Saturday, June 17, 2006:
“Midsummer’s Eve Gathering”
Sally and Bill Knight are again
hosting our 3rd annual Midsummer’s Eve Gathering”. The Knight's
have special plans for how to celebrate an ancient Celtic event. Every year it
is a true joy to attend. This is a pot luck of Celtic or summer dishes.
Celtic attire is encouraged. June 17 at 6:00 pm. Ceremony at dusk.
BRING A POTLUCK OFFERING
and LAWN CHAIRS
DIRECTIONS:
From Sheridan Lake Rd: head like you are going to the lake. Look for the Corner
Pantry convenience store and turn left. Now you are on Dunsmore Road.
Turn right on the very first street---this is Kerry Drive. We live on 3364
Kerry. Ignore the addresses, it's awful. Look for a log cabin style house to
the left. A basset hound will probably greet you. We will try to have signs
out. From Highway 16 by the water slides---head like you are going to the
hills (south) on hwy 16. Look for Moon Meadows Rd---it will be on the right.
There isn't a good land mark, but if you go past reptile gardens, you've gone
too far. Turn right on Moon Meadows from hwy 16 and go all the way to the end -
about 1.5 miles. When you are at the end, you will see a Corner Pantry
convenience store to the right. Turn left. Now you are on Dunsmore Rd.
Turn right on the very first street--this is Kerry dr. Look for a log cabin
style house--3364 Kerry. Lost? Call 343-2884. Hope to see all of you
there!!!
Bring a guest or member prospect!
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June 17
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6:00 p.m.
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Midsummer’s Night
Gathering
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June 24-25
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All Day
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Wyoming Celtic Festival, Gillette, WY
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June 29
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7:00 p.m.
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Board Meeting
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July 20
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7:00 p.m.
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General membership
Meeding, TREA Building, Rapid
City
PROGRAM: Rosslyn Chapel
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July 29
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All Day
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Irish Fest in Sioux Falls, SD
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Aug 3
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7:00 p.m.
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Board Meeting
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Aug 17
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7:00 p.m.
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General membership Meeding, TREA Building, Rapid City
PROGRAM: Gathering Plans
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Sept 2
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All Day
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Dakota Gathering of the
Clans;
Memorial Park, Rapid City
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*TREA = The Retired Enlisted Association building,
1981 East Centre Street, Rapid City
As
defined astronomically, the Summer Solstice will occur on June 21 this year.
This is the longest day of the year and is considered to be the first day of
summer, no matter what the weatherman brings.
For
us this means outdoor recreation, picnics, travel, flowers in the garden and
more time with family. For the ancient Druids it meant farming, hunting,
fishing and less work to keep their homes comfortable.
SIS
has traditionally kept a light calendar during the summer months. Please enjoy
this time with your family and friends.
This
doe not mean that nothing is happening. Check our calendar both here in the
newsletter and on our website (BlackHillsCelticEvents.com). Summer is “festival”
time. These events provide an opportunity to see, learn and participate. They
are an excellent way to learn about our culture through music, food and social
activities. There is a Celtic festival in Gillette this month and an Irish
festival in Sioux Falls next month. If you enjoy these things go out and
support them. They are wonderful family activities.
In
closing, SIS is joining the Druids in celebrating the solstice. Join us this
Saturday, June 17, for our annual potluck at the Knight’s house. Look for
details on our Mid-Summers Eve picnic elsewhere in this newsletter. Bring a
guest!
Gary Hamilton
Courtesy of Carole Conrad
--- JUST a Teaser for a start:
The Picts (Cruithne) occupied
Alba (Scotland) & claimed to have the most ancient origins &
line of kings in all Christendom, going back to 400-500 BC. Although they had
no written language (except Oqhams, with very few examples left), they left
stones with pictures or symbols. They were farmers, weavers, metal workers, &
sun worshipers. This sun worship was a highly advanced system & no crude
superstition. They worshipped the UNKNOWN GOD as represented by the sun, the
giver of light, warmth, health & fertility. Their stone circles are an
enduring monument to their faith. Modern scholars & mathematicians agree
they are all carefully & scientifically sited for astronomical purposes
& geometrically linked, involving a remarkable knowledge of geography,
surveying, & sheer calculation implying a highly educated technical
expertise connected with the solstices, seasonal variations, & calendars.
An important development for
Alba was in the arrival of the Scots. In the last decade of the 5th
century AD, Fergus Mac Erc & his five brothers came from Dalriata in
Ireland & took over the Pictish area of Ergadia, which we now call Argyll,
setting up a small kingdom there which they names Dalriada. They were the sons
of Erc, a sub-king of Ireland. They called themselves Scots, allegedly being
descended from one Scota, a Pharaoh’s daughter who had eloped with a Celtic
princeling. At any rate, Fergus & his party seemed to have taken over the
Argyll area with little difficulty & there are no records of battles at
this time. The Scots and Picts did have differences over which they fought,
but there are records of intermarriages between them, & there was one Pict
who was chosen as King. It is thought that the Picts did not disappear, but
were assimilated with the Scots who gained a lot of their knowledge. These
Picts, our ancestors, were a fascinating people. We all ought to think of them
a great deal more than we do, for they, not the Scots are the stem from which
most of us spring.
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There’s a new group in the
area that brings some more excitement to the Celtic community. We asked
Matthew Murraine to share some information about the group.
“I’m really very proud to have
the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of organizing Celts of America
(COA) for many reasons. Celts of America was the brain child of several individuals scattered
throughout the US (Mostly here and Madison). The idea blossomed from an online community
idea, to an idea of doing something that we were not seeing in
there local communities from Celtic type clubs and organizations.
“COA shares some similar
characteristics to other heritage groups, but has many that are totally
different. For instance, like other Heritage societies, COA is a
non-political, non-religious organization, open to all people regardless
of age, sex, or race. Our primary mission is the promotion and preservation of
Celtic culture and heritage through giving. COA is open to anyone
of Celtic heritage, or simply interested in “those things Celtic.” We provide
our members and readers opportunities to enrich there lives regardless of
their location, through social events, friendship, interaction and contact
with others of similar cultural and heritage interest.
“With that said, that is where
most of the similarities end, and for good reason. The organizers of Celts of
America, felt that COA should be an organization that is both a value to the
community, and enhances peoples lives, both members and non-members. People
should be able to gain a great experience from us, without COA placing any sort
of demand or expectation on them. We wanted to be able to help, enhance, and
give back, not compete with other organizations and what they were doing.
“Celts of America does have great “Celtic” events and fun planned for the
future. But we also place great emphasis on our scholarship, grants program,
community involvement, and last but certainly not least, our community outreach
program as well. Through these programs we are able to help museums,
libraries, heritage and historical organizations, or community organizations of
Celtic interest, do those things they may not otherwise be able to do because
of funding. We are able to help young people gain education through our
rapidly growing scholarship program. And finally we can give back to local
communities through outreach programs and volunteerism.
“Our Primary tools
for reaching our membership is are our website, and quarterly newsletters
(Soon). We are very proud of our quickly growing online communities,
libraries, and magazine. Through these tools we can reach out and share
thoughts, stories, and experiences on a daily basis, no matter what the
distance between members are! In addition we have several functions already in
works, and several more planned for the future for not only our membership, but
the entire community. We are really driving quite hard right now for next
years scholarships as we would love to give out several (this year we only gave
out one).
“I could talk for
hours on our projects and mission! I know we have rattle a few cages around
town, but really all people have to do is understand what we are doing, and who
benefits from it. I’d be very happy to give anyone more information on what we
are doing and who is benefiting from us, or perhaps follow up with another
article for you at another time.”
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Commitment
to Community
Excellence
in all Endeavors
Loyalty
to Our Cause
Truth in
knowledge
Strength to Achieve our Goals
|
Matthew
Murraine
Celts of America
http://www.celtsofamerica.org
SDSM&T
Choirs ability AIMS high in Ireland. The School of
Mines Concert Choir and Master Chorale competed against more
than fifty choirs from Ireland, Great Britain,
and the United States recently during the Association of Irish
Musical Societies (see www.aims.ie) Choral
Festival, held in New Ross, County
Wexford, Ireland, now in its twenty-second year.
The Master Chorale
earned first place in the Open Competition, and the Concert Chorale earned
first place in the Sacred Music and Gospel Music Competitions, and second place
in the Open Competition. The SDSM&T ensembles were hailed by the
adjudicators for their choice of literature, solo singing, sense of style, and
sensitive ensemble singing. SDSM&T Director of Music Dr. James
Feiszli was celebrated for his conducting technique.
In addition to the
competition honors, and based on the strength of the submitted recordings prior
to the event, the School of Mines Choir also was invited to host the gala
concert opening the Festival along with the Dublin County Choir, which is a
large mixed ensemble. The Irish Concert tour is the sixth European concert
tour by the School of Mines choirs
since the first was organized in 1989. Previous tours have visited Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
and Italy. Several SDSM&T Alumni and
Friends Choir members traveled and performed with currents students on this and
other international experiences and honors. For more about the music
program, please visit http://sdmines.sdsmt.edu/music.
Your Input Needed
This newsletter would be far more
interesting with your input: news, events, culture, history, photos, new
Celtic businesses, anything. Submit your articles in MS Word doc and photos in
jpg format. E-mail to info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org
.
You can tell it’s
Summer by how much we
INTEND to do, but
then get distracted by
SO many different
things! I’ll still work on
getting some
information on some of our
members and will
share when that happens!
We welcome any Scottish or Irish trivia from any member.
Please submit your thoughts to Info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org
or
contact Pat Hamilton, newsletter editor.
Good-bye, and blessing to you
Slan agus
beannacht leat
(Slawn og-us
ban-ockt la)
“May you have the hindsight to
know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you’re going, and the
insight to know when you’re going too far.”
Dakota Gathering of the Clans Festival Planning Meeting
The
Dakota Celtic Festival will be called the Dakota “Gathering of the Clans”.
This was reported wrongly in the last month’s newsletter as “Clan Gathering”.
The
Festival Board continues to meet every two weeks. Details are beginning to
fill in. Public information and advertising are firming up. The budget is
filling in as well. We are writing the events schedule this week.
We
have some business items to present to the membership. We will conduct a short
business meeting at the Mid-Summers Eve potluck.
A
reminder, if any of you have connections with an organization or business that
might help support the Gathering, please contact a board member. We are
soliciting vendors and clans. Donations and sponsorships are welcome.
Participating businesses and organizations will be credited in various ways
during our public ad campaign.
Contributions
are tax deductible.
The group received two grants so
far to help us put on the event this Labor Day Saturday, September 2. There
are several subcommittees busy at work We would appreciate your help.
Committee Chairs are listed below:
Chairpersons – Gary Hamilton,
Mike Lemay
Sponsorships/Donations – Carole
Conrad
Venue/Grounds/Facilities – Bill
Knight, John Burke
Publicity – Sabrina Shull
Athletics – Kirk Spell
Vendors – Sandra Lassle
Entertainment/Events – Lemays
Clans – James Marrs
Pipes – Mark Rowland
Hospitality – Carole Conrad
Children’s Activities – Matt
Murraine, Janice Murraine
Workshops - Open
Wyoming Celtic Festival
We will be at the festival on
June 24. SIS has a spot reserved for our tent and we will be there to advertise
our Gathering of the Clans. Consider attending the festival. Gillette is only
about 1 ˝ hour drive. If you have time come help us in the tent.
Geneaology
The genealogy
association meets every 3rd Friday of each month at the Canyon Lake
Senior Citizen’s Club. Contact Nila Boone if you have any questions.
The Sons of Norway host dancing
lessons at the Canyon Lake Senior Citizens’ Center each Monday evening at 6:30. We’re learning
some Norwegian dances and are preparing to learn some Celtic dances. Call John
or Nancy Burke if you’re interested in attending as their summer schedule may
vary a bit.
PROGRAM:
Bill read some information
prepared by Sally Knight about Bellaine as Sally was not able to come. The
group present appreciated both Bill and Sally’s efforts.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER @ 7:05 P.M.
Summary of minutes were read
and approved to members who did know that minutes will no longer be read and to
refer to newsletter.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
There is approximately $2,000
in checking. The St. Pat dinner grossed $ 1554 with cost at $884.
OLD BUSINESS:
Gathering of the clans
festival was discussed. Gary briefly
talked about vendors, entertainment, cost and advertisement. Refer to festival
committee for details.
SIS Budget: A fiscal year was decided to start on July 1, 2006. Activites
to generate money were discussed.
An overview of the Bonspiel
Curling Event was reported Gary. Gary felt this was good advertisement for SIS.
The Exchange Club Event
was successful as well as fun. It was reported that all had fun and was
educational.
The Celtic festival in Wyoming will
be on June 24. Gary encourages participation. A motion was made by Karen
Snook to pay $45 for SIS to have an informational tent. The cost also includes
adult entry tickets. Seconded by Jim Marrs.
NEW BUSINESS:
The Midsummer eve party
will be on June 17 at 6:00 at the Knight’s house. Directions and more information
to follow. There will also be a brief general meeting.
SIS logos: John made a motion to protect SIS trademarks with a
patent for Pennington county. Courthouse fees are approximately $20. Seconded
by Sabrina.
John and Graham will assist
Sally with membership chair.
Matt introduced a new idea
soon to be on the internet called Celts of America.
Next program for July will be
on Rosslyn Chapel.
Meeting adjourned at 2100.
Discussed plans for
Mid-Summer’s Eve Celebration
SIS received bank cash cards.
Board voted to return them to avoid bookkeeping issues. We will only use
checks.
The board listed several
issues for discussion at the next membership meeting: Solicit members for clan
tents at Gathering, whether SIS wishes to sell food and T-shirts at Gathering,
buy new genealogy books for SIS library.
Due
to vacations etc, “July” board meeting is June 29.
President Gary
Hamilton, info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org
Vice President Bill Knight
Secretary Sally Knight
Treasurer Carole Conrad
Board Members Aliyah
Sanders, Kerry Smith, Jim Byrne, James Marrs, John Burke
Membership Open
Web Site Robert
Millican with apprentices: Gary & Pat Hamilton, and Aliyah Sanders
Newsletter Pat
Hamilton, info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org
If you would like to contribute an article or story, list an event,
submit a photo, etc. to the newsletter, please email the item to me by the 5th
of each month.
PO Box 765, Rapid
City SD 57709
