Celebrating St. Patrick's Day early

Hey folks,
Sharon Shea Bossard is busy lining up events as we inch closer to St. Patrick's Day--and there are still more to come. Here's a quick list of what's coming up. Save the dates! And you can always check out our other author events on the events page of our website: https://www.lakeclaremont.com/events.php.

Thursday, February 5, 10:00a.m.
Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N. Knox, Chicago, IL 773/282-7035
Sharon will be signing books and promoting all things Irish at a meeting sponsored by the Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Group's Active Retired Club. Join the author from 10 a.m. to noon for a lively discussion. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Brendan, www.ci-is.com, or phone 312/337-8445.

Saturday, February 28, 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m..
The Bookstall at Chestnut Court
811 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 847/446-8880
Celebrate Irish with stories and song! Join the author, Sharon Shea Bossard, for a lively book signing. She's teamed with Chicago's foremost Irish musicians to help usher in St. Paddy's Day celebrations. Learn about Chicago's Irish hot spots, where to sign up for an Irish-themed city tour on a boat or a trolley, and where to discover the parades, festivals and year-round events. Take this opportunity to not only hear a live performance of Irish music, but to secure a signed copy of your guidebook to Irish in Chicago. Don't miss out on this wonderful event. Come early to get a good seat.

Tuesday, March 3 - 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.
Blue Island Library
2433 York St., Blue Island, www.blueislandlibrary.org.
Curious about your Irish and how to begin tracing your Irish roots? Join Sharon to learn how to get started with great tips and proven tactics. Discover Chicago's Irish culture through stories, pictures and music. Signed copies of Sharon's most recent book, Finding Your Chicago Irish, will be available for purchase.

Thursday, March 5 - 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.
Oak Park Library
834 Lake St., Oak Park, www.oppl.org.
Come for the refreshments and stay for the show. View a Powerpoint presentation of finding your Irish in Chicago and in Ireland. Picture displays and original Irish documents will be on display. Join the discussion and discover your Irish in this fine city.

Tuesday, March 10 - 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.
St. Fabian's Church
8300 Thomas Ave., Oak Lawn, 708 599-1110, www.saint-fabian.org.
Celebrate St. Paddy Day with an Irish Mass followed by a festival of music and dance. Meet Sharon and purchase her latest Irish book. Proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. This exciting event draws standing room crowds only. Music performances by premier musicians.

Wednesday, March 11 - 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.
The Book Cellar
4736 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, www.bookcellarinc.com.
Sharon will be signing copies of her latest book, Finding Your Chicago Irish. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the author and discover all things Irish in Chicago.

Thursday, March 12
Fox Valley Genealogical Society, Naperville Municipal Center
400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, www.ilfvgs.org.
The public is welcome to join Sharon for a discussion on finding your Irish roots. Along with genealogy, Sharon will be on hand to help you locate all things Irish in Chicago: just in time for St. Paddy's Day.

Saturday, March 14 - 10 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.
Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N. Knox Ave., Chicago, www.irishamhc.com.
You've been at the parade all morning and now you're looking to spend the day with the Irish. Look no further. Get yourself to the heritage center where you'll be entertained the entire day with music, dance, theater, food and a chance to learn about your Irish in Chicago. Meet the author and purchase a signed copy of Finding Your Chicago Irish.

Sunday, March 15 - 1:30 A.M.
WGN Radio, Brian Noonan Show.
Join Sharon for this lively discussion of all things Irish in Chicago. Don't miss this opportunity to phone in and speak with the author.

President Obama's family tree

Congrats to President Obama! We certainly enjoyed listening to his inaugural speech yesterday. Follow this link to view President Obama's family tree, created by the Chicago Sun-Times. I didn't know that he had so many half-brothers and -sisters. Hey, maybe I'm related to him too. Or may be you are. Here are some tips for researching your family tree, from the Sun-Times. Here's another good place to start researching your ancestors.

An event for Chicago Irish

Even though it seems like St. Patrick's Day is far away, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate your Irish heritage.

Join Sharon Shea Bossard, author of Finding Your Chicago Irish, at the Irish American Heritage Center for a lively discussion, book signing, and celebration of all things Irish. And there will be free refreshments!

It's this Thursday, January 22, from 10:00a.m. to noon. The Irish American Heritage Center
is located at 4626 N. Knox in Chicago. The event is sponsored by the Chicago Irish Immigrant Support Group's Active Retired Club.

For more information, contact Brendan at http://www.ci-is.com, or phone 312/337-8445.

The end of 2008

Happy New Year! We hope your holiday was fun and relaxing.

One last look at 2008 here.
(Please notice that Lake Claremont Press has more books on this list than Obama!)

Congrats to Lisa Holton, author of “For Members Only”, for doing a great interview on WGN’s Lunchbreak segment! The show aired on New Year’s Eve, and here’s a link to the video in case you missed it.