Call me a purist, but I believe a holiday should be celebrated on the day itself. We don’t ask the groundhog for a weather forecast on Feb. 3. We don’t celebrate Christmas the weekend before. Thankfully, the fine people at FitzGerald’s are like-minded. They’re holding their 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival on March 17, even though it’s a Monday.
Doors open at 1 p.m. on the great day with the entertainment kicking off at 2:00. FitzGerald’s will feature mainstays like The Dooley Brothers and the The Mayer School Irish Step Dancers, as well as two new acts.
Kevin Flynn & the Avondale Ramblers are Irish-American to the core. As Flynn puts it, “Our songs are about Chicago, not Ireland. We sing about the Harp & Shamrock, Michigan Avenue and Mayor Daley.” The Ramblers will be followed by April Verch, a champion fiddle player from Canada.
Such down-home fun is the essence of the annual FitzGerald’s festival. “We’re looking forward to a big gathering of family and friends,” owner Bill Fitzgerald said, “We’ll have the whole facility open, and we’re planning for a nice sunny day.”
The FitzGerald’s facility includes the Wishbone Restaurant. Last year, the restaurant opened just in time to cater the club’s 2007 St. Pat’s party. Owner Joel Nixon is promising a second annual helping of Irish delights such as Guinness beef stew, soda bread and corned beef. The restaurant also features a “kid friendly” menu of hot dogs, nachos and macaroni and cheese.
“I’m glad they’re doing it on the day itself,” Nixon said. He’s expecting an after-school crowd coming to see young performers like The Avenue Kids, a children’s string ensemble. Nixon will also welcome the after-work crowd and has special desserts on hand for them, such as Bailey’s Cheesecake and Green Velvet Cupcakes.
FitzGerald’s has tents set up to accommodate the crowd, but because the event is on a Monday, they do not anticipate the “human gridlock,” which occurred at last year’s Saturday celebration.
Purists like myself enjoy St. Patrick’s Day more when it falls on a weekday, because we don’t have to fight for space with the “amateurs” and pretenders. The day is celebrated in America as a break from responsibilities and a chance to soak up Irish culture. It’s a golden moment to listen to stirring music and marvel at the flying feet of the step-dancers. And it’s much more fun to shirk your duties on a Monday than any other day of the week.
St. Patrick’s Day has been special for me since I was a child. It was the only day we could wear green to school-instead of navy blue. Green takes on a special significance on March 17: from the green-clad crowds, to the patches of green peeking out from under the snow.
By a marvelous coincidence, the Irish holiday concurs with the climax of college basketball. I have warm memories of watching high school and college tournament games at FitzGerald’s while listening to sweet strains from the old sod.
So join the purists at FitzGerald’s. The cover charge is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. You’ll never have a better Monday.