 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
First Celtic Festival reels in visitors
By MICHELLE JONES © St. Petersburg Times, published February 19, 2001 ZEPHYRHILLS -- Overcast skies and intermittent rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of visitors to the first Celtic Festival held at Zephyr Park on Saturday.
Watts was dressed for the occasion in a Blackwatch kilt, which he said he bought at a Renaissance festival. "It's a generic clan kilt," said the 32-year-old Zephyrhills resident. But others who showed up in kilts were more specific about their clan. Alex Cameron drew a crowd as he told stories and demonstrated the use of ancient weapons. One of the weapons was a claymore, a two-edged broadsword. He wore a kilt with a mix of black, white, green and purple representing the Wild Highlander clan. "Our clan has a war cry," he said shouting with a deep brogue as he twirled the claymore. "It means wild dogs will eat fresh meat tonight. But I shortened it to say, 'Kill the b------s.' " Many of the visitors wore kilts, among them, 18-month old Morgan King of Tampa in a red McGregor clan kilt. Her father, Collin, wore a matching one. They wore blue Highland bonnets with a red pom-pom on each one.
Hundreds of people came to listen to Irish music and Scottish bagpipes and eat traditional Celtic fare. Sheena Lennie, 61, of Scotland was carrying four mince pies to a picnic shelter for her and her friends. "We come here to Zephyrhills from Scotland for three months out of every year," she said. "My husband, Archie, loves this music." Wayne Mowat, 44, was running Hamish's Kitchen, selling Scotch eggs, in which a hard-boiled egg is encased in sausage and breaded and fried; haggis, a Scottish dish of organ meats mixed with suet, oatmeal and seasoning; fish and chips, and fried Mars bars. He said he and his sister and their father, Hamish, travel the United States going to Scottish festivals and selling their native food. "I don't like the haggis, but a lot of people do," he said. "We usually sell all out. If you like liver, you will like haggis." Nancy Russell of Lutz said she wouldn't even try the haggis.
Patrick Madigan, 35, of Zephyrhills thought the Scottish eggs were different. "It is spicy, but not bad," he said. His wife, Janette, didn't like the egg, and son Kolton, 7, was eating a corn dog. "You couldn't find a better way to spend the day with family," said Madigan. "I love the music." One of the most popular vendors was Jenny Tuohey, who was selling computer-generated coats of arms and a short history of Irish and Scottish clans. "People are interested in their family history," said Tuohey, who came to the festival from Ormond Beach. For $19.95, a person received a parchment paper with a coat of arms and a history of his clan. "It is not genealogy, but it generates an interest so people can find out more," said Tuohey. Other vendors were selling toy drummers, pipers, Celtic jewelry, candy and cookies from Scotland. Marc LaBahn was selling pendants, knot rings, crosses and other silver and platinum jewelry that he said he made by hand. "It is lost wax casting," said the St. Petersburg resident. Musicians Gerry Forde, the Pooka Irish folk band and the Tampa Bay Pipes and Drums entertained people. Dancers celebrated the Celtic tradition with step dancing (seen in Riverdance) and Irish Ceili dancing. Jigs and reels are also part of the heritage. James Joyce sang an Irish song that was very melancholy. Fare Thee Well Sweet Ireland probably brought fond memories of their homeland to many of the visitors. - Michelle Jones covers central Pasco community news. She can be reached at (813) 226-3459. Her e-mail address is jones@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
