Gotta love happy accidents!

This weekend I did two interesting things. Saturday I went to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ and Sunday I experienced the happiest of accidents and stumbled upon Jamison, the band that I raved about in my last post!

If you recall, I was supposed to go back to the PA Renaissance Faire this weekend for the Wine fest, but due to grad school duties (mine and my aunt’s), we decided to forego the hour and half trip both ways and be responsible and get some work done.  I don’t know what is wrong with us.

So Saturday I went to Grounds for Sculpture.  This is only my second time there and the first was for a musical event (check out Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands), so I had never walked around.  Well, I’m not a fan of modern art, but the grounds are very pretty.  I like realism. Maybe I’m boring, but maybe I like my sculptures to look like something more than a blob of metal.  That could just be me though.  I liked the garden aspect of it and some of the larger stone formations (so stone circle-ish) and a very Lord of the Rings looking sculpture in the parking lot.  I also think all the sculptures of people around the grounds are creepy.  I also found myself staring at real people who are just standing very still.

This sculpture was very unique and quite macabre compared to the rest of the artwork. Obviously I liked it.

So Sunday my aunt called me on Sunday and suggested we check out the Hibernian’s Irish Music Fest.  I’m always up for a good fest, so I was like “Okay!”, but then I saw the schedule and saw that Jamison was performing.  All of a sudden I was like, “YES!”.  The fest itself was disappointing.  This is the 31st year of it and it was small, not very well attended, and the vendors left a lot to be desired.  Instead of not letting people join for being non-Catholic, maybe the Hibernian’s should focus on event promotion and marketing.  I’d join the Hibernian’s, but again that whole Catholic thing.  If anyone actually looked into it, they would see that I haven’t set foot in a Catholic mass other than for weddings since 1999.  I’m good at event planning though, so they might want to overlook my Pagan leanings and let me in.  It cracks me up in general, because Celtic culture is so Pagan.  Now, I’m not a practicing anything, I identify myself as agnostic, but gun to my head, most of my opinions line up with a Pagan ideology.

This isn’t about Paganism v. Catholicism though, it is about Jamison.  Long story short, especially because I wrote about the them last week, I love this band.  I think I have just become one of their newest followers and I am probably going to start frequenting Irish pubs around Philly to watch them play.  They just have the best energy, stage presence, and set list.  Honestly, I’m going to say it, favorite Celtic band.  The only band that I have seen that gives them a run for their money is Albannach, who I originally planned on seeing at the Faire.  I feel like I really can’t compare the two too much because Albannach plays all Celtic folk rock with bagpipes and drums and the kilts (they are Scottish, obviously if you speak Gaelic (you don’t speak Gaelic)).  They almost aren’t comparable to Jamison’s current pop hits and classic rock with a Celtic twist.  Don’t let me lead you astray, Jamison’s set also includes classic Irish hits, but there is an obvious difference in Jamison’s and Albannach’s song choices.  Both awesome, high energy, incredibly talented bands.

So I skipped out on Albannach this weekend to see Jamison.  It was a fair trade.  Maybe next weekend I will do something totally not Celtic related…dun dun dunnnnnn. On the books right now? A family party (Italian side!). I’ll have to figure something else out pronto.

Celtic Classic Weekend…Slainte!

This past weekend I went to one of my favorite places…the Bethlehem Celtic Classic! The Celtic Classic is the largest free Celtic fest in North America and it is honestly just so much fun.  I love fests of any sort (unfortunately I missed the Italian American Fest that is a normal stop for me this time o’ year, but grad school interrupts. Damn papers.), but Celtic fests have to be my favorite.  In my opinion, there is nothing better than good beer, good music, men in kilts, and all things Celtic, really.  I should just take a hop, skip, and a jump over the pond already and set up shop in Ireland (or Wales. Or Scotland.)

If I can’t make it to Ireland, Bethlehem could get the job done in the meantime.  Bethlehem, PA is a historic town that’s main income used to be steel.  It was settled by the Moravian’s and now hosts Moravian College and Lehigh University.  The town itself is adorable.  I really don’t know much about it other than I love it.  The Hotel Bethlehem is where my dream wedding would take place.  Everything is Celtic, slightly pagan, and has this old world charm that is missing in so many modern towns.  I love any place with brick sidewalks, old ruins, and that earthy feel that is so hard to find in my congested hometown.  I feel like when you are in Celtic regions, you can feel a connection to the earth.  Maybe I am imagining it or maybe I’m descended from faeries.  I guess we’ll never know, but I’m going with faeries.

So, let’s just go through all the great things that were at the fest this weekend.  First, the food.  I know Ireland and Scotland aren’t exactly known for their food (haggis anyone?), but Shepard’s pie is honestly one of my favorite foods.  I know there is a “big” hooplah over whether or not beef or lamb goes in Shepard’s pie, but I like beef.  Tar and feather me if you must.  Lamb’s are just so cute and I have a hard time eating adorable things.  Also, I just haven’t really had the opportunity to try it. Maybe if someone wants to make it for me, I’ll try, but I don’t want to spend money in case I don’t like it.

Second, and this one is verra obvious, the alcohol.  I’m not a whisky drinker (maybe I’ll get there one day), but I do love me some beer.  I especially love me some Smithwicks.  I love it even more when there is just a trailer filled with it.  I will never understand the people who get Miller Lite (my go to cheap beer, not knocking it), when Smithwicks is available for the same price.  Guinness was obviously on tap, as well, but one more dollar.  As I like to say, Guinness is like eating bread and Smithwicks is like the best milk you’ve ever had.  Maybe not exactly, but it works for me.  Slainte!

Third thing, the music.  I love Celtic rock.  Again, it goes back to the feeling of being connected to the earth and I really don’t think you can beat that.  I love bagpipes and there were plenty of pipe and drum bands marching around playing.  The highlight of the music though was Jamison.  Jamison played traditional Celtic rock songs and put a Celtic spin on some rock and pop classics.  The energy of those guys though was what I’m really writing home about.  They can perform, they can get the crowd going, and they do not stop.  I watched them twice yesterday and I’m probably going to start following them around the coast.  If you want good music and an entertaining show, you definitely want Jamison. Alabama said it best, you gotta have a fiddle in the band, and they do.

So let’s talk shopping.  I love to shop and this place has some of the best vendors of any fest I’ve been to.  I hate all the cheap IRELAND t-shirts that most people have and try to claim that they are actually Irish.  It looks like a Claire’s during March.  I don’t want fake St. Paddy’s Day stuff.  I want to buy actual things from Ireland.  So after walking through the entire fest and debating whether my purchase would be jewelry, pottery, or clothing, I settled on a gorgeous emerald green wool shawl from Ireland.  I have a rule that if a stranger tells me I should buy something/look good in something during my deliberation stage, then I need to buy it.  Well, I put the shawl on to learn how to wear it and a lady told me it looked beautiful on me. So I bought it.  It’s the cross that I bear.

So the final favorite part of the fest, which I know you’ve all been waiting for, is the Highland Games.  Every time I see these 6’5 wonders of men, I just fall in love with this sport even more.  I got a spot right in front for the caber toss, which is my favorite event, and cheered on the athletes.  Now, I learned from talking to one of the athletes, that the Bethlehem games is the hardest throwing competition to get into, so these guys are the best of the best from this side of the pond.  There were multiple perfect throws, which is impressive every time it happens.  These guys can also put on a show.  Maybe Scotsmen are just born showman, but I’ve never been to a Games where the athletes weren’t also hysterical to watch.  My favorite part of the Bethlehem games is the meet and greet following.  I just like to stand among Highland athletes because I feel so short.  At 5’9, I am not a short woman and I rarely get to look up at men, but standing among those giants was a wonderful feeling that I do not often get.  I bent one of the younger and very attractive athlete’s ear for a while (he was very nice and told me all about the Games), but eventually I needed to move over and let the kids get pictures with him.  It was lovely while it lasted.

All in all, it was a lovely day.  I went home after and rode the Celtic wave a little more and watched the mid-season finale of Outlander.  Days do not get better than that.  Unfortunately, the Celtic fest season is over for now, but until next summer, I will just live knowing that I will actually be studying in Scotland next summer, which is pretty much better than anything I’ve done before.  So, here’s to my health and yours.  Slainte!