Friday, September 17, 1999
Celtic fest will attract clans, fans of music, dance
Site is Caesar's Creek village
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer Contributor
WAYNESVILLE — It's part Brigadoon, part Riverdance this weekend as Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village holds its second annual Celtic Festival.
The settlement will ring with music of the pipes, the fiddle and the harp as numerous Celtic bands and dancers perform. And a fractious Scottish “clan” will recreate for visitors scenes of daily life amid the confusion and fear that reigned in Scotland after Bonny Prince Charlie was defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1745.
The re-enactors are members of Clan Destin', an ensemble of youth and adults from the South Fairmount Community Center in Cincinnati. The group was founded several years ago to mentor young people and teach them about the Scottish heritage that many of them shared.
“You'll see a totally correct Scottish Jacobite camp at the Celtic Festival,” said Bill Yunker, who heads up Clan Destin'. “Everyone is in period-correct costume and accent.
“There will be demonstrations of sword fights and flintlock pistols.”
Clan Destin' members research Scottish history and culture, make their own costumes and write their own material.
During the festival, the group will present a short play set just after the Battle of Culloden destroyed Jacobite hopes of an independent Scotland.
Vendors will sell food and crafts native to the British Isles.
“Some of the original settlers in this area were of Scottish and Irish descent, so it's part of the local heritage,” said Kevin Hurt, administrator of the Pioneer Village.
This year's festival enjoyed a larger budget than that in 1998, due in part to a small grant from Dayton Power and Light Co.
“We're having about three times the amount of music we had last year,” Mr. Hurt said.
“Last year it was mostly volunteer bands, but our extra funding allows us to pay musicians this time.”
Entertainers include Celtic musicians Rick Fannin and John Sherman as well as the bands Stark Raven, Knot Fibb'n and Cincinnati ensemble Silver Arm. Dayton's Celtic Academy of Irish Dance will perform Saturday afternoon.
Musicians who enjoy playing Celtic music are invited to the site after festival hours on Saturday for an informal Celtic jam session.
Proceeds from the festival will be used to care for the village buildings.
“According to the Ohio Historical Society, Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village has the most unique collection of pioneer settlement structures in the state,” Mr. Hurt said.
“We're in the middle of a fund-raising effort to restore and properly maintain them.”
IF YOU GO
• What: Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village Celtic Festival
• When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
• Where: 3999 Pioneer Village Road. From Waynesville, go east on Ohio 73, south on Oregonia Road, follow signs to the village.
• Admission: $5 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under.
• Information: (513) 897-1120.
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