Published: Aug 12, 2007
By: Jeff Meade
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| North Wildwood is about to become deely bobber central. |
If you're interested in closing out your summer with a bang, we have two outstanding suggestions for you. First, go south. Then, go north.
Here's what we mean:
What: North Wildwood Irish Festival
When: Sept.20—Sept. 23
Where: Various locations throughout Wildwood and North WildwoodHave you ever heard of cultural literacy? Eggheads use the term to describe the things we all ought to know about our culture in order to be truly, like, you know, smart. Well, no one with so much as an ounce of Irish blood pulsing through his veins can lay a claim to cultural literacy without at least one pilgrimage to the pageant of paddywhackery that is the Cape May County Irish Fall Festival.
From our perspective—we have attended many, many times—the festival is more a celebration of Irish-American kitsch than of Irish culture. It ain’t exactly a lecture series on the Book of Kells or a poetry reading by Seamus Heaney, but it sure is fun.
Highlights include a pretty terrific pipe band exhibition at 8th and Central on Saturday morning at 10 a.m., and a parade on Sunday starting at 1 p.m., stepping off from 24th and Surf. (Local Irish kid singer Timmy Kelly is this year’s grand marshal.)
All along Olde New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood, you can spend day after sun-soaked day moving from one bar or music tent to another. All of the region’s best bands will be there. (Think Paddy’s Well, Blackthorn, Bogside Rogues, Jamison, and many, many more.) The main drag will be jammed with grannies decked out in shiny, green plastic Mardi Gras beads and teeny-boppers wearing sparkly shamrock deely-bobbers.
There’s a huge food court area—classic, artery-clogging Jersey shore summer fare—and endless rows of vendor tables stacked with indispensable Celtic collectibles like “Bite me, I’m Irish” T-shirts. (You can wear it the next time you have an audience with the Queen. And be sure to let us know how that works out for you.)
A fair amount of beer will be consumed. (Perhaps that goes without saying.) You might be one of those consumers, in fact. Well, have fun, sure … but, please, let’s be careful out there.
As we say, if you haven’t gone before, you simply must go at least once. Make an anthropological study of it, if that’s what floats your boat. (Don’t forget your pith helmet.) Or just go for the bands, the beach and the brewskies. (Don’t forget your sunblock.) But do go.
What: Celtic Classic
When: Sept. 28—Sept. 30
Where: Historic Bethlehem’s festival grounds, along the Monocacy Creek and adjacent to the main shopping areas of Main Street Bethlehem
This is easily one of the finest, best-organized Celtic festivals in the nation—and it’s an easy drive from Philadelphia. (Not quite as easy from South Jersey or Delaware, but still a not-very-taxing day trip, and very much worth the journey.)
This year, festival-goers will hear some of the best Irish and Scottish musicians and bands on the planet. Solas is one of the headliners; so, too, the Old Blind Dogs and Lunasa. Seamus Kennedy will be there; so will the Glengarry Bhoys. You’ll also hear music by the durable duo Timlin & Kane and up-and-comers Burning Bridget Cleary. And there’s more. (Check the festival Web site.)
You’ll hear more than your fair share of pipers, too … and not just any pipers. You have to be the best of the best to be invited to the Classic. The bands face off in a competition Saturday and Sunday. And if you think one bagpipe band is pretty much the same as any other, give a listen to the world-class City of Washington Pipe Band in the Piping Grove on Friday. They’ll make your local fire company band sound like a rusty, dented pipe organ.
There are Highland athletic competitions as well, including the caber toss. (Picture a telephone pole hurled end over end by a well-muscled, kilt-clad dude. That’s a caber toss. Of course, anyone can toss a caber; caber catching… now that’s hard.)
Check out the Irish singing contest and a Highland dancing competition on Saturday and the Irish singing contest on Sunday.
There’s so much more to tell you about the Celtic Classic, but we’re running out of room.
Read See You In September - Part 1.
