Loch Lomond Celtic Society

Exciting News! The Loch Lomond Celtic Society will hold the Loch Lomond Highland Games in 2010, hosted by the Scottish Renaissance Festival of Santa Cruz!

Mark your calendars for June 19th and 20^th – yes, we will be there for two days and RV camping will be available! We will have our own area at the Fairgrounds for athletics, clans, piping and other attractions. Attendees will also have full access to Renaissance Festival activities, with music and entertainment, historical re-enactors, interactive craft marketplace, food and drink. We are still in the planning stages of this unprecedented event, and will keep you posted as it develops!

For general info about the Renaissance Festival, please visit http://www.scottishrenaissancefestival.org/ To volunteer at the Games, please contact us at llcs95@lochlomondceltic.org – volunteers get free admission! We hope to see you there!

Thanks to everyone who joined us as LLCS celebrated
the 251st birthday of "the Bard" with our 15th Annual Robert Burns Birthday Dinner and Whisky Tasting - with poetry readings by you!

If you have pictures you would like to share on the website, please forward them to the websmasters.

Our Dear Friends and Supporters,

As a Celtic Society built around our October Games, it's a new year for us now, so Happy New Year! We are pleased to announce that we will be holding our Burns Night Supper at the Tyrolean Inn on January 23rd. Stay tuned for details, but I can promise you excellent food, plenty of poetry readings (by you!) and a really good time.

Some plans for the year include Show and Tell teaching events highlighting many different aspects of Celtic interest, ceilidhs and fundraisers. Specifically, we have in the works a little Garden Party for you in the Spring. We hope that you will be joining us for these gatherings - maybe even volunteer to help? We'll have some fun! As events come up, we will be posting them here.

If you would like to help us in the planning and implementation of any of these events, please let us know. We need and always appreciate our volunteers.

Sincerely,

Rhyli Esser
for the Board of Directors of the Loch Lomond Celtic Society

llcs95@lochlomondceltic.org

Although the Loch Lomond Celtic Society did not hold our Games in Ben Lomond this year (see announcement below), our Games Marshalls Jane and Jeff Simpson put together a crew and held the Santa Cruz Scottish Games and Celtic Festival at San Lorenzo Park in downtown Santa Cruz on October 3rd. It was a lovely fall day and a good time was had by all. For details, please visit their website: http://www.santacruzscottishgames.com .

Please visit our Games page for information and pictures from the 13th annual Loch Lomond Highland Games and Celtic Gathering October 4th 2008

If you have any pictures to share from the Games or other LLCS events, please email them to the webmasters Dan and Laurie Isdell.

To receive announcements of our upcoming events, please take a moment now to join our mailing list:

Free ongoing Celtic music sessions where many local Celtic musicians perform in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in or merely to enjoy the music and meet other people with interests in all aspects of the rich Celtic culture.

—Every Sunday from 5 - 8 pm: Irish seisun at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, 25 San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose. Parking is free in the garage across the street. For more info email Art Friedman, friedman_art(at)yahoo.com.

—2nd Sunday of the month from around 6 pm: Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay hosts a session at Britannia Arms, 8017 Soquel Ave., Aptos. Call Sheila for further information at (831) 464-2128.

—2nd Friday of the month: Irish Ceili Dances sponsored by The Clifford-Hoban Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, at the Felton Community Hall, 6191 Highway 9 in Felton. Beginning dance lessons at 7:30 pm. Dancing to 'live' music 8:00pm-10:30 pm. Dancers, musicians and listeners are all welcome at this family-friendly event. For info, call Linda at (831) 688-5729.

For info on other Celtic music sessions in California, please visit the SlowPlayers.org website.

Sunday The Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association hosts a session the first Sunday of each month from 1 PM to 5 PM at Hoover Middle School in San Jose. Along with Celtic music, many other musical styles are played there, and they are all great folks in a family friendly environment. They also offer a slow-play session starting around 2 PM open to all beginners. Check their website for details.

Sundays at The Starry Plough, Pub at 3101 Shattuck in Berkeley, next to La Pena, 3 blocks south of Ashby and 2 blocks east of the Ashby BART station, Shay Black hosts The Starry Session from 8:15 - 11 PM. All ages and all musicians, singers, and dancers, are welcome!

Sundays & Tuesdays The Plough & Stars, 116 Clement Street, at 2nd Avenue in San Francisco has hosted Irish sessions since opening in 1975. A rotating staff of hosts convenes for tunes from 9:00 PM - midnight and anyone that plays Irish music is welcome to join in. For beginners, there is a slow session on the third Tuesday of each month, and for singers, a song session on the last Tuesday. If you are interested, email Jack Gilder jgilder(at)tipsyhouse.com for details.

Sundays The "Benicia Session", a new open session that has all levels of players, meets on the Second & Fourth Sundays of the month at, Round Table Pizza in Benicia, located at, 878 Southampton Road, Benicia, CA, (707) 746-7000, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. For information call Jay Colvin (707)745-8325 or e-mail jayecolvin(at)yahoo.com

Sundays at the La Di Da Cafe, located at 500 Purissima Street at Kelly in Half Moon Bay. Music from 11:30 - 3 PM. Musicians, singers and fans of all ages are welcome. Email Raymond Tsang, mtn_kahuna(at)yahoo.com, for details.

Sunday (first) For the last 10 years, Murphy's Pub, located at 464 First Street on the plaza in Sonoma, has hosted a Irish & Scottish session on the first Sunday of every month from 6 - 9 PM. Contact Fran Sweeney, fransweeney(at)sbcglobal.net for details.

Sundays a fast, traditional Irish seisiun at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, 25 San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose from 5 to 8 PM. Parking is free in the ramp across the street. If you share his goal of recreating music heard in western Ireland, send an email to Art Friedman at friedman_art(at)yahoo.com to get the full details. 21 and over only.

Mondays in Point Reyes Station at West Marin School, north edge of town, off Hwy 1 starting at 7:00 pm. Experienced local players invite all to learn traditional Irish tunes in a ceoiltais-type gathering, plus their good quality Irish session. Call (707) 523-4373 for info.

Tuesdays David Brewer hosts Celtic Music Night at Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church, 9850 Monroe Avenue, in Aptos every Tuesday evening from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. This free community event begins with a short concert, continues with Q&A, refreshment break, concluding with an open music session. Bring your family & friends of all ages, enjoy some free music and snacks, ask your questions about the music or instruments, and bring an instrument to join in the fun if you like!

Tuesdays The Mayflower Pub, located at, 1533 Fourth Street, San Rafael, hosts an open session that has grown to a really grand and expert Irish session. Call (415) 497-8656 or email MarinIrishCeili(at)lucasvalley.net for an advisory.

Tuesdays The San Francisco Pipers Club has a Slow Session hosted by St. Stephen's Green 223 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 7:30 - 9:30 PM every Tuesday. Email Bob Wilson at bob.wilson(at)acm.org for details

Wednesday The Black Rose Irish Pub located at 2074 Armory Drive, in Santa Rosa hosts a Slow Celtic Session and Song Circle -- Celtic tunes at a relaxed pace and Celtic and English singing from 7:00 to 9:30 PM on the second Wednesday of the month. For more info, contact Mitch Gordon at mitchgord(at)aol.com.

Wednesdays Marin Irish ceili style weekly session at St. Isabella's Parish Hall, 1 Trinity Way, San Rafael (Terra Linda off Freitas Parkway) starting at 7:00pm for all who want to ease into Irish tunes and style by ear without embarrassment. Works great. Call (415) 342-4052 or email info(at)marinirishmusic.com for play list and directions.

Wednesdays There is an open session every Wednesday at Delta of Venus Cafe & Pub, 122 B Street (between 1st and 2nd Streets), in Davis from 7:00 - 10:00 PM. Email Bob Wren wren(at)dcn.org for details.

Thursday The Aqus Cafe, 189 H Street, at Second Street and H (in the river side area of Petaluma) hosts a traditional Irish seisiun from 7:00 - 10:00 PM on the first Thursday of the month. If you share their goal of closely unified melody and lilt, email John john(at)aqus.com for details.

Saturday The "Genuinely Slow Session" meets the 2nd Saturday of each month from 11-12 AM at Unity Temple, 407 Broadway, Santa Cruz. All levels are welcome, but we will really, really be playing slow so this is primarily for beginners. Love Offerings welcomed (everything collected goes to Unity Temple) and/or help clean the church after the session. Contact Ariel helloariel(at)hotmail.com for details.

Check out the AmeriCeltic Website and click on the Music button for full details and music downloads.

Celtic Music is heard weekly on the following public radio stations in the Monterey Bay area. Please keep in mind during their Pledge Drives that without the great support of these stations that grace our area, none of our endeavors would be possible.

KUSP, 88.9 FM (Santa Cruz) - Saturdays 11am-1pm with Cindy Odom, and additional Folk music 1pm-3pm. The Global Village World Music programs, Mon-Fri 1:30pm-4pm, feature Celtic music on Tues. with Ray Price, with emphasis on Breton and Welsh music, and Fri. with Gypsy Flores.

KZSC, 88.1 FM (Santa Cruz) - Folk programs hosted by Jeff Emery Sun. noon-2pm, Steve Meadows Tues. 3pm-6pm, Clytia Fuller Fri. 9am-noon, Mary McCaslin Thurs noon-3pm. Bushwackers Breakfast Club Fri 6am-9am with Dangerous Dan, Sleepy John and Jukebox Jeff truly defies classification, but much folk music is heard amidst the hijinks.

KKUP, 91.5 FM (Cupertino) - Celtic Music generally heard in the first part of Peter Schwarz's program on Thurs. 7am-10am. Lisa Atkinson folk program Tues.10am-1pm. Dave Stafford hosts folk Fri. 3pm-6pm

KPIG, 107.5 FM (Freedom/Santa Cruz) - Celtic music may be heard during John Sandidge's 'live' music program Sun. 10am-noon.

KALW, 91.7 FM (San Francisco) - The Thistle and Shamrock program, produced by Fiona Ritchie in Perthshire, Scotland, may be heard on Saturdays at 2pm, followed by additional folk programming until 5:30.

KCBX, 90.1 FM (San Luis Obispo) -The Thistle and Shamrock program, produced by Fiona Ritchie in Perthshire, Scotland, may be heard on Saturdays at 6pm.

We invite you to support the Loch Lomond Highland Games and further the efforts of the Loch Lomond Celtic Society by joining the Friends of the Society now. You will receive the LLCS e-Newsletter; reductions on promotional items and events, and free admission to the Loch Lomond Highland Games!
Please click here to join or to make a donation to the Society.

If you are interested in helping to sponsor the Games, please click here to email us. Individual and corporate support is most welcome!


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