The ninth annual Cortez Celtic Fair celebrating Celtic culture through music, games and food will be back this weekend with proceeds from beer sales benefiting Renew Inc., a nonprofit supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The free event will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Parque de Vida at 400 N. Mildred Ave.
“Anyone regardless of their financial situation can come out with their family and have fun,” organizer Randy McKnight said. “For us it's just another way to give back to the community.”
McKnight, whose ancestors were Scottish and arrived to the United States in the early 1700s, believes everyone can connect to Celtic culture. Celtic music, he said, is very popular in the Four Corners.
The event features some Celtic bands hailing from Durango, Farmington, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque and other locales which will be playing live Scottish and Irish tunes throughout the day
“There’s something almost spiritual about Celtic music with the bagpipes and the drums – and a lot of times they tell stories,” McKnight said. “It really resonates with most people. They can really associate with it.”
The day will also feature highland games in which attendees can compete in traditional contests involving weight lifting and throwing. The sanctioned competitions start at 9 a.m. with registration costing $35. Athletes, who are required to wear kilts that can be rented at the fair, check in starting at 8 a.m.
“It's a really fun event to watch,” McKnight said.
The day is intended to be family friendly, he said, and kids activities will be available in abundance. This year there will be a tug of war followed by a root beer float party.
“The kids love it and the kids are a blast,” McKnight said.
Intermountain Life Flight will land an air ambulance next to the Celtic games field for people to learn about and explore.
“The kids love checking out the helicopter,” McKnight said.
A plethora of local vendors will also be selling traditional food and beverages such as Irish food arriving from Denver and chicken from a Durango food truck. The beer tent will feature brews from Blondie’s Trophy Room, Mancos Brewing Company, Ska Brewing and more. The proceeds from the beer will be donated to Renew Inc.
“We’re very inclusive,” McKnight said. “We invite everybody to learn a little bit about Celtic culture and have some fun.”
Registration for the athletic competitions as well as further information on the music groups, vendors and activities is available at cortezcelticfair.com.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
