EVENTS
By Geoff Griffin
Join the craic (pronounced “crack” in Gaelic, meaning “good times”) Saturday morning in a parade to honor not only St. Patrick, but the Emerald Isle that’s brought us corned beef and cabbage, James Joyce, four-leaf clovers, Guinness, Riverdance, U2, 40 shades of green, 40 ways to cook potatoes, Colin Farrell and the tradition of the “wake” (a funeral featuring a well-stocked bar).The Hibernian Society of Utah throws its annual ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE with the theme, “Bring on the Green!”—coincidentally, also the theme for the just-past 2008 Utah legislative session. The parade winds its way through The Gateway mall, followed by a siamsa (Gaelic for “party”) a couple of blocks away. If you even have to ask what sort of beverages will be served, you must be from Utah.Part of this parade’s charm is the diversity of its participants. Categories include family, dance, school bands, more dance, parish, pipe bands, and “miscellaneous.” Only corporations (City Weekly is one)and politicians pay to march, showing that the Hibernians are a clever bunch. It’s also perhaps the only parade in Utah where most of the entries don’t contain the words “ward” or “primary.”On a holiday when everybody gets to claim they’re at least a little bit Irish, get out to the parade or, as they say in the old country, Pog mo thoin! St. Patrick’s Day Parade route begins @ 400 West and 200 North, route through Gateway mall, Saturday March 15, 10 a.m. Post-parade siamsa @ Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 279 S. 300 West, 467-4574, IrishInUtah.org.
TALK
By Tawnya Cazier
MICHAEL POLLAN isn’t out to change the world, just the way you think about food. Not in the Food Network’s 30 Minute Meals or Essence of Emeril kind of way. He’s got a different approach. Pollan has had a fascination with the evolving relationship between humans and food for the last 20 years. He’s a “foodie,” but he’s also widely respected in environmental circles. His appetite for cuisine meshes with environmental considerations in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by The New York Times and Washington Post.The book begins with an exploration of what he calls “our national eating disorder.” He asks, where do humans fit into the food chain? He searches out the answer, embarking on his own journey, literally, by hunting, gathering and foraging for the elements needed to create what he calls “The Perfect Meal.” He ends up with a pig he hunted, mushrooms he harvested, and salt he collected in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s an attempt at “The Perfect Meal” but it also reveals what is possible. Pollan is not a preacher, nor does he use scare tactics regarding the environment. He’s conversational, his book peppered with images and stories. His quest, as it were, is interesting and engaging. It’s enough to make you bag the grocery store and go on your own expedition for the perfect meal. Michael Pollan: “The Nature of Things” keynote lecture @ Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, 355-ARTS, Thursday March 13, 7 p.m.
STAGE
By Jerre Wroble
The state that gave us Bob Dylan, Prince and Jesse Ventura will lend us its pre-eminent storyteller on St. Patrick’s Day night. GARRISON KEILLOR most recently enthralled local fans of his Minnesota Public Radio staple A Prairie Home Companion when he broadcast from Salt Lake City in June 2006. But, this time, Keillor and his “down-comforter voice” appear solo presented by KUER 90.1 FM. A handful of us remember Keillor debuting his variety radio show in 1974 featuring guest musicians, comic skits and spoof ads for products like Powdermilk Biscuits. Many more claim to have “grown up” listening to the live Saturday-night broadcasts, whose second acts were capped off with Keillor’s extemporaneous installments of “News from Lake Wobegon.” A poet, musician and now a St. Paul bookshop owner, Keillor will regale audiences with tales of growing up in Anoka, Minn., the aging process, and “late-life fatherhood” (Keillor, 65, has a 10-year-old daughter). So, why see him if we can hear him on the radio (or watch him in the 2006 film A Prairie Home Companion)? Well, who in the world looks like Keillor—bespectacled, ungainly and tousled? And how much fun is it to watch that animated face and lanky body team up with a breathy baritone to soothe a ragged, cell-phone-addled world? When Keillor decides to hang it up, another tradition kept alive by PHC-caricature may also fade: “good neighbor radio.” It is through Keillor that we recall kinder, gentler airwaves filled with news of bake sales, lost pets, Rotary meetings and livestock reports. A Very Special Evening with Garrison Keillor @ Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, 355-ARTS, Monday March 17, 7:30 p.m.
Here & Now: Other New Happenings This Week
INTERNATIONAL SPORTSMAN’S EXPO Hunters, fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts: Your gear is here. South Towne Expo Center, 9575 S. State, Sandy, 565-4490, March 13-16. SaltLakeCity. SportsExpos.com
KENT HARUF/PETER BROWN Author Haruf and photographer Brown collaborate on a portrait of the High Plains and its residents. The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, 484-9100, Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m. KingsEnglish.Booksense.com
ANCIENT VOICES OF CHILDREN The Utah Symphony performs new works by father-and-son composers George and David Crumb. Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, 533-NOTE, Thursday, March 13, 8 p.m. UtahSymphony.org
DISMANTLING GENEVA STEEL Photographer Chris Dunker documents the last days of a Utah County industry. BYU Museum of Art, North Campus Dr., Provo, 801-422-8287, March 14-Nov. 1. Preview/lecture Thursday, March 13, 7-9 p.m. MOA.BYU.edu
CHARLOTTE’S WEB Youth Theatre at the U brings the E.B. White children’s classic to the stage for all ages. Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, 581-7100, March 13-14, KingsburyHall.org
THE END OF THE HORIZON Plan-B Theatre Company presents a drama based on the life of artist/naturalist Everett Ruess. Rose Wagner Center Studio Theatre, 138 W. 300 South, 355-ARTS, March 14-30. Plan-BTheatreCompany.org
THE HEIRESS The unmarried daughter of a wealthy man faces romantic complications in Pioneer Theatre Company’s stage adaptation of Henry James’ Washington Square. Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, 581-6961, March 14-29. PioneerTheatre.org
SUDANESE ART EXHIBITS Photographs by Michael Freeman and original paintings created by Sudanese refugees, all in one joint exhibition. Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100 South, 965-5100, March 14-April 30, reception Friday, March 14, 6-9 p.m.
1964: THE TRIBUTE The Fab Four perform again—at least in the form of uncanny, fully authorized Beatles impersonators. Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, 355-ARTS, Saturday, March 15, 8 p.m. 1964TheTribute.com
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