South Side Irish to hold Family Fest

Traditions old and new will fill the neighborhood as local residents celebrate the spirit of Ireland during the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 2010.

Remaining on the schedule that started the celebration on March 5 with the opening of the Chicago Irish Film Festival at the Beverly Arts Center (BAC), 2407 W. 111th St., are the following, which will be held at the BAC.

The Midwest Rose of Tralee competition is now in its third year, and the former Chicago competition has extended to the entire Midwest, opening the field to contestants from Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. The spotlight will shine on Friday, March 12, at 8 p.m., when the competition for women between the ages of 18 to 27 is held and the winner is crowned Midwest Rose of Tralee.

Organizers said that the competition models itself after the International Rose of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland, a small town where thousands of people arrive for a five-day festival, hitting the streets and boosting the local economy.

At the local competition, Bobby O’Connell, mayor of Kerry, and Jimmy Deenihan, Teachta Dala for the Kerry North constituency in Ireland’s parliament and Fine Gael spokesman for the Ireland Department of Defense, will serve as judges.

For more information, or to fill out an application, prospective Roses are urged to visit the Web site at chicagoroseoftralee. com, or call (773) 239-3927.

The South Side Irish Family Fest will be held on Saturday, March 13, at the BAC. Doors will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Festivities will take place both inside the arts center and in a heated tent that will cover the property’s courtyard and parking lot.

There is a two-tiered admissions system for the Family Fest. Patrons arriving between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. will be charged $7 for seniors and $10 for persons 13 years and older. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Attendees who arrive after 4 p.m. will be charged a flat $25 admission fee. Food, drink, and Irish merchandise will be available at additional costs.

The day’s entertainment will include Irish dancers, bagpipers, Irish musicians and the evening’s marquis performance by the Irish band Hothouse Flowers. Admission will also provide patrons with a host of family-friendly activities, including children’s films, Irish-themed arts and crafts, and a children’s theater production of “The Three Little Pigs,” by Kids Company of Chicago at 12:30 p.m. This one-hour show will put a Celtic twist on a classic children’s fairytale.

Another event featuring the community’s youth will be an afternoon children’s parade. Neighborhood kids will gather inside the arts center at approximately 2:30 p.m., before marching around the tented portion of the grounds. They will be led by a bagpiper and will be carrying the traditional tri-colored Irish flag. The parade will feature some of the children of the original Wee Folks, the group of youngsters who initiated the South Side Irish Parade more than 30 years ago.

One hallmark of the new Family Fest is the availability of competition. No heavily rigged carnival games, though; the contests on offer at this festival will measure achievement in music, culinary arts and esthetic appeal.

The Lucky Dog Contest, which will be held at 12:30 p.m., will determine who among Beverly/Morgan Park residents has the most culturally enriched canine. Costumes, dye and decorations of any type are encouraged.

On what would have been parade day, Sunday, March 14, members of St. Cajetan Roman Catholic Church, 112th Street and Artesian Avenue, will celebrate their Irish heritage with their annual Mass at 9 a.m. to honor St. Patrick and the spirit of family, faith and tradition that was embodied by the parade since its beginning.

Taking part in the Mass as in the past will be the Emerald Society Bagpipes. Their music marks the beginning and end of the celebration, and they are accompanied by members of the Gaelic Fire Brigade. Those in attendance will also enjoy musical selections that include favorites such as “Danny Boy,” “Four Green Fields” and “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”

After the Mass, St. Cajetan families and those around the neighborhood are expected to hold their annual parties and family get-togethers to keep the old traditions alive while celebrating new ones.

This is part of the March 10, 2010 online edition of The Beverly Review.

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