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South Side Irish Fest all clean & dandy
Submitted by Michael Fielding on Sat, 03/13/2010 - 5:29pm.
It's the capstone event for a "revised" tradition in the wake of the 31st annual South Side Irish Parade. The new family-friendly celebration is just that: loaded with families. And that's not a bad thing. By 4 p.m. (just halfway through the marathon 12-hour fest) hundreds of families had packed the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., to continue the tradition.
Noticeably absent was the booze. Oh sure, there were beer stations set up under the massive tent in the BAC's parking lot, but they were eerily quiet, with only the occasional beer drinker stopping by for one or two. Good or bad, though, that's the way it is.
Even before the last float crossed 115th Street last year, there were rumors about the 31-year-old event being canceled. The good weather didn't help things, as thousands of boozers from around the Midwest converged on Beverly and Morgan Park, assaulting police and urinating in neighbors' yards.
The family fest is simply an extension of what's been going at the BAC for years. After the parade, families would gather for harmless fun and games. This year's event features face-painting, crafts, live entertainment, a best-dressed Irish dog contest and karaoke.
Warnings were posted throughout the main festival about police surveillance and alcohol limitations. Aside from the lonely beer stations and live music, adults had little to do except watch the kids enjoy themselves. Police were conspicuous. Glitter, craft paper and face paint was everywhere.
But there's the rub: It was almost too family-friendly.
And even that wasn't a guarantee: Although the tent was set up in the BAC's parking lot, puddles of water remained. Yes, this was a family function, but young children couldn't even run around because - as my wife and I found out - our son wound up face-first in a dirty puddle after falling to the ground.
Nonetheless, the even went on without any problems, and organizers were pleased with the turnout, which was a huge question mark. Now there's just one question left to answer: What about next year?
Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the fifth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave.[1] It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.
In 432, he again says that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianize the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of proselytizing, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.
Comment: Saint Patrick's Day (Irish:
Submitted by ccnp (not verified) on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 5:43am.Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a yearly holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (circa AD 387–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. However, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland's culture.
It is a public holiday on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat, among others.