Actually, since yesterday was Palm Sunday, St. Patrick's Day was officially moved to March 15 this year (officially, if you believe that the Catholic church is in charge of this holiday)and that's the day the Chicago River was dyed green and the parade marched up Michigan Avenue. We skipped the downtown festivities because we had a prior engagement (plus, after several days in the upper 40's and even 50's, the temperatures dropped to the low 30's - factor in the cooling lake "breeze" and not even some Irish Whiskey in a cup of Starbucks would keep you warm). Mason and her friend Kali had a date with the judge - as in music.
Mason and Kali won a gold medal in the Solofest. They did a simple piece, "America The Beautiful", but did it very well - and the judge agreed.
Chicago is known for it's Irish heritage and culture. The Mayor's name is Daly, it was mainly Irish imigrants who, in the 1860's, dug the tunnel 60' under Lake Michigan to pump fresh water from the unpolluted part of the lake to the city, and it was Patrick and Catherine O'Leary's cow who started the Chicago Fire.
Some more interesting facts:
♣ There are 34.7 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (4.2 million). Irish is the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only those of German ancestry.
♣ There are 4 places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, TX, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 1,841 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 162 residents and Shamrock, OK, 125.
♣ There are 9 places in the United States that share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin.
♣ Some areas in Ireland are known to receive 90 inches of rain each year, which accounts for the brilliantly green grass that has earned Ireland the nickname the "emerald isle".
♣ The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762.
An old Irish recipe for longevity:
Leave the table hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the bar thirsty.
Slainte
~Max & Mason
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