Irish Fest Returns To The Dock At Inwood This Weekend

JOLIET, IL — With Saint Patrick's Day approaching, The Dock At Inwood will be hosting its Irish Fest from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

One of the highlights of Irish Fest is the popular soda bread contest. The winner gets $1,000 for two roundtrip airfare tickets.

There will be kids activities, Irish dancers, raffles and bagpipers. The Irish Fest raises money for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

"There's a lot of raffle prizes," remarked Rick Trafton, who owns The Dock with his brother, Mike.

Rick Trafton said he's been hosting soda bread-making contests for about 15 years, dating back to his days running restaurants in New Lenox and Minooka.

Over the years, about $250,000 has been raised for charity, Rick Trafton said.

The Dock wasn't able to host its Irish Fest the previous two years because of the worldwide pandemic.

"Three years ago, we had over 100 soda bread entrées," Trafton said. "We're hoping we can have at least that many."

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