CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007

Subject: CelticFest Jackson
From: pattyClink
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 09:02 PM

Brigadoon is about to appear out of the mist this Friday in Jackson, Mississippi as the 16th annual CelticFest materializes. We are going to be honored with the presence of the legendary piper Paddy Keenan, the awesome Mairtin de Cogain and the Fuschia Band, and a ton of great players , dancers, and singers from the South and beyond.

TexasGuest Michael Harrison is booked for some fine balladeering, and will PoppaGator be heaving away with the N.O. Quarter Shanty Crewe up from New Orleans? I will be a blissful audience member as usual, soaking it all up, and trying to get a few other amateur singers peeled away from the giant ceili dance long enough to participate in the song circle.

Any other Mudcats swimming in for the event?

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 01:14 PM

Well, pattyClink, I didn't think that anyone here at Mudcat knew my
real name; I guess I'm now "out of the closet" - so to speak.

Yes, I will be at the Mississippi Celtic Festival on both the children's and the adult stages; and, folks should know that some other wonderful players will be there as well, such as Mississippi's own Jim Flannagan, and Jackson's fine Irish trad band - Legacy. Also, my very favorite and good friends Smithfield Fair will get to do several sets over the weekend. Everything starts in the evening on Friday, September 7th and goes till Sunday night.

pattyClink - come on up and introduce yourself; as for everyone else - sure hope to see you out at one very fine festival. Cheers.

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 01:22 PM

I'm sure SouthernCelt will view this thread soon---SouthernCelt, this is one time I wish I was from your Jackson.

Sorry for the thread drift.

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: SouthernCelt
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 03:37 PM

Yep, just read it. Too bad you're not from "my" Jackson, you could go and report back on what a fun time I'll be missing. Would you believe I've got commitments out of town this weekend and once again won't make the Fest! I guess people schedule so much in the late summer trying to get popular events in before the more changeable and iffy weather sets in. It seems like every Sept. is chock full of shows, fests, concerts, etc. Once I found out when the fest was this year I put it on the calendar and pretty quickly had notices about other things to which I have standing commitments requiring my presence. I've got so much on the calendar for next weekend, it won't all fit.

I'll be regretting every minute I'm not at the fest though 'cause what I've got to do won't be nearly as much fun.

SC

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 06:17 PM

Sorry for the blunder just before this. Southern Celt - sorry you can't make Jackson, but don't forget about NELA - Northeast Lousisiana Celtic Festival in Monroe on the first weekend in October.
Many of the same fine players will be there from Jackson, as well as some Celtic rockers such as, Needfire, and some others. Cheers.

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept.
From: pattyClink
Date: 04 Sep 07 - 09:34 AM

Whoops, Tex, I didn't realize you were going incognito. If having your cover blown is a problem, I'm sure Max will allow you to pick a new handle.

Southerncelt, I sympathize, I had to miss 2 fests, once because the time slot was the perfect time for a trip to Ireland, and once for a distant wedding.   Another big fan of the fest gets called away every year for an SCA thing.   

Paging PoppaGator, are you swimming upstream this time?

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 04 Sep 07 - 06:52 PM

pattyClink - I haven't been traveling around here incognito, but rather, I have just failed to join up - and no, I can't tell you why.
Earlier in the year I considered becoming a member and started a thread about using a handle versus one's real name and found that folks had good reasons for both.

Since I can't think of a good reason for not using my real name; since I'm not planning to run for political office; and, since I've been "outed" anyway - why not just use my name and join up? I'll go ahead and join the ranks by the end of the year; meanwhile, see you in Jackson. Cheers.

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: GUEST,JamesonK
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 10:34 AM

I'm very excited about the Fest this weekend...I've been trying to attend for years and years and something has always come up. But this year I will be there all three days!! Somebody who's been before tell me what's the best show/exhibit/workshop to hit first. Also, any recs for food? What's the tastiest?

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept.
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 05:31 PM

Can't really say what to do 'first'. There are lots of acts running simultaneously on several stages in several buildings , so you have to have a battle plan as to what to do when. Then fill in between your 'must-sees' by wandering around the midway shops and stumbling onto interesting stuff on the field (sometimes there are pipe bands and SCA battles). If you've never been to the Ag Museum on site, you can check that out too.

Go to the website and print out the schedule for concerts and workshops so you can plan which ones you want to be sure to catch. And print out the map because there can be some hiking between some stages.

fest site

Park near the Sports Museum, hike in to the grounds. Go to the CelticSociety tent, get a program and a t-shirt, talk to some people, and buy some beverage tickets you can exchange for sodas and beers throughout the day.

As I said above, I would not miss Paddy Keenan or The Fuschia Band, and Smithfield Fair is wonderful, and go see Jim Flanagan and Michael Harrison for ballads and Bounds Street for instrumental. As for the rest, there are blurbs in the program to tell you what their stories are. Part of the fun is just stumbling onto something new.

Food, ya never know. It varies, some years it's been pretty shaky. One little truck sells seafood pistolettes, pretty darn good. Other vendors may show up with shishkebab or barbecue or turkey legs or hot dogs. (We don't really go for authentic because who the hell wants hot bangers and boxty when it's 98 degrees out). Fenian's pub last year sold a variety of good foods and desserts made by their chefs, some halfway authentic.   Sometimes there is a table of good baked goods by some little gourmet outfit.   And you can usually buy cold bottles of water (or tuck a few in your backpack) cause it's hot outside (most stages are air-conditioned).

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept.
From: GUEST,pattyClink
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 10:10 AM

Jameson, here's the article in today's paper FYI.

If you sing, come to the Saturday night Song Session and introduce yourself. I'll be the one with flyers or a signup sheet for the October 28 song session.

If you don't sing, well, the hell with ye! (just kidding) You'll have the time of your life enjoying the instrumentals and craziness at the massive dance ceili Sat. night.

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept. 2007
From: SouthernCelt
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 01:20 PM

Hey, patty, you forgot the link to the article. I think this is the one you're referring to: CelticFest Mississippi

SC

Subject: RE: CelticFest Jackson, Mississippi -Fri. 7 Sept.
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 07:24 PM

Thanks!