Less than two weeks left until the Milwaukee Irish Fest.   I can hardly wait for a whole day of Irish fun away from home.  I will be going on Sunday, August 19.

At this point, Rosemary Mugan and Felicia Riendl are riding with me.   I haven't told Dick, but I am going to drive down.   I would like the practice with the van and this will be a good way to test the freeway handling of it.  I may have room for one more, if Joan Brigham does not come along.

I plan on leaving here at 8AM.   Mass at the Fest starts at 9:30AM.  We will all have to bring a can or box of food for the food drive if going to the Mass.  This will give us free entry into the Festival grounds after Mass is over.

I will be  leaving the grounds between   8:00PM and 8:30PM.   So we should be back home by 9:30PM. 

Celtic Women will be marching in the Irish Fest Parade.  I will bring the banner.   I will let you know time and gathering place.  This is always fun.  Gail's husband is St. Patrick and what a spectacular St. Patrick he is.

So let me know YOUR plans.   Lets keep Celtic alive in our world.

(I have decided to forget the Highland games.  Nobody has responded and Labor Day weekend is a difficult one to get away on anyway.   Also, I found out that my friend, Mike, and his Scottish Reenactors, the Tribe of the Blue Rose, are not performing there this year. )

In October  many of us will be going to IBAM in Chicago.  Here an excerpt from the IBAM website which is http://ibamchicago.com/:

iBAM! Chicago 2012!

iBAM! 2012: October 12, 13 & 14

"A Journey towards Understanding through the Arts"

Honoring Derry, City of Culture 2013

iBAM! is a gathering of the best Irish authors, artists and musicians from around the world, under one roof, for a weekend Irish cultural celebration.

We will celebrate Samhain again, with a lovely dinner of Harvest Foods, on Sunday October 28,   as we make our way into the Dark Season of the year.     Think of your very favorite Samhain foods.   Decide whom you are going to invite, both the living and those who have gone before.   We will be meeting at UCC on Hwy 67 in Plymouth.    I will enclose the time and more information in our next newsletter.

Saturday, November 3rd will be the Book Discussion Group.    We do know that it is very close to Samhain, BUT this is the date that our hostess, Joan Kramer has available for us.    The time  for this will follow also.   We are reading and will be discussing The Legend of the Celtic Stone by Michael Phillips.    It is interesting to read about our Scottish history.   I will be bringing a song  about one of the stories in the book called Glencoe.  

Finally, the last event for this year is our annual Irish Christmas Tea.   We celebrate this along with the Plymouth Historical Society and the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.   The event will be held on December 8, 2012, (with a snow date of 12/15/12) at the Plymouth Historical Museum at 420 E. Mill Street, Plymouth WI.  from 2:00PM to 4:PM.   We, the Celtic Women provide the tea treats.  Bring your best breads, Christmas Cookies and  Scones to celebrate the event.    There are rumors that we may have Jeff Ward from Milwaukee to provide our entertainment.   He is marvelous.   I will ask him to sing El Eldorado.   or maybe Steal Away.   Hope we get him.

So that is is for the year.    Are you all out there?   Are we doing the things you want to do to do?   I am stretching a bit, but know that Beth Dippel from the Research center would be glad to help us search out our histories,   I have been experimenting with recipes for years and would be glad to share this or our music history.   Just let me know what you want to know about our past and we will see what we can do.  Perhaps you are even a source of wonderful information for the rest of us.

Dia Dhuit

Mary Kunert