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Shasta Celtic Society News

Volume 16, Issue 1

January-February 2012

Message From the President

A brand new year is upon us.  You know those goals you’ve set for yourself, those dreams you’ve kept waiting for the perfect time to live out?  It’s time. 
We will start things off with our First Footing celebration on New Year’s Day at the home of Chris & Dave Alexander.  The Celtic fare will include such things as Irish sausage, Welsh cakes, English trifle, Scottish shortbread, scones, egg dishes, tatties, and mead (fermented honey) to name a few.  Our first attempt at this event promises to be a great success and has all the elements of a new ritual. 

Speaking of rituals, our Burns Night Supper will be here before you know it, on Saturday, January 28.  If you’ve never attended the celebration at which we honor Robert Burns, put this event on your “must do” list as it is the grandest, funnest, and most superb musical Burns Night you’ll ever see outside of Great Britain.  And, of course, if you have attended this fabulous event in the past, you know it’s time to purchase your tickets. 

My goals for SCS this year are to host an uilleann pipe concert, present more articles in this newsletter that are written by and about our Jefferson Pipe Band, create a picnic-type social event that is closer to home than our usual summer picnic in Mount Shasta, and bring peace to the world.  Oh, don’t kid yourself—this last dream of mine may be easier to achieve than the others!  As in years past, I will continue to volunteer in my community and I urge you to do the same.  Dare to make yourself an example of the best of man’s humanity to man and watch the world change around you.  I volunteer not for what I give or for what I get out of volunteering, but for who I become in the process.  Try it; I think you’ll like it.   •

-Holly Hooton, President

Brittany Cornwall Galicia Ireland Isle of Mann Scotland Wales

Attention Burns Fans!!!

Stop everything you are doing and turn in your reservations for what will be our best Burns night ever!  We have a special program planned with special singers, piping and a grand buffet for all those who attend.  Turn in your reservations now; the deadline (January 24) will be here in no time.  If you would like to help, please call me at 547-5517.  See you there!  •


-Chris Alexander,
Burns Night Committee Chair

Shirley Says...


The musicians were awesome.  Caleb Cox was especially fabulous.  This concert was very unique and attended by all age groups.  The female artist on stage was fascinating to watch throughout the evening as she created a beautiful masterpiece.  All the performers were very professional and a joy to see.  Our JPB pipers brought down the house, as usual.  Very entertaining. 

    
    -Shirley Pritchett,
SCS Director at Large

(Commenting on the December 14 The Thin Places Concert at the Cascade Theatre.)

From Burn's Address to a Haggis:

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

Burns Night Supper 2012

Robert BurnsBurns Night Supper 2012, here we come! January 28 will be here before we know it! It takes a small village of volunteers to put on a grand Burns Night SCS style—we need faithful followers for toasts and speeches, poetry readings and singing, dancing and piping, and the parading of the haggis! If you are interested in participating in the 2012 Robert Burns Night Supper, please call Chris Alexander at 547-5517. Each year our Burns Night Supper features our own Jefferson Pipe Band, as well as other local talent and readers. Robert Burns' Scotland is our theme for 2012. Even the food served that night will reflect our theme with Scottish influenced dishes in a grand buffet, A Taste of Scotland. Rabbie Burns loved Scotland and its unique food. In one of his most famous poems, read at every Burns Night around the world, he celebrated the quintessential food of Scotland.

Come join us for this celebration of the life and works of Robert Burns, Scotland's favorite poet. Click here to download the form and make your reservation now!

-Chris Alexander

FIFTEENTH ANNUAL BURNS NIGHT SUPPER

You are cordially invited to attend the Shasta Celtic Society's Fifteenth Annual Burns Night Supper, to be held Saturday, January 28, 2012, at the Holiday Inn on Hilltop Drive, Redding. This year's theme is Robert Burns' Scotland.

This wonderful gala event honoring the life and works of Scotland's most beloved son, Robert Burns, will include all the traditional entertainment and trappings that everyone has come to love and expect. We'll have toasts and speeches, poetry readings and singing, dancing and piping, the parading of the haggis and loads of musical entertainment—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.

Please come join the festivities. The doors open at 5 PM for the traditional social Gathering with music and dancing. Your seat will be ready for you, and ceremonies will commence promptly at 6 PM. A no-host bar will be available throughout the evening.

This year's dinner will feature A Taste of Scotland, served buffet style. Starters include Spinach & Artichoke Dip and Scottish Oat Cakes. Two special entrées will be featured: Beef "Auld Reekie," slow-smoked Aberdeen Angus sauced with Gouda Cream and Blended Scotch; and Scottish Salmon with Honey Glaze. Accompanying the entrées will be Salads, Scottish Round Bread sliced thick and served warm, Parched Green Beans and, to complete our feast, the Chef's Decadent Dessert Display. Coffee and tea will also be served.

To make our evening more exciting, the raffle once again will be coordinated by Diane Elrick, and assisted by her able Raffle Lassies. Each year Diane makes the raffle more spectacular than the previous year. Diane is always looking for unique and exciting prizes to raffle off, so if you have that special item you would like to donate, please contact Diane at 246-3603.

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 and are non-refundable. The deadline for paid reservations is January 24. No reservations will be accepted after this date. 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 (515-8692), Chris Alexander (547-5517), or Bob Elrick (246-3603).

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

-The Burns Night Committee

Newsletter Editor Still Needed

After 15 years, including a short hiatus during which Kitty Seiler took over, this Celt needs to hang up her editor's hat.  It's been a great lot of fun, but with family dynamics changing and opportunities looming on the horizon, I am ready to let go of the old to make room for the new. 

So, here's a new opportunity for you!  All that a prospective editor needs is a decent handle on the English language, an eye for detail and presentation, and comfort in using a computer.  A good format/layout program, such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe InDesign or similar, would be good to have, too, but not an absolute necessity. 

This is a fabulous group to work with; I couldn't have asked for better.  Fun-loving and generous, they have never let me down, always supplying me with articles, announcements, photos and fillers, often without ever being asked. 

My commitment as editor of the SCS News ends with the last issue of 2011, but until then, I will be here to help train and support my successor.  If this fantastic chance to become more active in the Shasta Celtic Society appeals to you, please contact me at laurielburk@gmail.com 

• -Laurie Burk, Retiring SCS News Editor

WELCOME BACK!

Peggi Rodgers, Sebastopol

Long-time members will remember when Peggi moved from Redding to Wales to pursue a degree at the university in Swansea.  Five years later, degree in hand, she’s back, and we welcome her heartily!  •

Céad míle fàilte!
(One hundred thousand welcomes!)

End of Newsletter