During his first year putting on the Cortez Celtic Fair, it was pointed out to Randy McKnight that there aren’t necessarily a lot of people with such heritage in the area.
In response, he said, “Well, you don’t have to be Scottish to have fun,” McKnight told The Journal.
On Saturday, Cortez will again host the latest Celtic Fair to Scots and non-Scots alike, taking place in Parque De Vida from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
With the event growing over the years, a packed day of family-friendly fun is planned for the gathering, founders and leading organizers of the event, McKnight and Kathleen McKnight told The Journal.
The day’s schedule includes a cornhole tournament, a contra dance and kid-friendly activities like archery and tug-of-war. Food available from vendors will include Irish delicacies, lemonade and ice cream. Artisan tables will include quilts, pottery, jewelry blacksmith-made goods and much more.
The fair is set to have a lineup of six bands, with musicians playing such Irish and Scottish-rooted instruments as the penny whistle, the fiddle, the bodhrán drum and of course, bagpipes.
Bands reach out to the McKnights to schedule a spot in the fair, McKnight said, because “the word has gotten out around the country: Cortez is a great venue.”
The fair will also feature the highlands games and competition, a strength-based set of athletic activities that includes shot put and a hammer throw, of which 35 people signed up to participate as of Tuesday.
In 2018, their first year putting on the fair, about 1,200 people attended, McKnight said. But during the previous summer, the number of attendees reached an estimated 6,000 people, he said. No matter the number of people, the McKnights want the fun to be shared with people of all ages.
“We’ve had newborns in strollers to people in their 90s that come to the event,” McKnight said.
This year will also have golf carts made available by Conquistador Golf Course, shuttling elderly attendees who may have difficulty walking long distances from parking.
Each year, beer proceeds from the fair go to a local charity. This time around, donations will be made to Renew, a local nonprofit that aids victims of domestic and sexual violence, the McKnights said.
The McKnights want to ensure the fair can always be free to the public. According to McKnight, the Cortez Celtic Fair is the only Celtic-themed festival with free admission across the country. The day he’d have to charge, McKnight said, would be the last time he’d do the event.
“We welcome everyone,” he said. “That’s why it’s free admission.”
