Blarney Island a summer party for all

ANTIOCH – People from all over the world have heard of Blarney Island, a local boating bar located in the middle of Grass Lake in the Chain O' Lakes that is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year.

When he's wearing a Blarney Island T-shirt, folks from Dublin, Ireland, Costa Rica and basically anywhere in the U.S. have stopped him and said, "I've been there!" said Clem Haley, who owned the bar for more than 30 years.

"It's a landmark," he said.

The reputation of the "Keywest of the Midwest" has been – and in some respects, will continue to be – a place to party with bathing suits, boats, babes and booze.

But the island,  and the Port of Blarney, which is located off Grass Lake Road in Antioch, also has a reputation for being a place for the entire family to enjoy.

The duality of the two locations is part of what makes it so unique, said Rob Hardman, the current proprietor of Blarney Enterprises LLC.

"It's one of the oddest things," Hardman said. "People who come out at night think of it as the party capital of the county. But there's the group of people who come out in the afternoon who think, 'What are they talking about?' It's so relaxed. It's bipolar in that regard. We get to be two completely different venues as one."

Night and day
Generally speaking, the island – with a capacity of 2,000 guests – gets a little crazier than the Port of Blarney, but it's a good crazy, Hardman said.

"We want to be a respectful version of a party," he said. "We're unique. People don't usually go out to a bar and dinner in their bathing suit."

The location is part of its allure, said Kirk Larsen of Libertyville, who used to be a regular of the island when he kept his boat at a marina on the Chain O' Lakes.

Now, he harbors his boat in the Ozarks, but there is still nothing like Blarney Island, and so he returns often, he said.

"The island is unique because it's the only place you can only get to by boat," he said. "The bands are good, just the atmosphere is good."

"It's fun in the sun," agreed Amy Jensen, 27, who makes the 45-minute trip from Zion several times a summer to head out to the island. "Bikinis, beer and sun – it's somewhere we can enjoy the outdoors."

On Thursdays, drag boat races start in the late afternoon and hundreds come to watch "Thunder On The Chain." Themed parties, like a toga party coming up Friday, Aug. 5, and some of the area's biggest bands attract patrons on the weekends and reaffirm the island's reputation as "the" place to go for a good time.

But things are a bit more relaxed during the day, said Blarney Island DJ "Goldy" Goldstein.

"During the days, families bring their kids out," Goldstein said. "You have all the generations together, just having a blast."

"On a Sunday, we've had as many as 50 kids out there," Hardman added, noting that the island hosts bags tournaments, hoola-hoop and limbo contests and other kid-friendly events. "Sunday afternoon is quite the family fun time."

It's only after 7 p.m. that minors are asked to leave the island and the atmosphere shifts to a younger, concert-type or night club scene, Hardman said.

"It's fun, fun, fun," Goldstein said. "People come to the island to have a change from the normal. When you go out there, anything's possible."

The Port of Blarney
While the island gets much of the attention, whether for its parties, its family-fun activities or just because it's an island bar and restaurant – and there aren't many bars with that claim to fame – the Port of Blarney is just as important to the Blarney Enterprises operation.

If you don't have a boat, you can't get to the island without finding a ride, so the port is often the place many island patrons stop at first, said Lori Gundlach, general manager of the port. The port provides a shuttle service to and from the island for a small fee, unless you eat dinner at the port first. Then the shuttle is free.

But the port has its own customers who prefer land over water.

Many people come to the port for a meal because it's no longer a bar with food, but a full-fledged, year-round restaurant, Hardman said. Regulars flock to its Friday night fish fry, or stop by to gobble up the fixings of an executive chef who cooks up hot-pressed Cuban sandwiches, conch soups, homemade pizzas and pastas and more.

The hamburgers are the favorite of Thomas Ashbacher, 11, of Lake Villa, who comes to the port at least once a month – twice a month in the summer – with his father, Todd, to dine.

"The food's fantastic," Todd Ashbacher said. "The service is good. It's fun."

The port offers many additional services, as well.

The back hall, with its Keywest, Fla., decor, frequently is rented out for graduation parties, banquets, kids' birthday celebrations and bachelor and bachelorette parties, Gundlach said.

"It's unique because it's right on the water. It's got a great view," she said.

Every Wednesday, those who eat dinner at the Port of Blarney can enjoy a free sunset cruise, Hardman said.

The port even runs boat tours of the Chain O' Lakes for company outings and senior trips, including historical tours of the Chain.

"To say that we have diverse offerings is an understatement," Hardman said.

If you go …
To learn more about Blarney Island and the Port of Blarney, which is located at 27843 W. Grass Lake Road, in Antioch, visit www.blarneyisland.com or www.portofblarney.com. The island will close Oct. 3; the port is open year-round.