You can’t put all Celtic music into a single bucket.
There’s traditional, pipes-and-drum music for sure. But there are also highly non-traditional forms, such as rock and punk.
All will be on display this month at the third annual Celtic Craic Music Fest, an outdoor event that features some of the region’s best Celtic bands. If you’re unfamiliar with this festival, you may wonder about its unusual name.
“Craic (pronounced ‘crack’) is an Irish word that describes perfectly what this festival is all about.” said Jon Heller, one of the festival organizers. “The term refers to getting together for all the good stuff—good food, good drink, good company and good music.”
Although the festival will sprawl over the Harrisburg Postal Picnic Grounds and feature two stages, Heller wants it to have the feel of a comfortable backyard jam.
“Just playing and listening to this music together is at the root of what we love,” he said.
The 2017 edition again will feature a mix of traditional and Celtic rock performers, including the Kilmaine Saints, a Celtic punk group from central PA, and The Bastard Bearded Irishmen, rollicking Celtic rockers from Pittsburgh.
Other Celtic rock groups will include Hold Fast, a new Harrisburg-based band, and the Ogham Stones from Lancaster. Traditional bands include Harrisburg’s Lochiel Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, the popular trio Across the Pond, central PA’s Down by the Glenside, Celtic string band Abigail’s Garden, and guitarist Dave Pedrick. Local Celtic dance groups will also be featured.
Besides the music, attendees will be able to enjoy food and beer, family activities, a Celtic cornhole competition and a bagpipe competition. Stick around for the campfire cèilidh, which will begin right after the concert.
Heller, who plays with the Kilmaine Saints, started the festival two years ago with band mate Mike McNaughton. The two musicians had talked about producing a festival together for many years, and the pieces fell together when they got the idea to do it as a benefit. After a successful first year, they decided to move the festival outdoors, and, last year, ran their first full-day festival on the picnic grounds.
In the short term, Heller and McNaughton said that one of their goals is to feature both traditional and Celtic rock.
“With the Kilmaine Saints, we play all these festivals that do either the rock stuff or the ‘trad’ stuff,” Heller said. “We want to present a mix of both and also add in some local Irish dancers.”
They also have a grander vision for the festival.
“There are so many local Celtic organizations around, and we would love for them to see our festival as a place where they can all come together and maybe even partner with some local Harrisburg charities to do something bigger, “Heller said. “It’s all about the community and the music.”
The festival organizers have been community-minded from the beginning, with the majority of proceeds going to charitable organizations. For the second year in a row, 51 percent or more of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association of the Capital Region. There also will be a canned food drive with the Central PA Food Bank at the festival. Other charitable partners include Arthur’s Pet Pantry, Collins Division 1 AOH of Cumberland County, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Lochiel Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, LoveHopeStrength and Pennbrook Fire.
Heller said he’s really looking forward to this year’s festival.
“I love all the bands,” he said. “A lot of them are our friends. The Celtic community is just so great, the bands and the fans alike. Everyone is so open, so friendly. I really like feeling that we are preserving important traditions.”
The Celtic Craic Music Fest takes place Sept. 9, starting at 12:30 p.m., at the Harrisburg Postal Picnic Grounds, 1500 Roberts Valley Rd., Harrisburg. Tickets are $15, and children 12 and under are free. For more information, visit www.celticcraicmusicfest.com or the Facebook page.
Author: Jess Hayden
