ST. LEONARD, Md. — The 46th Annual Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland opened to the genuine climate of the British Isles: overcast with intermittent rain. Despite the soggy weather, attendees of all ages were in high spirits. Some wore kilts, tartan or other Celtic attire. While the festival enjoyed a good turnout, Jefferson Patterson Park never felt overcrowded. Festival organizers did an excellent job positioning event spaces and vendors’ stalls.
From 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the athletic field bustled with spectators and competitors for rugby and Highland athletics like open and Braemer stones, Scottish hammers, weights for distance and height, caber toss and sheaf toss. By 2 p.m. the skies had cleared considerably and remained mostly sunny for the rest of the day.
Piping, drumming and Highland dance events near the athletic field provided the background music for the festival. At three stages and an orchestra pit spread throughout the festival, musicians from Southern Maryland and beyond played to excited crowds. Clans and societies such as the Clan Buchanan Society, Clan Fergusson Society, N.A., and Clan Stewart Society in America helped festival attendees connect with their Celtic roots and history.
Vendors at the event ran the gamut and included clothing, jewelry, books, pottery and artwork. The food on offer was likewise diverse, but much of it was particular to the British Isles. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, colcannon, sausage rolls, steak and ale pies, corned beef and cabbage, and haggis flew from stalls and trucks near the Jefferson Patterson Park pavilion.
If you weren’t able to attend this year’s Celtic Festival, don’t worry; next year’s event is likely to be just as grand.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
