Saratoga News

Kevin Toney, left, and Shayne, Jared and Deborah White make up the ensemble Distant Oaks, one of the entertainment groups at the St. Andrew's Celtic Faire.

Saratoga turns Celtic

By Shari Kaplan

A wee bit o' Scotland--not to mention Ireland, Wales and even a taste of Merrie Olde England for good measure--is coming to Saratoga over Memorial Day weekend when St. Andrew's Episcopal Church holds a Celtic Faire.

The faire, which includes music, dancing, food and drinks, games, heavy athletics, clan tents and Celtic craft vendors, is a fundraiser whose proceeds benefit church programs.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 24, the church and its surroundings become a venue for all things Celtic. According to St. Andrew's the church's rector, the Rev. Ernest W. Cockrell, the church's apostalic succession came through three bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, whose patron saint is Saint Andrew. This makes the faire an appropriate way to celebrate the church's Celtic connections in addition to its 40th-anniversary year in Saratoga.

Among the headlining entertainers are Distant Oaks, a four-member ensemble specializing in traditional music of Scotland and Ireland as well as medieval, Renaissance and Baroque pieces; Shanachie, a quartet using folk music and storytelling to share tales of Celtic people and legends; and Standing Stones, a duo that plays clan marches, slow airs, reels, hornpipes, jigs and distinctive Celtic harp melodies.

Other performers include Harpers Hall, a chapter of the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen; the Mayfield Morris and Sword Dancers; the Red Thistle Dancers; the Santa Cruz Pipes and Drums; the Peninsula Fiddle Orchestra; the contemporary band King's Bard; hammered-dulcimer player Allison McGuire; strolling bagpipers; the church's Folk Music Group; the St. Andrew's Choir; and Bells' Angels, the churche's five-year-old handbell choir.

Jan Crook, a tartan weaver, will be on hand to take custom orders for kilts and other tartan clothing. There will also be historical re-enactments by Gaesate, who represent nomadic Celtic warriors found in Gaul during the first century B.C. On Sunday, St. Andrew's holds a traditional seventh-century Celtic mass at 9 a.m. All are welcome at the service.

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