The county will be painted in green this weekend as county businesses plan a weekend of Irish fun
The county will be painted in green this weekend as county businesses plan a weekend of Irish fun.
“Coming into spring, people want to get out and do something,” Knot Just A Bar Owner David Waskiewicz said. “Its almost a way to kick off the season.”
Knot Just A Bar in Omena will be having a St. Patrick’s Day special Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with live music and Irish eats.
The bar with a view of Omena Bay will have green beer, Guinness, and Jameson available along with two dinner specials that includes slow roasted corn-beef and cabbage dinner, and a brazed lamb shank.
Waskiewicz remembers the days where they would buy a whole keg of green beer, nowadays its a drop or two of coloring into your favorite beer of choice.
“It was hard to sell green beer after St. Patrick’s Day,” he said.
Knot Just A Bar is focused on building for the summer and is now serving breakfast seven days a week.
Little Traverse Inn will be bringing the tradition of the Irish starting Thursday, March 14 featuring traditional food specials corned beef & cabbage, Irish lamb stew, shepherd pit, burgers and mash and potatoes, pancakes, Guinness, chocolate cake and Bailey’s Irish cheesecake.
They will also be hosting live music with an Irish dedicated session Thursday; Joe Wilson Trio, Friday; The Wild Sullys, Saturday; Rigs & Jeels, Monday.
Shady Lane Cellars will be hosting a St. Patty’s Day party during an open house-styled event with exciting wine and food pairings, curated by Boardman Hospitality starting at 1 p.m.
The festive afternoon will have live music featuring the Whiskey Charmers playing from 2 to 5 p.m. during the free event.
$10 tokens can be purchased to spend on a wine and food pairing.
Grab a few buddies and head to Glen Arbor for the iconic St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday.
Kick off the afternoon by stopping at M-22 Glen Arbor for the Shamrock Sparkler, a fun and Irish theme wine drink.
“It brings all of the locals down here and gets them out of the house. It’s a good gathering for all the locals before the tourist come,” M-22 Glen Arbor Chelsea Wilkes said.
Katy Wiesen of crystal River Outfitters loves, “Doing something to bring the community out for fun weekend,” she said. “Each location is offering something fun and different with one hour at each place and showing people Glen Arbor.”
Black Star Farms will be celebrating the green holiday with a Raclette dinner; wine and chocolate tasting; and a St. Patty’s Sunday brunch.
Bistro Polaris’ Sunday Brunch at Black Star Farms – 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Guests enjoy a 3-course brunch menu for $35.
“Corned Beef Hash is the best way to use up your St. Paddy’s Day leftovers – chop or shred the leftover corned beef (quality corned beef, please, not the canned stuff!); char and caramelize some sliced and diced onions; add diced Yukon gold potatoes to the mix, and fry it all up in a cast iron skillet to get those tasty crisp edges combined with tender, sweet flavors. The simplest recipes demand the best ingredients --- our corned beef is from Sy Ginsberg’s Detroit Deli; our eggs come from Pristine Acres in Marion, Michigan,” Black Star Farms Estate Chef John Korycki.
Leelanau Cheese Company cheese makers and Black Star Farms have teamed up for a decadent meal Friday, March 14.
“As chef, I seek out local artisans and try to incorporate their products onto our menus. Their Raclette is amazing, winning a Super Gold in an international competition in Norway,” Korycki said.
Nik Basford, Director of Curds, at Black Star Farms traditional Raclette dinners. He scrapes the layer of melted cheese directly onto the guests’ plates. Friday will also feature corned beef, cabbage, and Irish banger sausages.
If Guinness and corned beef aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps wine and chocolate are up your alley. Black Star Farms is hosting a guided tasting alongside Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate Saturday, March 15.
The Bay Community Theatre invites the community to get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with a special performance by Kennedy’s Kitchen on Sunday, March 16 at 4 p.m. (doors at 3 p.m.). The band will perform as part of the Live at the Bay Spring 2025 series, proudly presented by French Valley Vineyard and Hendryx House.
Kennedy’s Kitchen is a returning crowd favorite delivering pub songs, sing-a-longs, original songs, recitations, stories, and ripping dance tunes from the deep tradition to the newly composed. Band leader joHn Kennedy is not just a musician; he’s a storyteller who connects with the audience, making every performance an intimate gathering. The human voice, fiddle, whistles, the almighty tenor banjo, the guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, and bass are the band’s instruments (and every now and again, the kazoo). Celebrating 25 years of laughter and tears, Kennedy’s Kitchen delivers the best of “Irish Kitchen Music from the home, the hearth, and the heart.”
Tickets are on sale now at TheBayTheatre.com and are $25 in advance/$30 at the door ($5 discount for certain Bay membership levels). The Live at the Bay series is another value-added offering by the nonprofit Bay Community Theatre to provide community entertainment and programming.
