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Harriet Island turns into the Emerald Isle for a weekend as the annual Irish Fair of Minnesota returns. Don some green apparel and head to the banks of the Mighty Mississippi for a three-day blow out celebrating Irish Heritage – and trust us – the Irish definitely know how to party!

A family-friendly event that draws heavily on music, dance and interactive activities for all ages, Irish Fair is a great place to introduce your little ones (or yourself) to the cultural history of Ireland, and St. Paul’s close connection to it. Over 100,000 people attended Irish Fair last year to enjoy fantastic music, performance, food, and so much more. And this year the legacy continues with a mighty fine schedule of events including music from Great Big Sea, Young Dubliners, Lunasa, Tommy Sands, The High Kings and Bua plus a number of local and regional performers including over 80 individuals or groups with more than 250 dancers and 140 musicians presenting 300 shows, seminars or workshops throughout the weekend. Traditional Dance performances happen pretty much all day every day on the dance stage and are capped off each night with a céili (that’s Irish for a huge dance party!).

Also on hand will be a number of educational activities that will offer you a chance to learn about traditional musical instruments, history, legends, movies, literature and more. Inside the Harriet Island pavilion, you’ll be invited to peruse a number of craft vendors, check out the Irish Fair Photo Contest entries, see a replica poitín still and enjoy treats at Tussie’s Tea & Sweets tea room. Outside the pavilion, you can trace your genealogy, enter the Baking Contest, learn some Irish words and get info on many of the active Irish non-profits in Minnesota from community organizations on site. Over 60 art vendors and exhibitors dot the landscape of Irish Fair as well, a perfect opportunity to pluck up hand-crafted, culturally interesting gifts for friends and family. Most vendors are located in the East or West Marketplace tents. A few are spread out around the grounds. Artisans have their own tent between the East and West tents.

And don’t forget the kids! There’s plenty of kid-friendly activities to be enjoyed including a hand-crafted mini-golf course, craft areas where kid’s can learn about Irish heritage, face painting, character and balloon artists and more. There’s even an Irish Indeed Children’s Area Stage where whimsical tales will be spun amid song, dance and puppetry. Kids (and adults) will also delight in watching O’Reilly’s Border Collies herd sheep several times a day – sheep will actually be let loose in the crowd only to be wrangled easily back by Chuck O’Reilly and his dogs.

And then of course there’s the food. No cultural experience would be complete without getting to sample some delicious ethnic fare, right? Six local Irish pubs, three private vendors and three Irish organizations provide Irish specialties to tempt your tastebuds. And while you’re at it, you might as well have a pint or two. And if you’re feeling especially saucy, Jameson Irish Whiskey even has its own tent.  “Hospitality Tickets” are available for those planning to eat and drink their weight for $100 a day or $250 for the weekend. Otherwise, food and beverage tickets will be available on an individual basis.

Irish Fair happens Friday August 13-15 and is free and open to the public. For more info and specific schedules of events visit www.irishfair.com.

This weekend, local favorites Lookbook play music and movies in Mears Park, perfectly paired with ’80s favorite Sixteen Candles (which is turning into an accidental tribute – news just came out that director John Hughes has died today of a heart attack). Also, the Irish Fair kicks off on Harriet Island, and living legends Alejandro Escovedo and the supergroup members of Chickenfoot hit St. Paul.

THURSDAY

Lookbook illustration by Isaac Gale

Music in Mears: Lynhurst, Lookbook + “Sixteen Candles”
On the surface, Lynhurst and Lookbook would seem to have a lot in common. They’re both local bands fronted by cute boy-girl counterparts, and both of their names start with L and have eight letters. But in reality, the two bands couldn’t be more different. While sibling trio Lynhurst sport a substantial musical pedigree – they recently recorded their debut release Field Day with Cold War Kids’ producer in L.A. and their gleaming myspace page boasts of 4,500 friends – they are practically unheard of in Minneapolis. (The fact that their dad is a big-name music lawyer Ken Abdo, whose clients include Jonny Lang and Garrison Keillor, sheds some light on things.)

Meanwhile, Lookbook (which has only 900 myspace friends) is a big name locally, having garnered the coveted “Best New Band” title from City Pages in 2008. Its sound is substantially more unique than that of Lynhurst, whose paint-by-numbers pop rock sounds overly produced and saccharine compared to Lookbook’s dynamic, electronic-infused layers and coolly sexy vocals. Taking in the two bands back-to-back should provide an interesting juxtaposition of two very different sides of the spectrum of local music.

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