Celebrate the Month of the Irish-With Everything From Truffle Parties to Irish Dancers

It’s your lucky month! Katherine Anne Confections, SmallBar, Vinejoy and Trinity Irish Dancers have great events all month that will be sure to get you into the spirit of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. The luck of the Irish is on your side with everything from tasty Irish truffles to performances by the world renowned Trinity Irish Dancers.

Celebrate March with the fun events listed below!

Trinity Irish Dancers Perform Around Chicago

March 9th-March 24th

It’s hard to believe, but St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! To celebrate the month of the Irish, the Trinity Irish Dancers, the Illinois-based, world-renowned children’s Irish dance company, celebrating its 30th anniversary this St. Patrick’s Day, is performing public shows throughout Chicagoland. The Trinity Irish Dancers will be getting the city into the spirit of its favorite holiday—St. Patrick’s Day! The full schedule is below.

Trinity Irish Dancers St. Patrick’s Day Performances

March 9

11:00 a.m. Chicago Loop Alliance Lightscape Performances on State St.

8:30 p.m. Young Irish Fellowship Club’s Forever Green Party

March 10

7:30 p.m. St. Ignatius St. Pat’s Party

March 11

12:00 p.m. Northwest Side Irish Parade

March 12

7:30 p.m. Simsa na nGael

March 16

12:00 p.m. Daley Civic Center-Under the Picasso Program

4:30 p.m. Chicago Loop Alliance-Lightscape Performances on State St.

5:00 p.m. Durty Nellie’s

6:30 p.m.  The Irish Legend

8:30 p.m. Chief O’Neill’s

March 17

11:00 p.m. Tommy Nevins

11:15 a.m. The Kerry Piper

12:00 p.m. Downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Parade

2:00-4:00 p.m. Navy Pier Family Pavilion

2:30 p.m. Tommy Nevins

4:00 p.m. Mercy Home Shamrocks for Kids Party-Chicago Hilton

4:30 p.m. The Irish Legend

5:00 p.m. Chicago Irish American Heritage Center St. Pat’s Party

5:00 p.m. Mickey Finn’s St. Baldrick’s Party

6:00 p.m. Bourbon Street

6:00 p.m. Wild Goose Bar and Grill

6:30 p.m. Chief O’Neill’s

7:30 p.m. John Barleycorn-Schaumburg

9:00 p.m. Chief O’Neill’s

March 18

4:30 p.m. The Irish Legend

7:00 p.m. Chief O’Neill’s

St. Patrick’s Day Truffle Making Party with at Katherine Anne Confections

Wednesday, March 14

6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Katherine Duncan, founder and confectionista of Katherine Anne Confections, a locally-focused chocolatier, will be hosting a March Truffle Making Party—just in time to make delicious treats for St. Patrick’s Day! Katherine opens her kitchen and recipe book to the public as she demystifies the art of making truffles. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Katherine will be incorporating traditional Irish flavors into the truffles, such as Guinness, Baileys and corned beef (okay, maybe not corned beef!). This is the perfect (and delicious) opportunity to get into the Irish frame of mind and create Irish treats to share with your family and friends!

$50, includes wine, light appetizers and truffles! Reservations are required and space is limited, so sign up today! http://www.katherine-anne.com/parties.php

Katherine Anne Confections

2745 W. Armitage Ave.

Chicago, IL 60647

March Beer Brunch at SmallBar

Sunday, March 18

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

The Beer Brunch is back at SmallBar! In partnership with 5 Rabbit Brewery, SmallBar is excited to celebrate the month of March with a delicious menu paired with tasty beers from 5 Rabbit. SmallBar will offer a special menu designed by Chef Justin White to pair with unique brews from 5 Rabbit Brewery (see descriptions of the tasty beers here).

The pairings for March (available only March 18 at SmallBar Division) are listed below, the prices are for the entrees only:

Schnitzel Tinga Chilaquiles   12

thin, crispy Gunthorp chicken thighs and caper, honey, tomatillo salsa over fried corn chips, topped with house chorizo simmered in chipotle tinga sauce

Suggested Pairing: 5 Rabbit

An Influenced Goulash   13

slow roasted Gunthorp pork shoulder and cascabel pepper stew over coriander, lard braised cabbage and poached yucca with shaved jalapeno and breakfast radish

Suggested Pairing: 5 Lizards

Roast Poblano Pepper and Potato   14

stuffed with grilled brown gulf shrimp and munsterkase over golden potato latke with jicama, hibiscus and cane sugar salad

Suggested Pairing: Huitzi

Hoja Santa and Balsamic Grilled Quail    15

over tarragon perogi with chipolini onion beignet, poached quail egg and maple caramel jus

Suggested Pairing: Viday Muerte

Due to the popularity, reservations are strongly recommended. Contact SmallBar at [email protected] to save your seat today!

SmallBar Division

2049 W. Division St.

Chicago, IL

Free Irish Dance Classes with Trinity Irish Dancers

March 10th-March 18th

Trinity Irish Dancers, a staple in the Chicago Irish dance community and beyond, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary by giving away 30 FREE dance classes (throughout Illinois and Wisconsin)! To Mark this milestone and in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Trinity Irish Dancers invites children to sample an Irish dance class at one of their many locations. Dancers will be with the award-winning teaching staff for an hour-long introductory class. Trinity parents and teachers will be on hand during classes to answer questions about the program.

Trinity invites boys and girls ages 3 ½ -12 to discover the basics of Irish dance, learning a few skills and steps set to Irish music—for FREE. No previous dance experience is necessary.

To register, visit http://www.trinityirishdancers.com/try-free-irish-dance-class and click on the location you are interested in to reserve your spot. For more information, call 877-326-2328 or email [email protected].

Potluck with Vinejoy

Saturday, March 31

7:00 p.m.

Vinejoy, a wine company which provides Chicago with unique hand-crafted, story-filled wines, is excited to launch their 2012 Potluck Dinner Series with a potluck in March! Vinejoy’s Potluck Dinners are the ultimate party which invites diners to be part of the fun—and contribute to the menu!

The only way to receive an invitation to this and other Vinejoy events is by signing up for the Vinejoy newsletter (http://www.vinejoy.net/). Attendees are asked to bring a dish of their own design using the featured ingredient garlic.

Cost is $10 per person, space is limited to 20 people.

Located at the art studio of JC Steinbrunner in Ravenswood.