Kansas City Irish Festival this weekend - Sept 1, 2 & 3
www.kcirishfest.com

The festival takes place at the Hallmark Crown Center in Kansas City with performances Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday.
Performers include:
    The Fuchsia Band (traditional - performed in Columbia in July- awesome!)
    Gaelic Storm (Celtic rock)
    Grada (traditional)
    Seamus Kennedy (ballads)
    O’Riada Academy Dancers (Irish step dancing)
    The Elders (Celtic rock)
    Black 47 (Celtic hard rock)
And many more... See the web site for the full list and schedule.

The next Irish ceili dance in Columbia is Friday September 8

Location: First Christian Church, corner of 10th and Walnut, north entrance under the driveway canopy.
Teaching of the steps starts at 7 pm, the dance goes from 7:30 til about 9:30. Everyone is welcome, no experience and no partner necessary. All dances are taught before they start and moves are called out. Please wear clean soft-soled shoes to protect the wood floor. Admission $5, children 14 and under free.

Music this month is provided by fiddler Clark Merle and friends.  Clark is a new student at MU this year; he's come to Columbia from St. Louis where he has been a student in the St. Louis Irish Arts school.  Welcome Clark!
Caller is Christine Harker

New! "Junior Jam Sesssion" for kids (no age restriction)

Fiddler Tim Langen has started hosting a twice monthly  traditional music jam session for any kids who play an instrument and are interested in learning Irish traditional music.  This is a no-pressure, strictly fun music group where kids can learn from Tim and from each other.  There's no homework and no tests! There is also no fee.

The group has just formed, and Tim thinks they will continue to meet two Sundays per month.  The next session is this coming Sunday, September 3.  Please contact Tim for time, location and other details.    langent@missouri.edu  or 442-5305.

Tim learned to play traditional Scottish/Canadian and Irish music on the fiddle at a very early age from his grandfather.  He recognizes the value of passing on traditional music from one generation to the next, and to that end he's offering his time and talent to  make this activity possible.  Thanks to him for initiating it! Tim has been teaching fiddle lessons in Columbia for several years and before that he taught and performed in the Chicago area.  He is a professor of Russian language at MU.

New!  Irish step dance lessons for kids

MU student Marian Sharp will be teaching Irish step dancing classes for children this fall, starting with a 6-week session from  September 12 - October 17.  Classes will be on Tuesday evenings, as that is the only evening Marian has available due to her class schedule. 
Classes are for kids ages 5 to 10 and 11 to 18, with a minimum of 5 students in each class.

Ages 5 - 10:  5:30 - 6:15 p.m. Tuesday Sept 12 to Tuesday Oct 17
Ages 11 - 18: 6:15 - 7:00 p.m. Tuesday Sept 12 to Tuesday Oct 17
Cost:  $45 for 6 weeks.

Classes will be in central Columbia, probably at Unity Center, but that's not confirmed yet.
To enroll, send e-mail to kakers@moceltic.org

Celtic Book Club News

The next meeting of the Celtic-themed book club is Monday, Sept 25 at 6 pm at the Cherry Street Artisan at the community table.

The book for September is Paddy Clarke Ha-Ha-Ha by Roddy Doyle.
Summary
In this national bestseller and winner of the Booker Prize, Roddy Doyle, author of the "Barrytown Trilogy," takes us to a new level of emotional richness with the story of ten-year-old Padraic Clarke. Witty and poignant--and adored by critics and readers alike -- Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha charts the triumphs, indignities, and bewilderment of Paddy as he tries to make sense of his changing world. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The book for October is The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton.

For complete descriptions and other details, please see:  http://www.moceltic.org/book-club.html

Sat. Sept 9 - Southwest Missouri Celtic Heritage Festival and Highland Games
www.swmocelticfestival.com
Location: Buffalo City Park located on North 65 highway
There will be entertainment all day, along with the sanctioned Games, plus a kid's realm with castle and puppet shows, a Celtic animal area, sheep- and duck-herding, authentic food, vendors, clan tents, British cars, and more.  Friday will start with our annual Golf Tournament followed by a calling of the Clans torchlight ceremony and Ceilidh that evening. Friday evening is free, Saturday $5 in advance.
For more info, see the web site or call the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce at 417-345-2852 or Monty Viets Festival Chairman 417-733-2425.

September 23-34 Irish Heritage Days, St. Charles Missouri
Frontier Park
St. Charles celebrates it's Irish heritage with music, storytelling, athletics, food, traditional crafts and live Irish music in the evening.
Admission is free
For more information call 1-800-366-2427

October 6-7 St. Louis Scottish Games and Cultural Festival

Featuring musical guests The Tannahill Weavers
http://www.stlouis-scottishgames.com/

Events include all the traditional Scottish athletics (caber toss, stone putting, hammer throwing, etc.), a British car show, concert and ceilidh dance, Highland dancing,  pipe bands, border collie demonstrations with sheep herding, history and storytelling, and children's activities.

Please see the web site for details and schedules.

New  web site launched for Columbia community

I just got an e-mail about this web site today. I have no affiliation with it and make no claims about it.  I'm just passing this along:

Talk Columbia www.talkcolumbia.com

Have a look and see what you think.

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