For a town its size, Mount Vernon plays host to a remarkable community built around various forms of traditional Celtic music. The Celtic Arts Foundation puts on festivals, concerts, workshops, dances, classes and all kinds of other events throughout the year. It’s got a few extra-big ones coming up so I thought it would be a good time to give an overview of everything the foundation has to offer.
The organization was started back in 1997 by Skye Richendrfer, who was a bagpiper, devotee of all things Scottish and also happened to be mayor of Mount Vernon at the time. Under his leadership, it grew steadily, highlighted by the 2015 opening of the Littlefield Celtic Center, a venue and gathering space, to act as their headquarters. His vision has continued to guide the foundation even after his death in 2022. The current director is Cayley Schmid, who was well known in the local traditional music community before taking on that position.
We’ll start with their three big annual events. Every summer it hosts the Skagit Highland Games, now taking place at the Skagit County Fairgrounds. This year’s edition is scheduled for July 12–13, so put that one on your calendar now. That event is packed with athletic competitions, craft demonstrations, music, food and drink (and my personal favorite, the sheepdog demonstrations).
In September, the Celtic Arts Foundation sponsors the Bellingham Celtic Festival, filling venues all over downtown Bellingham with music and more. Finally, every January it organizes Winter School, a musical gathering in Seabeck, Kitsap County. This event gives participants a chance to take a deep dive into Scottish musical traditions, with top teachers from all over the world on a variety of instruments.
This spring, however, the Celtic Arts Foundation is going big with four touring performers, including two absolute legends. On Wednesday, Feb. 19 Sean Gavin is coming to perform, and also doing a tin whistle workshop and a lecture on the singing traditions of Ireland. On Friday, Feb. 28 it’s Open The Door for Three, the world-travelling trio of fiddler Liz Knowles, Uilleann piper Kieran O’Hare and singer/bouzouki player Pat Broaders.
Then, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the foundation is presenting Altan at the Lincoln Theatre on Thursday, March 13. Altan is one of the biggest groups in traditional Irish music over the past few decades.
Finally, on Friday, May 9, fiddler Kevin Burke comes in for a solo performance. He pretty much set the standard for contemporary Irish fiddle through his work with the Bothy Band in the ‘70s and in numerous other projects since then, so it’s quite the honor for him to be coming to town.
In addition to those big events, the Celtic Arts Foundation has ongoing events that help build community all year round. That schedule currently includes a contra dance on the first Saturday of each month, a free Scottish country dance class on the second Saturday, and an Irish session on the second Sunday. It also offers a lending library and an assortment of learning opportunities, like the popular “Bagpipes for Beginners” classes.
And while most of its events are open to the public, membership growth is what allows the foundation to put on such a broad and busy schedule of events. Its membership recently reached the 1,000 mark — an impressive milestone, and a tribute to the vibrant community it’s built.
The Celtic Arts Foundation also relies heavily on volunteers, so if you want to get into the Highland Games for free, consider signing up as a volunteer. If you have any interest in Scottish or Irish music and culture, make sure you’re checking out the offerings of this organization, an absolute treasure of a resource for this community.
News
Promising new band alert! Scout, formerly the lead singer of garage-punk weirdos Iggy Poop, has a new, mostly acoustic project called Scout & The Fox’s Wedding. They’ve only got one single out streaming so far, but it’s absolutely beautiful and has me very curious to see them live and see what they get up to next. Check out “Thumb in A Car Door” and keep an eye out for them around town.
Another cool local release is the new live video from The Enthusiasts. They did an album release concert back in November for their album “To Rest A Field,” taking place at the Unknown Recording Studio in Anacortes, the same place where they recorded it. So far they’ve only released the video for the first song, “Here We Go Again,” but I’m hoping to see more.
The lineup for the Elizabeth Park summer concerts has been released. I know it’s a long way off but at this point in the winter, it’s nice to start imagining what it will be like to be out enjoying live music in the parks again. As always, the lineup takes place on Thursdays and draws on the best family-friendly, positive energy acts the area has to offer. Highlights include North Sound Soul on June 26, big band swing with Swing Connection on July 3, and perennial favorites bandZandt closing things out on Aug. 21.
Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, appears weekly. Reach him at jsbhammusic@gmail.com; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to make sure events are still taking place as scheduled. Live music events in Whatcom County: http://www.cascadiadaily.com/category/living/arts-and-entertainment/music/music-calendar