You might not think a damn-near-perfect day would get underway by going to the gym, changing into a kilt, and then dropping off electronics for recycling. But it did. The fashion choice was made for hitting a Celtic fest, Shenanigans on the Green, in Hoffman Estates. As per our tradition, Best Fest Buddy Tom and… Continue Reading
I had a novel idea. A friend of mine is on a vacation to Europe. One of her first stops was Dublin, in part to celebrate Bloomsday, June 16. The single day in 1904 on which James Joyce’s set Ulysses. All 265,222 words of it. Of course, it took Joyce about 7 years to write… Continue Reading
By Mike Danahey August is almost over. Summer blazed by, and boy was it a busy month for me. At least by my sometimes slothful standards. Which is to say, on occasion I double nap. When I get so tired from a nap I take another one. This usually happens in the fall, during football… Continue Reading
Haggis and the holiday weekend? Thanksgiving time is stuffed with food, and turkey in particular. But if you’re tired of leftovers, would like to help a good cause, are open to eating organ meat and there are tickets left, here’s something for you to do. Chicago Scots, the first and oldest nonprofit organization… Continue Reading
The cicadas may or may not be gone from Wheaton come Friday, June 14. So that drone you hear in the distance there might actually be bagpipes, not legions of loud, lonely bugs. That’s because the Chicago Scots will be in town at the DuPage County Fairgrounds for the 38th Annual Scottish Festival &… Continue Reading
The 2023 Chicago Scots Scottish Festival & Highland Games is going to the dogs. It’s also moving out of Itasca after being held there a final time Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17. As for the canines, the nonprofit Chicago Scots held a preview event Saturday, June 3 at Caledonia Senior Living &… Continue Reading
The fireworks show out where I live that had been planned for the Saturday after St. Patrick’s Day never happened. Why they have fireworks then is a mystery to me. Perhaps St. Patrick shot them off to drive the snakes out of Ireland. Perhaps not. I do know that a well-off bar owner has been… Continue Reading
I spent a good portion of St. Patrick’s season with toddlers, and I’m glad that’s over. No, not the hanging with kids part, which continues. St. Patrick’s season, though: do they really need to be holding parades the first weekend in March for it? Who in their right mind drinks green beer? Corned beef… Continue Reading
Best Fest Buddy Tom, his dad and I trekked to Tom’s nephew’s wedding last Sunday in Michigan City, Indiana. We all have had magnetic invitations marking the date and the event’s website stuck to our respective refrigerators since early this year to remind us. With the unofficial rule being you can give a gift six… Continue Reading
The summer fest season winds down the next couple weekends, and last Saturday Best Fest Buddy Tom and I made our annual trek to one of our favorites – the Umpteenth Annual Chicago Beer Society Picnic. We wore our black Utilikilts, because what else would you wear to an event held in a forest preserve?… Continue Reading