A boisterous celebration of Celtic arts, culture and traditions, the seventh annual Celtic Calling Gathering will be held at various venues throughout Charleston and elsewhere today through Sunday.
The event will include music, dance, education, athleticism, and an array of family activities. Scheduled activities include:
Wednesday, March 1
A StoryWalk Reading Adventure will be available in the Children’s Department of the Kanawha County Public Library, 123 Capitol St., Charleston, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Reading Adventure will also be open during the same hours on March 2 and 3.
An informal acoustic music jam/session will take place from 6 until 8 p.m. at The Bear’s Den, 405 Capitol St., Charleston.
Alto Designs will host a paint party to paint a Highland Cow (or Coo) on an 11-inch-by-14-inch canvas from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings, 2501 Mountaineer Blvd. in South Charleston. To register, call 304-343-4325.
Thursday, March 2
Swingstein and Robin (Paul Epstein on fiddle and Robin Godfrey on piano) will perform Celtic tunes and jazz and swing from 5 until 7 p.m. at The Empty Glass, 410 Elizabeth St. on Charleston’s East End.
The documentary musical “North Circular” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 230 Capitol St. in Charleston. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. (“North Circular” will also be screened at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.)
Friday, March 3
The Beni Kedem Highlanders 2023 Tartan Ball will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. at the Bedi Kedem Temple, 100 Quarrier St. in Charleston. For tickets or additional information, phone the Beni Kedem Temple at 304-343-9405.
Celtic Calling and FOOTMAD will present a Community Ceili/Ceilidh Dance from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church, 1009 Virginia St., E., Charleston. No experience or partner is needed, but soft-soled shoes are required. Admission costs $10 per person or $15 for a family and $3 for students. VISTA volunteers and those under age 13 will be admitted at no charge.
Dave Haas and Friends will perform Celtic songs at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St., Charleston, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Company Stores, The Mudlarks and special guests will perform from 9 p.m. until midnight at the Rock City Cake Company, 205 Capitol St., in Charleston. They will also have an encore performance on Saturday, March 4. Admission is $15 per person.
Saturday, March 4
The Charleston library, 123 Capitol St., will host sheep, weavers, dance, and more at its outdoor plaza from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The inaugural Celtic Calling Student Music Competition will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rock City Cake Company, 205 Capitol St. in Charleston. Entry is free for middle school and high school students wishing to compete; for more information, email celticcallingwv@gmail.com.
The 5K Kilt Run and 2K Walk will get underway at 9 a.m., with check-in starting at 8 a.m. at Spring Hill Cemetery. The online entry fees are $30 for runners and $25 for walkers; online registration closes on March 3. On-site registration fees will be $30 for walkers and $50 for runners. Runners and walkers under age 12 can participate free. Proceeds will be used toward cemetery upkeep. Online registration can be made via runsignup.com.
The Celtic Village will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m . at City Center at Slack Plaza in Charleston, featuring music, dance, crafts, a dog show, children’s activities, history and genealogy information and more.
Musicians scheduled to perform at the venue on Saturday include Kinnfolk, Mary Grace Autumn, the Lincoln County Cloggers, Kanawha Valley Pipes and Drums, and Savanna Brown.
At 4 p.m., a parade will begin at the Lee Street Triangle and proceed along Capitol Street to Kanawha Boulevard.
The George Daugherty Tall Stories Contest, named in honor of the late “Earl of Elkview” George Daugherty, will be held at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. in Charleston. Sign-ups will start at 12:30 p.m. and the contest will get underway at 1 p.m.
From 3 to 3:45 p.m., the Almost Heaven Dulcimer Group will perform at the Rock City Cake Company, 205 Capitol St. in Charleston.
The Top of Town Pub Crawl, featuring live music and prizes, will be held from 4:30 until 7 p.m. Pub crawlers can visit the participating venues and have their passports stamped to increase their chances of winning prizes such as gift certificates and Celtic Calling swag.
Providing music at the venues will be Father Son and Friends at Sam’s Uptown Cafe, 28 Capitol St.; there is a $5 cover (they will also perform 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, at Sam’s Uptown Cafe); The Charleston Rogues, performing at The Blue Parrot, 14½ Capitol St. ($5 cover); DJ Matt Murphy at Bar 101, 101 Capitol St. (free); and a free acoustic music session will be held at Mountain State Distillery, 800 Kanawha Blvd., East.
Pub Crawl winners will be texted and announced in all venues at 7 p.m.
Appalachian Lassies and Mountain Dance Studio, from beginner to advanced levels, will give a “Riverdance”-style performance of soft- and hard-shoe Irish dances and traditional Scottish dances. Admission is free for the program, which will be held from 5 until 6 p.m. at the Rock City Cake Company, 205 Capitol St., Charleston.
Folk musicians Tim and Maggie will perform jigs, reels, airs, and other Celtic selections from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. in Charleston.
FOOTMAD (Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance) will present The Tannahill Weavers at 7:30 p.m. at Resurrection Church/Capitol Theater, 123 Summers St., Charleston. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for seniors and $10 for students; children under age 13 will be admitted at no charge. To order tickets online, visit www.footmad.org.
Musicians and dancers who play traditional music are invited to join in a Celtic music session from 10 until 11 p.m. at Adelphia Sports Bar and Grille, 218 Capitol St., Charleston.
Sunday, March 5
The Kirkin of the Tartans, a traditional Presbyterian worship service celebrating Scottish heritage, will begin at 11 a.m. at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church, 1009 Virginia St., E., in Charleston.
At 2 p.m., Jenny Allinder and Jim Mullins will play Celtic music, featuring fiddle, guitar, and banjo, and the St. Albans Scottish Fiddle Orchestra will perform at the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame located on the second floor of the Charleston Town Center. Admission is free.
Team Irish Road Bowling will take place at Kanawha State Forest in Charleston. Team registration will start at 1:30 p.m. and bowling will begin at 2 p.m. Participation is free, but a refundable deposit of $5 for the road bowl will be charged. The course starts at the Kanawha State Forest’s picnic area.
Celtic Calling Readers Theater will present five plays from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Empty Glass, 410 Elizabeth St. in Charleston (and also livestreamed on Facebook). Plays and their playwrights, vying for cash prizes, include “Internal Improvements” by Bennett Ayres, “Skelliking Day” by Joe Bergin, “Pangs of Ulster” by Conor Casey, “Athbrhrith [rebirth]” by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, and “No Whiskey in Heaven” by Michael Waterson.
For more information about this week’s events, visit the Celtic Calling Facebook page or www.celticcalling.org.
