Irish Fest 2007

Saturday I attended the Kalamazoo Irish Fest held in beautiful Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo. Unlike last year, the weather was perfect: sunny, breezy, and pleasant with not a monsoon in sight. The festival itself featured good food (with beer, unlike Scottish fest), music, and shopping. What a great way to spend the day! I was too busy to take many pictures, except of my friends' booth. Here are a few pics of their merchandise:














































































































































Now you know where I get my amber and Celtic jewelry. :)

Since the Irish American Club of Kalamazoo doesn't keep archives of the Irish Fest info on their web site, here's the info on this year's Irish Fest:

Dates
Friday, September 21st from 4:30 p.m. - Midnight
Saturday, September 22nd from 10:30 a.m. - Midnight

Food Vendors
Bennigan's
Gallagher's Eatery
Ibison Concessions
Kalamazoo Scottish Festival
Kalamazoo Kettle Corn Co.

Beverages
Guinness
Harp
Smithwick's
Smirnoff Ice
Killan's
Coke Products

Marketplace Vendors
Celtic Expressions
Celtic Imports
Celtic Seasons
Darkblade Studios (my friends)
Designs in Glass
Earthencraft Pottery
Lynch's Lair
O'Brien's Irish Cottage
Medieval Madder
Philosophers Stone
Rampant Lion
Scottish Tinker
The Irish Baker
Thy Sterling Silver
UK Market
We'll also have on hand Handiworks Palm Reading and a Celtic Shaman Healer. (I never saw either of these but our booth was very busy all day! O'Brien's Irish Cottage was left off the list on the Irish Fest web site, so I wonder if this list is accurate.)

Main Stage Events
Friday, September 21
5:00 pm Craic Wisely
6:15 Quinn School of Irish Dance
6:50 Harvest Home
8:10 Kalamazoo Pipe Band
8:45 Fonn Mor
10:45 Craic Wisely

Saturday, September 22
11:00 am Twin Thistle
11:30 5 Leaf Clover
Noon Leim Irish Dance
12:35 Squid Jiggers
1:35 Kalamazoo Pipe Band
2:10 Rare Combination
3:20 Quinn School of Irish Dance
3:55 Kennedy’s Kitchen
5:10 Quinn School of Irish Dance
5:45 Whiskey Before Breakfast
6:55 Leim Irish Dance
7:30 Blackthorn
9:15 Belfast Gin
11:00 Napper Tandy

If you've never been to Irish Fest, it's worth the trip to Kalamazoo. Keep an eye on the Irish Fest web site for news about next year's fest. It's usually the third weekend of Sept., no doubt to celebrate the fact that it's only six months until St. Patrick's Day. :)