You are cordially invited to attend the Shasta Celtic Society's Thirteenth Annual Burns Night Supper, to be held Saturday, January 30, 2010, at the Holiday Inn Hotel on Hilltop Drive, Redding. This year's theme is Good Company, Good Times.

This wonderful gala event honoring the life and works of Scotland's most beloved son, Robert Burns, willinclude all the traditional entertainment and trappings that everyone has come to love and expect. We'll have toastsand speeches, poetry readings and singing, dancing and piping, the parading of the Haggis and loads of musicalentertainment--all done in high Scots style. And, with such a wealth of local talent, all of our performers will be somehow associated with either the Shasta Celtic Society or the Jefferson Pipe Band.

There will be a change this year with doors opening at 5 PM for the traditional social Gathering. Seating for dinner starts at 5:30 PM, and ceremonies commence at 6 PM. A no-host bar will be available throughout the evening. This year's dinner entrées include a choice of: 1) Slow-smoked Herbed Prime Beef au Jus, served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Creamy Horseradish and Seasonal Vegetables; 2) Breast of Chicken stuffed with Dried Apricots, CreamCheese and Toasted Almonds, and served with Wild Rice Pilaf and Seasonal Vegetables; or, 3) Wild Mushroom Ravioli perched atop a Chunky Tomato-Basil Sauce, and served with Seasonal Vegetables. All entrées include House Salad, Bread, Dessert, and Tea or Coffee.

Back by popular demand, our raffle will once again be coordinated by Diane Elrick. Assisted by her able RaffleLassies, Diane makes the raffle more spectacular year after year. Diane is always looking for unique and exciting prizes to raffle off, so if you would like to donate an item, or would like to donate but are stumped for ideas, please contact Diane at .

To reserve your place for this most elegant evening, just send in the RSVP form, below, with your remittance to the address indicated. All reservations must be prepaid. The deadline for paid reservations is January 22; no reservations will be accepted after this date. No tickets will be mailed; your paid reservation will be held at the door. As Burns Night will once again be open to the public, you'll want to RSVP as soon as possible to reserve your place.

Scottish attire or semi-formal wear is highly encouraged. No jeans, please! For more information, please contact one of the following Burns Night Committee members: Kitty Seiler , Chris Alexander , or Bob Elrick .

We look forward to seeing you this year at what is widely known to be one of the best Burns Night celebrationsanywhere! Let the festivities begin!

The San Francisco Bay Area Irish Language Immersion Weekend was held October 1-4, 2009. This was the 10th year for this annual event, sponsored by the Cooley-Keegan Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

The Friday evening through Sunday afternoon program offered four levels (no Irish, up through advanced speakers) of intensive tutorials focused on spoken Irish language and increasing fluency. Between classes, over meals and during the music sessions each evening, participants continued their Irish language skills. Classes were held at the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco.

For information about this program, contact cce_gaeilge@ccewest.org or 510/881-5958. The San Francisco Cooley-Keegan Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann is one of 400 branches worldwide promoting the traditional Irish arts of music, dance and language. The Branch sponsors weekly classes in Irish language for adults, and tin whistle and fiddle music classes for children in San Francisco.