19
Aug
2003
Now in their fifth year, the Celtic Highland Games of the Quad Cities continue to expand. While the authentic Scottish athletic competition - seven events, one of them involving throwing a 12-foot-long, 100-pound pole - was the novel appeal of the event when it got started, the festival is fast becoming a celebration of all things Celtic.
New this year are rugby matches, with a men's match at 1 p.m. and women's "sevens game" after that. The women's demonstration features fewer players and shorter periods - seven women on each squad in seven-minute halves.
Another addition is a border-collie herding demonstration (at six different times), which will feature the dogs herding both sheep and ducks. (Ducks are used to train puppies, because ducks don't kick.)
Lisa Lockheart, promotions chair for the festival, said these are the types of events that many people have only seen on television, if at all. "I've seen it in action, and it's really fascinating," Lockheart said of watching herding in Scotland in June. "The dogs move like lightning."
Those aren't the only new things. Organizers have added new workshops in the Welsh language (3:30 p.m.) and Uilleann (or elbow) bagpipes (2 p.m.). At 2:20, local musicians will have the opportunity to sit in on an open session with the long-running Celtic band Stones in the Field from Iowa City. And while storytellers have been a fixture at the Games, they've now been given their own area.
Lockheart said she is also pleased to see the return of Cedar Rapid's Wylde Nept, an energetic and crowd-pleasing band whose absence from last year's Games drew a lot of mournful comments. Overall, the Celtic Highland Games will feature continuous entertainment on two stages from 9:15 in the morning until 6 p.m. in the evening, when the traditional Ceilidh party kicks off. Blues fans might be surprised to see guitarist Mike Wallace on the schedule, but Lockheart said he has Scottish background and has learned some traditional music for the festival.
And at 3 p.m., actors from the Putnam Museum's Heritage Theatre will present an interactive Ellis Island program, in which members of the audience play the roles of immigrants. "They put you through the process of deciding of whether you're worthy to enter," Lockhear said.
"I'm excited about the amount of entertainment we're offering," she added. "It's impossible to be there and not find something interesting to listen to or watch."
The games themselves are expected to draw roughly 40 athletes, and the dance competition has 88 people registered at this point. Both contests draw people from at least a five-state region, Lockheart said.
The Celtic Highland games run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and admission is $10 for adults. Walk-in registration for the athletic competition begins at 8 a.m., with the games beginning at 9. For more information about the Celtic Highland Games, visit (http://www.celtichighlandgames.org) or call (309)764-9886. People interested in serving on the steering committee for next year's festival can also leave a message at that number.
New this year are rugby matches, with a men's match at 1 p.m. and women's "sevens game" after that. The women's demonstration features fewer players and shorter periods - seven women on each squad in seven-minute halves.
Another addition is a border-collie herding demonstration (at six different times), which will feature the dogs herding both sheep and ducks. (Ducks are used to train puppies, because ducks don't kick.)
Lisa Lockheart, promotions chair for the festival, said these are the types of events that many people have only seen on television, if at all. "I've seen it in action, and it's really fascinating," Lockheart said of watching herding in Scotland in June. "The dogs move like lightning."
Those aren't the only new things. Organizers have added new workshops in the Welsh language (3:30 p.m.) and Uilleann (or elbow) bagpipes (2 p.m.). At 2:20, local musicians will have the opportunity to sit in on an open session with the long-running Celtic band Stones in the Field from Iowa City. And while storytellers have been a fixture at the Games, they've now been given their own area.
Lockheart said she is also pleased to see the return of Cedar Rapid's Wylde Nept, an energetic and crowd-pleasing band whose absence from last year's Games drew a lot of mournful comments. Overall, the Celtic Highland Games will feature continuous entertainment on two stages from 9:15 in the morning until 6 p.m. in the evening, when the traditional Ceilidh party kicks off. Blues fans might be surprised to see guitarist Mike Wallace on the schedule, but Lockheart said he has Scottish background and has learned some traditional music for the festival.
And at 3 p.m., actors from the Putnam Museum's Heritage Theatre will present an interactive Ellis Island program, in which members of the audience play the roles of immigrants. "They put you through the process of deciding of whether you're worthy to enter," Lockhear said.
"I'm excited about the amount of entertainment we're offering," she added. "It's impossible to be there and not find something interesting to listen to or watch."
The games themselves are expected to draw roughly 40 athletes, and the dance competition has 88 people registered at this point. Both contests draw people from at least a five-state region, Lockheart said.
The Celtic Highland games run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and admission is $10 for adults. Walk-in registration for the athletic competition begins at 8 a.m., with the games beginning at 9. For more information about the Celtic Highland Games, visit (http://www.celtichighlandgames.org) or call (309)764-9886. People interested in serving on the steering committee for next year's festival can also leave a message at that number.
