By Mark Krahforst
This was my first Celtic Classic and I have to say, it helped me forget for a moment that the Sox were 10-1/2 games behind.
More than 200,000 people attend this annual festival in Bethlehem every September, and I think there were that many lined up to chew down some Guinness (thank you Celtic Cultural Alliance—the festival’s sponsors—for making a Guinness stand possible).
The place was rife with pipes and I have to tell you, that makes me one happy camper. I think I’ve sat at the crest of Edinburgh’s High Street during the military tattoo and heard fewer pipers. I caught up with the Glengarry Pipe Band from Maxville, Ontario, Canada, as they were tuning up. I was surprised. The band has been around for 60 years, they told me. I would have thought they didn’t need to practice anymore.
That being said, everyone knows it takes an Irishman to play the pipes properly.
Did I mention there was beer? Did I thank the appropriate parties?
The Tavern stage was jumping to the sounds of Searson which is an (almost) all girl band from Ontario (not far from my hometown). These electric Celtic rockers are named for, well, their name. It’s a sister and brother act that one reviewer called “a cross between the Cranberries and Shania Twain.” Three lads were carrying on just off of stage right, dancing impromptu, two pitching the third around like a juggler’s pin. It’s good to see boys dancing for a change.
Enter the Haggis (a band, not a threat) were tuning up in the Grand Pavilion with their fusion of Celtic, blues and funk. Folks there were a little more subdued that the Searson bunch, but they got more raucous once the Haggis actually entered.
There was caber tossing at the Highland field. This athletic event comes from those wonderful folks who also brought you haggis. Participants hoist a 16-30 foot log—which to me looked like a large swizzle stick that had escaped from the zoo—and toss it as far as they can. Today, we have cranes and such, so it’s generally just for entertainment.
Also entertaining was the M.E.M.A.G., a medieval European martial arts guild. It’s owned and run by John Bax, a big, gentle fellow who was instructing Chuck Wyatt and Tara McCray on broadsword technique. Later on they were moving to long sword, then spear, rapier, pole axe and whatever else sharp he had hanging around. Now, truth be told, he was using wooden stand ins for the actual weapons and the whole thing was an artful dance.
John hinted that broadswoard swinging might also burn calories, so if your regular gym workout has gotten boring, John has a school in Pottstown where you can learn some ancient fighting and weight loss techniques. You can reach him at (610) 469-8718.
