BY CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com
YACHATS — Tune up the bagpipes, rosin up the fiddle bows and stand back: the Yachats Celtic Music Festival hits town this weekend with a sold-out roster of famed musicians — plus a whirl of free music and other events.
Muffled for the past two years by the coronavirus pandemic, the popular celebration of Celtic music, dance, food and spirits is anchored at two venues — the multipurpose room of the Yachats and in Yachats Community Presbyterian Church. It is the festival’s 20th year.
From Friday through Sunday, world-class Celtic bands like Ireland’s Altan and Scotland’s Talisk will fill the air with the best of traditional and new Irish, Scottish and Welsh tunes. Although virtually all the main performances are sold out, there will still be several free mini-concerts to enjoy, along with vendors of clothing, jewelry and trinkets.
To take advantage of possible last-minute cancellations, organizers say, people still seeking tickets may check at the door at opening time Friday or Saturday.
Sponsored by Polly Plumb Productions, a local non-profit that stages cultural events in Yachats, the Celtic Festival is the highlight of the city’s late-year calendar. Hundreds of people are expected to be in town for the music and related fun.
Weather permitting, bagpiper/fiddler/story-teller Kevin Carr will perform at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Yachats State Park platform overlooking the mouth of Yachats River bay and ocean.
The festival is fully back after cancellations in 2020 and 2021. Polly Plumb organizers had hoped to stage the event a year ago, scheduled performers and put tickets on sale in July. But the surge of a new Covid variant forced the cancellation a month later – and after Altan pulled out because of international travel restrictions.
Not this year. Altan is the headliner Saturday night – and performances sold out more than a month ago.
“The festival is the anchor of the late-year cultural scene in Yachats, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it back,” said Stephen Farish, the festival’s music director. “I’ve spent the whole year wrangling bands, vendors, sound crews and such.”
Farish said whether people have a ticket to a paid event or want to enjoy the free offerings “there are really good reasons to come to the Commons and the Presbyterian Church” to enjoy the free jam sessions from artists.
Vendors will also be on hand at the Commons throughout the festival selling clothing, jewelry, trinkets and trifles. The Drift Inn restaurant will present a “pub-like” area in the main stage hall where attendees can buy food, beer and wine, and also sample some Scotch and Irish whiskies. At The Drift itself, Celtic “jam sessions” are planned to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
While most of the tickets for performances were bought by Celtic music devotees from Oregon, the festival also draws attendees from Seattle, northern California, Canada, Utah and Virginia.
“We hope the community is ready,” said Robert Rubin, a Polly Plumb board member. “The restaurants will be full, there’ll be crowds in the C&K Market and the stores. People are going to be hungry and happy to be here for a good time. We should be glad they’re all here.”
Free Yachats Celtic Music Festival events
Commons Stage
Friday: Noon-12:30 p.m. and 1-1:30 p.m.: Various artists performing Celtic music.
Saturday: 10-11 a.m.: Irish Breakfast Tea and music with Rachel Clemente and Dan Houghton; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., various artists performing Celtic music; and 4:30-5:30 p.m., various artists performing Celtic music.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-11:30 am., various artists performing Celtic music; 11:30 a.m. to noon, Irish Céilí dance instruction with Maldon Meehan; Noon-1 p.m.: Irish Céilí dancing with music by Poor Man’s Gambit.
Celtic Festival headliners
Altan: Superstars in Celtic music, this five-member Irish group offers traditional tunes from reels and jigs to treasured ballads. They’re on a western U.S. tour before returning to Europe.
Talisk: This trio of Scottish instrumentalists has been Folk Band of the Year, and had a No. 1 album in 2018 on the world music charts. Yachats is their last stop before a tour of the United Kingdom.
Kalos: Featuring a fiddle champion, an award-winning pianist/singer and an acclaimed guitar/mandolin master, this U.S.-based trio brings contemporary energy to Celtic roots music.
Poor Man’s Gambit: After three albums and two international tours, excitement is building over this Philadelphia-based trio. A potent mix of fiddle, accordion, bouzuki, vocals and dance.
Lisa Lynne & Areyeh Fankfurter: Celtic harps, Swedish nyckelharpa and the Ukrainian bandura bring a world music edge to the sound of this Oregon-based duo, which has sold over a million albums.
Houghton & Clemente Duo: Pairing bagpipes and the harp has brought this New England duo to the forefront of Celtic folk musicians. Scottish traditional music with an avant-garde spin.
For a look at the full schedule of festival happenings, plus descriptions of the artists and workshops, go here.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
