(Above) Fans of Harry Caray at last year’s toast on March 29, 2023, included actor Jeff Garlin (second from left), former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (top center), and 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins (third from right).

By Steven Dahlman

15-Apr-24 – There has been no rest for Harry Caray despite his passing 26 years ago.

The legendary Chicago sportscaster will be honored again this year at a “Worldwide Toast to Harry Caray” at Navy Pier that will feature an eclectic guest list and two cows.

Actor/comedian Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza in all nine seasons of the television series Seinfeld, will serve as toastmaster for the May 2 event. Alexander is appearing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier in Judgment Day, a comedy about a corrupt lawyer facing eternal damnation. (Left) Alexander at a charity event in 2009 (Wikimedia Commons).

Other guests include:

• Former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Kattan.
• James Denton, who starred in the comedy drama Desperate Housewives for eight years and was a server at Harry Caray’s in the early 1990s.
• Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.
• Ron Kittle, who played for the Chicago White Sox and other teams from 1982 to 1991.

Fielding Caray’s catchphrase, “Holy cow!” this year’s toast will be cow-themed. Guests, according to an announcement from Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group, are “encouraged to don their best cow attire, ring their cowbells, and tip their cowboy hats in honor of the head honcho.”

The Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band will perform in the morning on May 2. Before that, Bill Hook, principal of Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, will corral two 800-pound Black Angus cows in a pen on the restaurant’s patio, where they will remain from 4:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“Harry’s trademark catchphrase has become synonymous with his larger-than-life personality, which catapulted him beyond a baseball broadcasting legend into mainstream pop culture, and has transcended life itself,” says the restaurant management company.

Harry Caray’s estimates that over the years, more than five million fans from all 50 states and over 200 countries have joined in the annual tribute, held every year since Caray died in 1998.

What: Worldwide Toast to Harry Caray
When: May 2. Toast begins at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Harry Caray’s Tavern, Navy Pier, 700 East Grand Avenue. Broadcast live 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. on The Score, 640 AM, and online at TheScore.com.