In His Pockets" for the Northlight Theatre in Skokie. Ivers and Vaughn play more than a dozen different characters in Marie Jones' play that shows how two Irishmen hope to hit it big when they're hired as extras for an American movie filming in their County Kerry village. Catch it this weekend at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets are $25-$72. Call (847) 673-6300 or visit northlight.org.
Ÿ If you want a comedy more on the adult side, then don't miss the final performance of the Annoyance Theatre's "Kill Me I'm Irish (A Chicago St. Patrick's Day Story)." See how groups of Chicagoans navigate their personal love-hate relationships with the holiday and how it is celebrated to green extremes in Windy City locales. It plays 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway St., Chicago. Tickets are $10. Call (773) 561-4665 or visit annoyanceproductions.com.
<h3 class="briefHead">Family-friendly fun</h3>
Ÿ Take the family along when the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers turn a portion of the Chicago River green. It's a tradition that has gone on more than 40 years to coincide with the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The greening of the river is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, with suggested viewing (due to this year's construction) at the east side of the bridge at Columbus Drive or on upper and lower Wacker Drive between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive. Visit chicagostpatsparade.com for more information.
Ÿ Get your family out of the cold and under one roof at The Irish American Heritage Center. 4626 N. Knox, Chicago. Enjoy music, dance, food and activities targeted to different age groups from toddlers to adults. There is a St. Patrick's Festival from 1 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $12-$15, while kids ages 12 and under are admitted free. Or go to the St. Patrick's Day Celebration from noon to midnight on Sunday. Tickets this day are $10, and kids ages 12 and under are admitted free. Call (773) 282-7035, ext. 10, or visit irish-american.org.