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Chicago Tribune

Spring, St. Patrick's Day welcomed early in La Grange at Shamrock Fest

Nancy Cummings popped into Palmer Place in La Grange Saturday night to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a corned beef sandwich and green beer, even though the actual feast day was more than a week away. She wasn't alone, as the restaurant's 42nd annual Shamrock Fest was in full swing. 'Shamrock Fest is a really good example of the distinctive character of this community,' said Cummings, a longtime area resident and former executive director of the La Grange Business Association. 'It's all about family, and it's a tradition I look forward to every year … and best of all, it's a tradition that signals springtime is just around the corner.' Sticking with that seasonal theme, Dave Tarman, who owns Palmer Place, 56 S. La Grange Rd., with his wife, Leslie, said this year's Shamrock Fest would extend over two weekends. 'This is like a warmup,' he said. The celebration started out Friday evening with musician Scott Allen playing acoustic versions of classics to a light crowd amid cold rainy weather. But by Sunday the entertainment drew healthy crowds on a pleasant, warm afternoon. The festival seemed to have ushered in spring as predicted. Saturday's performers included dance troops from the Harling School of Irish Dance and the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, as well as acoustic guitarist and singer Terry Byrne and Downers Grove-based guitarist and singer Bradley Hides. Sunday's schedule included companies from the Onorach Mulhern Geraghty School of Irish Dance and the Bentley Academy of Irish Dance, along with singer/guitarist Michael Z and acoustic duo CK & the Gray. Coleen Mulhern, owner and teacher at Onorach Mulhern Geraghty, said Shamrock Fest was an important part of her dancers' schedule. 'The kids love it,' Mulhern said. 'Right now, we're preparing for the world championship in Dublin, so we're doing some fundraising as well.' Dave and Leslie Tarman also own and operate The Silo Restaurant in Lake Bluff, a pub-style pizza place in operation since 1968, that's been run by the Tarman family for more than three decades. They bought Palmer Place from the Palmer family in late 2021 and began operations in early 2022. Dave Tarman said he and his wife had been looking all around the Chicago area for a place to expand and that they 'fell in love with La Grange.' They kept the Palmer Place name and made sure to retain the tradition of Shamrock Fest. 'The Palmers did a great job of establishing Shamrock Fest as a western suburb tradition, so it's really well known. We're trying to expand it just a little bit,' he said. In the fourth year of the Tarman's ownership, Dave Tarman stressed that while the celebration was a big investment for them with the tent and different acts, it's still a success for the business. 'The community has really supported it,' he said. The Tarmans plan to make entertainment a continuing feature of Palmer Place. 'We're really going to push live music Friday and Saturday night all summer,' Dave said, noting that most of his acts were from the Chicago area. 'We're also trying to bring people in who haven't played much in La Grange.'