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4626 N Knox Ave • Chicago IL 60630 • 773/282-7035 • Fax 773/282-0380 • Email |
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Annual Irish Fest – July 7, 8, 9,2006 Chicago's Own Irish Fest! Irish American Heritage Festival July 7, 8, & 9 2006 Featuring: Nanci Griffith (Saturday) Gaelic Storm (Sunday) and the best of Chicago's Irish Music Scene: SAVE THE DATES!! IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL JULY 7, 8, and 9 Tickets on sale NOW Contact the Center at (773) 282-7035, ext 10 for purchasing tickets - VISA & Mastercard welcome! TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR - IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL The 21st annual Irish American Heritage Festival will be held July 7-9, 2006. Headlined by Nanci Griffith, Gaelic Storm and Michael McDermott with three days of music on four stages, the festival showcases the finest in local and international Irish and American music, dance and family activities. The festival directly supports and is held on the grounds of the Irish American Heritage Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and strengthening Irish culture in Chicago. Nanci Griffith headlines the festival with a performance on Saturday night at 9pm. Griffith is a shining example of the impact the Irish and Irish Americans have had on the music scene on both sides of the Atlantic. Loved and respected for her work as a country music star, Griffith has always embraced her Irish heritage and has recorded several Irish folk songs throughout the years. Griffith won a Grammy for her work with the traditional Irish music legends, The Chieftains. Performing with her Blue Moon Orchestra, Griffith brings her special brand of folk and country charm to the stage in what should be a truly special evening of the best in Irish and American music. Gaelic Storm takes your favorite Irish songs and melodies, rocks them up a bit, and turns them back into heart-pounding, foot-stomping tunes that are still uniquely Irish. Perhaps the most popular Irish group touring these days, Gaelic Storm will bring the house down closing the festival on Sunday night at 7pm . Friday night boasts the return of Michael McDermott at 9pm. McDermott first played the Irish Fest in 2005 and surprised his audience by covering a number of Irish traditional and popular songs. One of Chicago’s premier singer-songwriters, McDermott will be playing lots of his own material and hopefully some more surprises this year. Other performers include The Makem Brothers. The Makems are a long-running staple at Irish Fest and they always do their famous father proud. They perform on Sunday at 4:30pm. The band, Brigid’s Cross will make its Irish Fest debut on Saturday at 6:30pm. They are a huge favorite on the Irish festival scene throughout the country and bring their high energy show to our stage this summer. Many of Chicago’s local favorites and talents, such as The Chancey Brothers, Baal Tinne, Finbar Fagan and The Muck Brothers will also appear. For those more inclined toward hands-on activity, the Folk Tent returns with various demonstrations of Irish instruments, dances and sing-alongs. Irish and American food will be available throughout the weekend, and dozens of vendors and artisans will be selling Irish clothing, music and jewelry. Two exciting contests, the Mashed Potato Eating Contest and the Irish-American Idol Contest return to this year’s festival. The Mashed Potato Eating Contest takes place at Friday night at 8pm. Contestants may sign up that night but should be forewarned that two-time defending champion, Jim Sullivan, returns with many new contenders. The contestants will compete for a variety of prizes. Budding young talents can begin to experience fame with the The Irish-American Idol competition on Saturday afternoon. There will be two categories, one for children under twelve and another for teens from 13-18 years old. Contestants must register by 1:30pm on Saturday or pre-register by calling the Center at 773-282-7035. Like the popular TV show, contestants will get a chance to sing an Irish song for a panel of judges. The finalists will perform on Sunday afternoon, with the winner announced and given a chance to perform on a festival stage Sunday evening at 6 pm. To purchase tickets, call 773-282-7035, ext. 10. Tickets: $12 per day; $8 in advance until the end of day July 6; seniors $7 Children under 12 free when accompanied by a paid adult. Hours: Fri., 6-12 p.m; Sat., noon-midnight; Sun., noon-11 p.m.  Of course rounding out the weekend will be all of our favorite local acts. There won’t be a moment of down time at this year’s fest as we will also have several appearances by step dancing schools scheduled throughout the weekend along with a couple of bag pipe bands. For those who like more hands on activity, the Folk Tent will return with various demonstrations of Irish instruments, dances, sing-alongs, and the like. Of course there will be several varieties of food to sustain you throughout the weekend and dozens of vendors and artisans selling every conceivable piece of Irish clothing, music, jewelry, etc. The Irish Fest prides itself on its family atmosphere and there will be plenty of activities to keep the kids active and thoroughly entertained throughout the afternoon. Currently in the works are several new attractions for this year that should generate plenty of new interest and excitement for the festival throughout the city. A new feature - In June, the Irish American Heritage Center will host its first-ever Battle of the Bands. The Battle of the Bands consists of two competitive events leading up to the Irish American Heritage Festival. First prize for the contest includes a cash prize of $500 and a $300 cash prize for second place. The 2 finalists will face off at this summer’s Irish American Heritage Festival. Interested bands will be asked to identify Irish influences in their music. On Saturday, June 17, bands will compete in preliminaries in IAHC’s Fifth Province. A panel of judges will rate bands on criteria including musicality, stage presence and crowd appeal. Two bands will proceed to the finals at the Fest on its main stage outside on Friday, July 7 at 7:30pm. The finalists will perform for a panel of judges and be rated on the same criteria. The winner will be announced that night before Michael McDermott takes the stage as the night’s headliner. All bands must complete a Band Registration Form Unzip file here in order to compete in the preliminary competition and submit an entry fee of $50 per band. Bands can register by calling the Irish American Heritage Center at 773-282-7035, ext. 10 or register online at www.irishamhc.com Please mark your calendars for the weekend of July 7,8, and 9. The festival is one of our largest fundraisers and depends on your attendance to be successful. Please bring family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, or anyone along with you. This is the Center’s biggest weekend and our chance to showcase how truly special the Irish American community is and all the variety of things the Center provides to that community. If you are interested in volunteering at this year’s festival, please contact the Center at (773) 282-7035. EXT. 10 and leave a message for Mary Halverson or Bob McNamara.
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