South Coast Celtic Fest

From South Coast Celtic Fest Website:

The South Coast Celtic Fest will be held May 3, 2014 on the campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. The event is a collaborative effort of the South Coast Folk Society, the Coastal Celtic Society, and Soroptimist International of the Coos Bay Area.

The festival starts at 10:00 am and includes over 20 hands-on, participatory workshops, a variety of vendors and two performance stages. Enjoy music from 10:00 7:00 pm at no charge! An Irish session for all acoustic musicians and a bonny knees contest round out the afternoon activities.

Music workshops include fiddle, Irish whistle, DADGAD guitar, bagpipes, Ceili dancing, Irish Pub Songs, dissecting the concertina, waulking songs, bodhran, and Maypole dancing. Participants are encouraged to bring their instrument and a recording device. Cultural workshops will include basic genealogy, intro to Irish language, Stories of The Sidhe, Carving a Welsh Love Spoon, Tales of Growing Up in Ireland, Making a Celtic Knot Journal. A track of workshops will be available to kids aged 6 and above. An all-workshop pass is $15. Workshop passes are available to kids ages 12 and under for $5, thanks to a generous grant from Coos County Cultural Coalition!

Vendors of handcrafted jewelry, musical instruments, baked goods, and other merchandise will have booths displaying their goods. The Oregon Coast Culinary Institute
will offer a Celtic foods buffet dinner in the dining services cafeteria starting at 5:00 pm.

The evening concert will begin at 7:00 pm with a grand entry from the Oregon Coast Pipes & Drums Band. Kitchen Ceilidh is a womens a cappella vocal music group who sing traditional and current songs in Scottish Gaelic, as well as sharing about Scots Gaelic Cultural traditions. The group began 15 years ago as a language and cultural study group, but as they learned these beautiful songs and traditions, they realized that they need to be shared and began performing at community Celtic events. Some of the members have traveled to Scotland and to Nova Scotia to study, and several have won awards in international Gaelic music competitions. Current members include Nancy Johnson, Carter McKenzie, Kathy Yonker, Dorothy Atneave, Janet Naylor, Laura Zaer, and Vickie Jensen.

The evening concert will feature Mollys Revenge a dynamic, acoustic Celtic band known for its unique and infectious enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, and fiddle, with a backdrop of guitar, mandola, and bodhran guarantees an enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music. Mollys Revenge has performed at many of the top folk festivals and performing arts events in the USA, and prestigious events in Scotland, Australia and China. Their arrangements of traditional Celtic jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves audiences shouting for more.