St. Patrick’s Day in the Lake County area will feature corned beef and cabbage, Irish dancers and bagpipers, parades, live music and lots of green as far as the eye can see.
“Irish Heartbeat: A Musical Tribute to Van Morrison” will be at 8 p.m. March 12 at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake. Singer and harp player Derrick Procell stars as Van Morrison in the show.
He loves the songs and historical storytelling of Van Morrison.
“We love him so much and I feel I can channel the Belfast cowboy, as he is known,” he said. “I’ve been a huge fan of Van Morrison’s for years and years, even before he was known to the public as a solo artist. People don’t know this, but he was part of the first British Invasion back in the day when tons of groups were coming over from England following in the Beatles footsteps.
“He was in an Irish outfit called Them. They had several hits here stateside, not the least of which was a little song called ‘Gloria.’ Many people don’t even know he wrote that song because a little Chicago group called Shadows of Night covered it and their version became the more well-known version of that song.”
That’s just one fun fact Irish Heartbeat likes to include in the show, which spans the gamut of the “Brown-Eyed Girl” singer’s career, he said.
“He kind of became the blue-eyed soul guy from Ireland and I’ve always been attracted to those kinds of singers — guys like Van and Mick Jagger, Eric Burdon and Steve Winwood. The more soulful singers of that era,” he said.
“But then Van took us on some other journeys. He took us on the acoustic, introspective, singer-songwriter phase, then he got jazz … he’s kind of covered it all. I don’t love everything he’s done along the way, but I love artists who aren’t afraid to branch out and take their audience with them on sometimes difficult musical journeys.”
Van Morrison is a guy with a large catalog of material and while Irish Heartbeat plays all the hits, they also go a little bit deeper, he said.
“We try to pull a few current things and a few deeper album cuts,” Procell said. “It’s important we dig a little deeper because a lot of his more well-known stuff tends to be ballady or midtempo stuff and you can’t do a whole show of slower, midtempo songs. You want to pace it up. So we mix in a few others things that are maybe not as well-known but definitely fun to do.”
He’s backed by a “great band” that can cover “pretty much every aspect of his career,” he said, from the introspective acoustic to the rock and soul.
He’s excited about performing a St. Patrick’s Day show and said there’s no extra pressure.
“People get into the whole Irish frame of mind, if you will, and it’s cool. We will give them as much of that thing that they’re wanting to party and celebrate with as they can handle,” Procell said. “They’re going to hear a lot of their favorite Van Morrison songs. Even if they’re a casual fan. I’ve met some ardent Van Morrison fans at these shows who want to come up and talk to us afterward and tell us how many times they’ve seen Van Morrison in concert.”
Fans of music, Morrison and St. Patrick’s Day will all enjoy the show, he said.
Here are five things happening in and near Lake County to help you get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit:
1. McHenry ShamRocks the Fox is March 12-13 in downtown McHenry. Tickets are free. 815-893-6280; visitmchenrycounty.com/shamrocksthefox.
This two-event St. Patrick’s Day event kicks off with the McHenry Kiwanis Club Shamrock Shuffle 5K at 8 a.m. March 12 at McHenry High School East Campus.
The Fox River will be dyed emerald green sponsored by the City of McHenry and Blarney Island of Antioch at 10 a.m. followed by a St. Patrick’s Day parade at 12 p.m. There will be live music on Miller Point from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. March 12; including Irish dancers and bagpipers.
From 12-6:45 p.m. March 13, there will be live music, bounce houses, face painting and children’s games at Miller Point Park, Miller and South River roads. New this year, the festival will conclude with a St. Patrick’s Day firework show at 7 p.m. March 13.
2. St. Paddy’s Day at Mickey Finn’s is March 12, 13 and 17 at Mickey Finn’s Brewery, 345 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Entry and table cover charge may apply on March 12 and 17. 847-362-6688; mickeyfinnsbrewery.com.
On March 12, Frank and the Quarantinis will kick off the weekend celebration at 3 p.m., followed by Fitz and the Celts at 6 p.m. Marlon and the Shakes perform at 9 p.m.
On March 13, the McNulty Irish Dancers perform at 1:30 p.m. and Bridgeport Ramblers go on at 3 p.m.
On March 17, the 17th annual WIIL Rock Tom and Stino Shamrock and Roll Morning Show gets the day started with a bang at 7 a.m. There will be a free Irish brunch from 7 to 11 a.m. A traditional Irish session will be at 4 p.m. with The Guilties taking the stage at 6 p.m. and the Gleeson Irish Trio at 8:30 p.m.
3. Lake Villa St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 12 p.m. March 12. The parade starts at Palombi School, 133 McKinley Ave., and continues on Grand to Cedar Avenue. 847-356-6100; facebook.com/VillageOfLakeVilla and search events.
A corned beef and cabbage lunch will follow at the VFW, 130 E. Grand Ave.
4. “Irish Heartbeat: A Musical Tribute to Van Morrison” is at 8 p.m. March 12 at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Tickets, $18.90-$35. 815-356-9212; rauecenter.org.
A 10-piece band will perform songs from Morrison’s lengthy career. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
5. St. Paddy’s Half Marathon, a 10K run, 5K run/walk and kid’s dash: 7:15 a.m. half-marathon, 5K and 10K start at 8:15 a.m. March 19 at 21600 Field Parkway, Deer Park. Registration: $24.99-$100. allcommunityevents.com/deerparkstpaddysrun.
A half-marathon option joins the 12th annual event this year. All finishers will receive a commemorative pint glass and shamrock cookie. Half-marathon finishers will receive a medal. 5K and 10K finishers can purchase a medal. Shirts available to purchase.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.