Special Events for 2012 have not been established at this time. The Special Events for the 2011 Festival are shown below.
- ViewPoint Books
- Y106 (White River Broadcasting Studio)
- Columbus Area Visitor Center
Seven Nations is not your father’s Celtic band. With a passionate, tender, and rollicking style that winningly veers from roots and folk to dance and fusion-rock, Seven Nations has earned a growing reputation as an adventurous band with a charismatic stage presence.
“Seven Nations — the name refers to the seven original Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Galecia, Isle of Man, and Brittany — officially began in 1993 in New York City with a standard line-up of drums, guitars, and bass,” notes lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod. “We soon introduced bagpipes into the show, and over time the number of songs utilizing bagpipes grew until it became obvious that they were integral to our emerging sound,” says McLeod. “Most of the band members grew up playing Celtic music, and we’ve been performing original compositions since we began. Our instrumentation, and bagpipes and fiddle mostly, give us a distinctive sound and that’s what makes us different.”
For more information go to www.sevennations.com .
Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators
Web Site
Kathy Hersey will be at the Festival both Saturday and Sunday. She will give presentations on wildlife and the work of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. She will also bring animals or birds for exhibit.
Every year an increasing number of wild animals are hit by cars, collide with buildings, and are electrocuted, poisoned, caught by pet cats, and suffer all sorts of civilization-related ills.
Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators, Inc is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing medical care, educational programs, and information about living with our native wildlife.
Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators is a Volunteer agency. If you would like to help by volunteering or by making a donation contact them through their web site.
Scottish Country Dancing
Sunday September 11, 2011
The Bloomington Scottish Country Dance Group will be performing in the Highland Dance Pavillion at 1:30 pm on Sunday. The group formed in 2001 and meets three times a month on Monday evenings (except the third Monday of the month when the Scottish Society of Greater Bloomington meets). The meetings are from 6:30 pm to 8:15pm at the First Presbyterian Church which is located at the corner of 6th and Lincoln. Everyone is welcome! For more information, please visit http://www.bloomingscots.org . Please call in advance (812-336-5574 or 317-831-6348) to make sure there will be a class before you come.
Scottish Country Dancing began in Scotland in the 18th century. It is a social dance. A group of couples are positioned adjacent to each other in two parallel lines, the gentlemen facing the ladies. A Scottish Country Dance is composed of a series of formations which are performed in a different sequence for each dance. There are hundreds of Scottish Country Dances. Square dancing evolved from Scottish Country Dancing. A major difference is that in square dancing the formations are announced by a caller as the dance progresses. In Scottish Country Dancing the formations of the dance are announced or briefed before the dance begins. Dancers must rely on their memory to perform the dance.
Participating dancers include: David Braddock, Nancy Foxworthy, Michael Hannah, Teed Howard, Donald Kinloch, Carole Lettelleir, Michelle Stroud and Polly Tilford.
Audrey McClellan is the author of the award-winning "Scottish Island Novels". She will be at the Festival this year to autograph and sell her books. The Scottish Island Novels include: Westering Home, The White Rose of Scotland, The Devil and the Dark Island, Magic Carpet Ride and Rosie’s Cèilidh.
Audrey has been active in the Minneapolis - St. Paul Celtic community for twenty years. She is past president of the Twin Cities Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, co-founder and past president of the St. Piran's Cornish Society, and past vice-president of the St. David's Welsh Society. She and husband Mike currently serve on the Board of Governors of the St. Andrew's Society of Minnesota. They have traveled widely in Scotland and have an extensive collection of Celtic books and recordings.
Boys growing up in medieval Scotland and native American tribes were trained to become warriors. What was this experience like? Mike's presentation is for kids aged 9 to 16 (adults like it too). It is about growing up in medieval Scotland and learning to become a swordfighter.
Mike McClellan is a retired librarian who lives in Minneapolis with wife Audrey. He has been active in the local Scottish/Welsh/Cornish communities for over twenty years, and performs Welsh folk and Scottish country dancing. He is currently a member of the Board of the Saint Andrew's Society of Minnesota. His interest in Scottish swords and knives grew out of his participation as a dancer in the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
Advocates for Children
Playhouse Raffle
Advocates for Children is very excited to be showcasing our
CASA for Kids Playhouse Raffle again this year at the Columbus Scottish
Festival. 
It
is one of our favorite events of the year, with all of the entertaining
events that occur, and we are thrilled to be part of the festivities.
This year's playhouses we believe are very unique, and will be a great
addition to the festival.
On display this year will be a very charming playhouse which was designed and built by Jackson County Bank employees in Seymour. They built the "Blue Cottage", complete with electrical options and Shaker shingles.
Another
playhouse, the “Tombstone Jail” was built by Keith Shipley,
a Columbus East High School student, as his Senior Project. Advocates
for Children would like to thank Keith and his mentor, Eric Rossittis,
for constructing the "Tombstone Jail” playhouse, which is
complete with a “jail house bunk bed”, and double swinging
doors in front.
Please stop by and purchase tickets to win one of these playhouses, and help support Advocates for Children. We are an organization dedicated to speaking on behalf of abused and neglected children in south central Indiana, and this is our premier fund raising event. This year is the 10th anniversary of the CASA for Kids Playhouse Raffle, and we expect it to be the most successful one to date!
