Going to the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival and Highland Gathering is to experience a barrage of sights and sounds for 360 degrees around you. The 33rd annual event at the 560-acre Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum on Saturday highlighted the heritage of the Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scots and Welsh in music, food, games and cultural demonstrations.
More than 50 clans and societies had information booths. Three performing stages offered continuous music and dance featuring nationally known recording artists and groups. On view were craft and country dance demonstrations. Music included harp, Scottish fiddling and other traditional music. Storytellers delighted festival-goers with folk stories.
The festivities included all-day competitions for pipers, fiddlers, highland dancers, athletes, drummers, pipe bands and Celtic harpers.
The festival was chosen in 2000 by Rep. Steny Hoyer to represent Southern Maryland in the national “Local Legacy” project of the Library of Congress’ Bicentennial celebration. It is the oldest Celtic celebration in Maryland.
In the program handed out to attendees, Southern Maryland Celtic Society President Sarah Brenzo noted that the economy had forced some of the regular attendees to opt out this year. She wrote, “We are proud of our endurance and continued ability to share the annual celebration of our wild, wonderful, and diverse Celtic culture with you.”
Attendance, aided by picture-perfect weather, was more than 10,000 this year, up from last year’s event.
