Great Array of Celtic Entertainment for the 45th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celetic Festival

May 11, 2012 - PRLog -- PUBLICITY CONTACT: WENDY BRICKMAN
(831) 633-4444 OR brickman@brickmanmarketing.com

Great Array of Celtic Entertainment for the 45th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celetic Festival which Returns To The Monterey County Fairgrounds on July 7th and 8th, 2012

May 9, 2012, Monterey, CA. The award-winning Scottish Society of the Monterey Peninsula and the Salinas Jaycees will hold the 45th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival (www.montereyscotgames.com - (831) 682-2022) on Saturday and Sunday, July 7th and 8th, 2012,  from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The festival will be returning to the beautiful Monterey County Fairgrounds located at 2004 Fairground Road in Monterey and will feature the best array of Celtic entertainment ever and there will be something fun for everyone in your clan!

This very popular Celtic celebration brings the music, dance and athletic events of the mystical lands of Scotland and Ireland to Monterey County. Why fly to Scotland and Ireland when you can enjoy the cultural bounty of the region right here on the Monterey Peninsula!  Featuring fun activities for the whole family, the 45th Annual Scottish Games & Celtic Festival will offer a variety of live Celtic entertainment including Seamus Kennedy, Stand Easy, Sligo Rags, Barbara Joy, and many others, with the thrilling massed pipe bands on parade, including California pipe bands and Highland and Irish dancers.   New this year! A very special whisky tasting seminar.
The Monterey Scottish Games & Festival will feature exciting Scottish heavy athletic competition events, including the famous Caber Toss. Great entertainment will be provided by professional Celtic Pipe Bands. Exciting colorful activities will include the massed pipe bands, Drum Major and Pipe Band competitions, Highland Dancing, Irish Step Dancing, Sheepdog Herding, Historical Re-enactment Groups, and Clan and Celtic Association Tents. Attendees can stroll through the Avenue of Clans, visit one of the Clan tents and trace their ancestry.  There will be lots of fun special events planned for the wee ones at the Children's Games, too. Over 50 vendors offering tasty British and Scottish food and drink, and unique Scottish and Irish crafts, jewelry, clothing, and music will be enjoyed by all. This year, on Sunday, the Festival will again feature a very special “Salute to the Irish” that will include Irish entertainment and Irish Dancing.

The proceeds from the 45th Annual Scottish Games & Celtic Festival will benefit several local non-profit organizations.
SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT
Seamus Kennedy - Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Seamus has been entertaining audiences all over the United States for 32 years. With a ready wit and a vast store of songs, he travels the world performing for audiences ranging from Popes and presidents to bartenders and bricklayers. www.seamus-kennedy.com

Stand Easy - A Celtic Rock band led by John McLean Allan, an award-winning bagpiper, singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist musician. John has appeared playing bagpipes in numerous feature films and television shows. Stand Easy also features Jeff Cullen on highland pipes, whistles and vocals, Ken Lasaine on guitars, Paul Trutner on bass, and Chris Razze on drums. A powerful, crowd-pleasing band, Stand Easy performs original songs, traditional songs and instrumentals. If you’re excited about Celtic music and bagpipes in the world of Rock & Roll, prepare for a brand new listening experience… Stand Easy!

Sligo Rags - Named among the top acoustic bands in L.A. (Folkworks Magazine) and two-time winners of the Orange County Music Award for Best Folk Band, this dynamic ensemble presents Celtic Folk with a decidedly bluegrass attitude. www.sligorags.com

Barbara Joy - An award-winning singer/guitarist/ composer recording artist and philanthropist. Her career as a singer has been defined by an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her heart. Her beautiful voice has a rich, yet bell-like clarity – from classical to Celtic, she interprets songs and music in her own unique style. She performs in concerts and on stages across the country.

SPECIAL PERFORMERS

Christopher Yates - The wavy haired wonder from New Zealand, delights crowds with his brilliant Celtic comedy shows and characters. Don’t miss the “Curls on Tour” show!! Oh, and watch out for “McCloud,” the 10-foot tall HIGHlander; his kilt is the whole nine yards! Just don’t give him grief about his wee feet! (His wife does that enough as it is.) You can ask her about that yourself, as she and their woolly half daughter “Baaa-Bara” will also be appearing with “McCloud.” The “McCloud’s” are some of the highest HIGHlanders around; known for standing above the crowd. “Mrs. McCloud” the long suffering wife, and the bouncing “Baaa-Bara” also perform in the “Rusty Bawls” Show as Aerial Artists.

Rusty and McCloud are the comic creations of Christopher Yates, a graduate of the Wellington Performing Arts Centre, New Zealand. He has performed on four continents, in three different languages, in a range of performance genres from theater to film, corporate to carnival. Don’t miss him!


OTHER FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES:

HEAVY ATHLETICS
Athletes come from far and wide to compete in traditional Scottish games (local participants, too). Watch as they toss the caber, throw weights for distance and height, and compete in the sheaf toss.

PIPE BANDS
Bellowing bagpipes and talented musicians serenade the crowds and perform together in the mass bands. Nothing beats the sound of the bands playing together! Plus, there are many piping competitions to enjoy, both solo and band, on both days. The City of Sacramento Pipe Band will be this year’s featured guest band. It was founded in 1989 by Liz Tubbs (the band's Music Director) and the late Clutch Sutton.The Band competes in Grade 4 and currently has over 20 playing members. Children and adults are welcome to become a part of this non-profit educational group. Piping and drumming instruction is available privately at a nominal cost to Band members and beginners. Although the Band's main focus is competing in Scottish games and events, it performs throughout Northern California for many different functions and organizational events. As a 501(3)(c) Non-profit Organization, the Band relies solely on donations, and the generous time and commitment from its members and their families.

DRUM MAJOR CLASSIC
Back by popular demand is the acclaimed “Classic Drum Major Contest” featuring world class Drum Majors. These musical leaders show off their skills parading the pipe bands while competing for the honor of top Drum Major of the Monterey Games. This competition is sure to be enjoyable for all who attend.

HIGHLAND DANCING
This is one of the most competitive forms of dance anywhere in the world. The origins of these dances lie within the Scottish clansmen, who performed before and after battle. Watch the Sword Dance, performed over two sword blades, or the Highland Fling, said to be a dance of triumph at the end of a battle. See which of these exceptional dancers will win the battle.

For more detailed information, call (831) 682-2022 and check out the website: http://www.montereyscotgames.com.  For sponsorship opportunities, please call Wendy Brickman, Brickman Marketing, at 831-633-4444.