It’s really hard to tell if Spring is coming or not, isn’t it? The weather goes back and forth almost daily, it seems. But really, it doesn’t matter to us, does it?   Even though Chicago weather is only sporadically Spring-like, it’s the perfect time to get out and “smell the flowers”; expect a number of floral experiences this month. Remember that many events require advance reservations, so please get ahead of those dates, go online and secure your spots. Now let’s jump right into this month’s action-packed, tumultuous exploits.

Let’s start by experiencing the enchantment of St. Patrick’s Day when it comes alive tonight, Friday, March 8th, at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn. Join us for an unforgettable performance by Danú, hailed as a “powerhouse band” by The Irish Times. For over two decades, Danú has entranced audiences worldwide with their mesmerizing presentations of traditional Irish music, and tonight promises to be no exception.

While the music starts at 7:30pm, meet us a little after 6:00, because the celebrations of all things Irish (my mother would’ve been proud), will kick off the evening with a program by the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, in the MAC lobby at 6:30.

Oh, good, you’re here! Let’s take up good positions, so we can really experience these dancers; I’m always fascinated at how so many people can perform so flawlessly in sync. Their upper bodies don’t seem to move at all, while their feet – all in unison – heel-and-toe tap, front-to-back, with such fluid grace. Aren’t they amazing? Of course, they are the best; the Trinity Academy has won more world titles than all the other American Irish Dance Schools combined. Holy cow!

Yes, I agree, that was wonderful, and now it’s time to find our seats before the concert begins. Here we go, and here they come. Don’t you feel almost immersed in the rich tapestry of Irish culture? All the different songs, played on traditional instruments, are just captivating.  Some are both melancholy and ancient, but listen, this one, so bright and vibrant, has to be new. Thrilling, the whole thing has been thrilling. Thanks for joining in.

There is no such thing as too much music, is there? This evening, Sunday, March 10^th, please join us back at the MAC, at 7:30pm, for a very special concert, International Guitar Night. This is the final stop on their 24^th Annual North American Tour, and we are in for a musical treat.

International Guitar Night (IGN) showcases the world’s most innovative acoustic guitar talents from around the world and around every musical genre. We’re about to experience a performance like no other. Meet us at 7:00pm, so we can talk a bit while we find our places, and then just sink into the depths of this concert. Are we all ready?

Over here, let’s take our seats. Are you familiar with any of the musicians? Oh, they’re starting already, and I’m really excited. They’re introducing Luca Stricagnoli, who is from Nashville via Italy, Thu Le, is from Vietnam, Marco Pereira, he’s from Brazil, and Minnie Marks is Australian. They are all remarkably talented, just listen and watch.

Watch Luca play, can you see his fingering techniques? Now here’s Thu Le, who is so much more than a classical guitarist; doesn’t she just seem to float between classical and contemporary music? It’s Marco’s turn; who but a Brazilian could create music that so smoothly blends jazz, Latin-American, and Brazilian guitar traditions? This is the first time that Minnie Marks has played in the US. Isn’t she just a wizard on that blues slide guitar? And man can she sing! The solos, duets and quartets are just amazing and really fascinating; it’s such a pleasure to see such different guitarists come together on this one stage. WOW. We’ll remember this for a long, long time.

The weather keeps teasing us about Spring. Enough of this, let’s indulge in warmth, high humidity and spectacular floral presentations tonight, Friday, March 15^th, at the Chicago Botanical Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, It’s the Orchid Show of Wonders and tonight, from 5:00pm until 8:00pm, we get an after-hours look at this wonderful spring celebration of natural beauty and color.

There’s a “Big Top” tent set up, come on, let’s see what the circus has to offer. Are you hungry? Let’s each pick up a colorful cocktail and a few ‘light bites’. Check out this Ferris wheel (I love Ferris wheels). Look! There are unicyclists on tightropes, and no, you won’t see me doing that. Look at these other displays and performances; don’t they seem to just defy gravity? The Garden’s staff have gone all-out and created a very whimsical world, with a large dose of silliness. This is just the sort of fine, casual evening out that lets us know that Spring really is coming soon. We’ll see you tomorrow.

Get up early today, Saturday, March 16^th, and meet us downtown for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was first organized in 1862 as a protest against British occupation of Ireland, and it took fifteen minutes for the marchers to pass by the grandstands. Over 250,000 people came out to watch. The celebrations had a checkered history after that. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that Mayor Richard J. Daley revived it as an annual event, and in 1962 the Chicago River was renamed River Shannon and dyed green for the day. In Chicago, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

This year, once the boats of the Journeymen Plumbers Union, Local 130, have completed their dyeing duties, the ceremonies will begin. It all starts at 12:15pm, so meet us right in front of Buckingham Fountain at 11:30, and we’ll find spots in the main viewing stands. The parade will assemble at the corner of Columbus Dr. and Balbo Ave. Led, once again, by the incomparable Shannon Rovers Pipe Band, participants will move north to Monroe. Don’t you love a good parade? This is one of the best. It’s got a world-famous marching band in front, and look at those beautiful and so well-disciplined horses! Look, here comes a host of local marching bands, groups of step dancers, and the different floats from which people are throwing the green and gold necklaces. Be sure to grab yours.

Today, Wednesday, March 20^th, let’s celebrate this First Day of Spring with a visit to Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave., https://garfieldconservatory.org/, for their annual Spring Flower Show, “What’s in a Name?”  Throughout this year’s show, we’ll see displays and posters showing the history and science of botanical nomenclature alongside a beautiful flower show full of blooms. This is interesting, isn’t it? Who knew that this same little flower is known by half a dozen different names as it grows in different parts of the country? Yes, Shakespeare was right; “a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet”, but it’s nice to learn the correct names for these stunningly beautiful blooms, such as Tulipa ‘Rococo’, Lilium ‘Josephine’, Viola ‘Matrix Yellow’ and Anemone ‘Giant Blue Poppy’.

Did everyone read the signs? Be careful at the south end of the campus, where there are active beehives.

Today, Saturday, March 23^rd, take the kids to the theater. Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., https://filamenttheatre.org/, is a perfect place for us to introduce our young people to the joys and wonders of acting a story on stage. So, meet us there for the 11:00am performance where we can all experience the wonderful play Cloud Man. The Edinburgh Spotlight describes it as “…a beautifully realized and delicately performed piece of puppetry which entrances the audience and contains a moral message which doesn’t feel forced.”

The story tells us of Cloudia, a young girl and cloud expert who has dreamt of meeting a Cloud Man. They are extremely rare, living quietly, high up in the sky. The story reveals clues to help bring our youngsters to the very top of Cloud Mountain. The views from up there are surprising.

What do you think? Have your offspring recognized the clues and made their way? Are you helping them, or are they helping you figure it all out? This ending is quite touching and very special, don’t you agree? This has been an extraordinary way to introduce youngsters to theatrical storytelling and coax them into really seeing the beauty that surrounds us every day. I’m really glad we came.

Tonight, Friday, March 29^th, let’s take in some comedy. Head out to club IO, https://ioimprov.com, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., the first show starts at 7:00pm, so meet us at 6:30 and we’ll dive into the nostalgia of Disney Channel Original Movies with the cast of Improvised DCOM! Created by Disney Alums Val Agnew & Allie Ring, it’s loaded with wildly humorous takes on classic Disney material from the 90s and 2000s. Oh, come on, we all know that you’ve seen these movies. We all have and this is hysterical. Yeah, they’re moving fast. No, I didn’t catch all the bits and characters. But hey, that doesn’t matter, we can stay for the 8 & 10pm shows on one ticket. Hooray!

Let’s end the month today, Sunday, March 31^st, with a visit to Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2430 N. Cannon Dr., www.lincolnparkconservancy.org. The “Sweet Gnome Chicago” Spring Flower Show serves to celebrate all that is Spring with glorious flower displays and big gobs of fun. Did you see that they’ve carefully placed about 300 gnomes around all of the display houses? Look around everywhere, how many do you see? I’m loving this, it’s kind of silly, but it also draws me into looking closer at the spring flowers and blooms. See how they’ve set many of our whimsical garden friends into these little vignettes! Outside, the Spring flowering season is so short, but in here we can enjoy all of these gloriously gorgeous spring flowering shrubs, perennials, annuals, and bulbs. Who knew that there are tulips called ‘Foxy Foxtrot‘? How about the ‘Garden Party‘ Lilies, ‘Blueberry Thrill‘ Violas, or what must be hundreds of other blooming beauties. We won’t be planting flowers outside for at least six weeks, so isn’t it great to be in here now?

Well, friends and readers, March is at an end, Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, so be on the lookout for jokes and pranks. Spring is finally starting to act like it should, until next month, make your own adventures.