SOUTHSIDE IRISH PARADE IS BACK!!!

well, not really... this is what our traditions have come to... this still makes me ill! But for those of you with youngsters, read on... anyone have any other ideas or places of worship for the big day for our mick bretheren please share here... They're not good for much, but they sure nailed it when it came to the parade!

Dear Friends and Family, As usual, we will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day 2010 on the South Side with food, drink and an Irish fiddle.

But you won't believe the lineup this year.

Instead of gathering at my house the Sunday before St. Patty's Day and gorging on the Bloody Mary bar and Kate's potato-chip cookies, we'll be celebrating the day before, on Saturday, March 13.

We'll begin with a best-dressed Irish dog contest, followed by a soda bread competition. Bring your kids because we'll have arts and crafts and children's films.

As usual, I had hoped to convince the husband to wear a kilt for your entertainment, but who needs another Irishman with pale, hairy pegs wandering the neighborhood?

We'll have live Irish music and dancing all day, capped with a nighttime performance by Hothouse Flowers, a critically acclaimed European-based Irish rock band.

Our address this year is 2407 W. 111th St. - the Beverly Arts Center. If you get lost, call us at (773) 445-3838.

I know we'll all miss the decadence of my garage and the portable toilet parked on the lawn. It's been a glamorous ride.

But it's time to class-up our celebration of Irish culture. There's more to it than dragging a cooler of Budweiser down Western Avenue wearing shamrock necklaces.

The parade began in 1979 as a small gathering of Morgan Park neighbors pushing baby buggies and carrying Irish flags around the 10900 blocks of Washtenaw and Talman avenues. They ended the march with Kool-Aid and Twinkies in George Hendry's basement.

By 2009, the parade swelled to a regional event of 300,000 revelers and more than 600 Chicago police officers on patrol. A warm day this past spring contributed to the pleasantry but added an element of overindulgence. A record 54 people were arrested, most of whom were intoxicated.

So it's fitting the "parade" of 2010 will wind back to its original intent: a family-friendly, community festival.

Certainly, we will miss the parade itself - the bagpipes, the embroidered dresses, the floats and even the stroll of elected officials.

But hopefully the families and parishioners who spun the South Side parade into existence and nurtured it for decades will continue the special traditions that day brings for them.

Bring on the bicycle parades, the hot toddies, the corned beef.

For us, parade day became an annual ritual of reconnecting with old friends and giving out-of-town family an excuse to visit Aunt Kristen. The party at the Beverly Arts Center is more reason to visit.

So friends - all 200 of you - please join us again this year for an Irish toast.

The Beverly Arts Center offers far better accommodations than our driveway.

Sincerely,

Kristen