Saline MI
7-13-2013 1:32am

5 Things You Want to See at the Celtic Festival Saturday

Saturday will be a great day to gather the clan and danner aboot Mill Pond Park to experience the glamourie of the 18th Annual Saline Celtic Festival.

The final day of the festival opens at 8 a.m. with the Mastodon Mayhem Challenge and ends a few hours past gloamin.

Take a gander at the full schedule here or below. 

(Click here to see our Friday night gallery)

Tickets at the gate are $15, but seniors (65 and up), children (12 and under) and active military get in free. Also, teenagers (13-17) get in for $5. Avoid the parking hassle and catch free shuttles from Saline Middle School, Liberty School, the old Union School, the Drowsy Parrot and the parking lot behind Mac's.

 

Here are five things I recommend at the Celtic Festival.

Highland Athletics & Ancient Games

The Celtic Festival is filled with sport. The morning actually begins with the Mastodon Mayhem Challenge and anyone can participate in Celtic Survivor. But there's something special about the "Ancient Games" that take place at the Saline Celtic Festival. More than 40 big, burly men and women from across the country will partake in a competition that the athletes swear was the inspiration for modern Olympics. The athletes will compete in the Heavy Weight, Sheaf Toss, Caber Toss, Braemer, Open Stone, Over Bar and Light Weight.

Tartan Terrors

The Tartan Terrors are one part traditional Scottish, one part part punk rock and one part fun. The band covers all sorts of ground. At one minute dancer Ellen Wilkes Irsmich will be fluttering around the stage to a sweet fiddle/ Seconds later, the boys will be stomping and thrashing about, singing about whiskey before breakfast, celebrating their Scottish depravity. Good fun. They play at 3:30 at 6:15 p.m.

 

Jousting

Celtic Festival offers many events and activities for kids. And entire section of the park, Wee Folks Island, is dedicated to the little ones. But there's one event that is sure to capture your child's imagination.

Armored Knights from Ireland, Scotland and England defend their country's honor while mounted on their horses. It takes place at noon, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Massed Pipe Bands

The bagpipe bands lend a certain majesty to Mill Pond Park during the Celtic Festival. You can catch the piper performing in the opening ceremony parade and ceremony (11 a.m.). When the piper bands join together (during the opening ceremony and again at 5 p.m.), it's a stirring experience.

Claddagh's Food

There's plenty of good food to be had at the Celtic Festival. Our friends from Benito's will be serving their pizza. The Lions Club is serving ice cream. There's a great new barbecue vendor to go with all the craft beers on tap. But if you want to get into the Celtic experience a little bit, try the Corn Beef sandwich, Irish Nachos and Irish Grog from Claddagh's Irish Pub.

 

Here's the complete schedule for Saturday at the Celtic Festival

10:30 am
Highland Dance Competition - Dance Competition

11:00 am 
Opening Ceremonies - Athletics Field
Celtic Survivor (until 3:00 pm) - Field Event

11:30 am
Waulking Demonstration - Weavers Tent

11:45 am
Delia's Irish Dance Performance - Dance Tent

12:00 pm
Fiddlers Restrung - Red Dragon Stage
The Celtic Connections Band - Brecon Stage 
Jousting - Field Event
Games & Crafts - Wee Folks
Heavy Weight - Athletics Field

12:30 pm
Irish Dance Company of Lansing - Dance Tent
Golf Chipping - Field Event

12:45 pm
Light Weight - Athletics Field

1:00 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage
Ann Arbor Celtic Harpers - Brecon Stage 
Sheepherding Demonstration - Field Event 
Flint Scottish Pipe Band - Acoustic Music Tent
Duck Race - Wee Folks

1:30 pm
Blackthorn - Red Dragon Stage
Irish Ceili Workshop, Damhsa Ulsce Ban Mor - Dance Tent
Waulking Demonstration - Weavers Tent 
Haggis Hurl - Field Event
Survivor - Wee Folks

1:45 pm
Over Bar - Athletics Field

2:00 pm
Glen Erin Pipe Band - Acoustic Music Tent
Jousting - Field Event 
Duck Race - Wee Folks

2:15 pm
Solas Meet & Greet - Brecon Stage

2:30 pm
Golf Chipping - Field Event
Sheaf Toss - Athletics Field

2:45 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage
The Shannon Irish Dance Company - Dance Tent

3:00 pm
Irish Dance Company of Lansing - Red Dragon Stage
Irish Dance Competition (Feis) - Dance Competition
Sheepherding Demonstration - Field Event 
Grand Rapids & District Pipe Band - Acoustic Music Tent
Duck Race - Wee Folks

3:15 pm
Caber Toss - Athletics Field

3:30 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage
Tartan Terrors - Brecon Stage
Delia Phillips Ceili Dance Workshop - Dance Tent 
Waulking Demonstration - Weavers Tent 
Haggis Hurl - Field Event
Survivor - Wee Folks

4:00 pm
Solas - Red Dragon Stage 
Cabar Feidh Pipes and Drums - Acoustic Music Tent
Jousting - Field Event
Duck Race - Wee Folks
Braemer - Athletics Field

4:30 pm
Golf Chipping - Field Event
Parade - Wee Folks
Open Stone - Athletics Field

4:45 pm
CommonWealth Dance Collective - Dance Tent

5:00 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage
Blackthorn - Brecon Stage
Sheepherding Demonstration - Field Event
Massed Pipe Bands - Acoustic Music Tent

5:15 pm
The Shannon Irish Dance Company - Red Dragon Stage

5:30 pm
Dancin' Feet, Cape Breton Step Dance Workshop - Dance Tent
Ann Arbor Morris - Athletics Field
Haggis Hurl - Field Event

5:45 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage 
Irish Jam Seisun - Acoustic Music Tent

6:00 pm
Jousting - Field Event

6:15 pm
Tartan Terrors - Red Dragon Stage
Ann Arbor Morris - Dance Tent

6:30 pm
Young Artists Showcase - Whippersnappers - Brecon Stage

7:00 pm
Tartan & Thistle Scottish Country Dance Workshop - Dance Tent

7:30 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage
BROTHER - Brecon Stage

8:00 pm
Solas - Red Dragon Stage

9:15 pm
Finvarra's Wren - Red Dragon Stage

9:45 pm
BROTHER - Red Dragon Stage

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