Celtic Heritage Festival
Events
17/10/2008, Liz Patton
Bedford, TX – East of Fort Worth in the suburb community of Bedford lies a well kept secret: the Celtic Heritage Festival. In a
large park Saturday were several dozen tents set up on a field. Compared to other celtic festivals in the area like the Texas Scottish
Festival and the North Texas Irish Festival, the Bedford festival is much smaller and compact. The grounds were split into clan tents,
vendors and the highland games. Most of the music stages were around the clan tents and the adjacent parade grounds. The main tent was
the most populous tent with rollicking bands like Brothers 3, and Needfire. The OnStage stage was in the park’s theatre building,
providing an air-conditioned haven for those who needed a break from the sun and 85°F temperatures.
Delorian enthusiast asking a local for directions - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
Young Scottish-style dancers performing - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
Because the event was small local bands were featured prominently on the bill. The smaller stages were scattered around the clan area
and the Highland Games arena. There was even a small jam tent that was utilized by some of the local jam regulars. The festival also
hosted numerous storytellers, which is a part of the Celtic heritage rarely shown at larger festivals. Back before literacy was common
story telling and oral histories were the only way the illiterate could learn or be entertained by stories.
The North Texas Caledonian Pipe and Drum band - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
A harp workshop in the jam tent - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
Most of the Scottish clans with branches active in the area had tents representing their tartans. Several dog rescue groups also had tents.
The local boy scout troop was there helping run the festival, helping set up tents before the gates opened and running errands for the event
organizers throughout the day. The highland games section of the event was sadly ignored by most of the attendees, because it was off in a
corner of the grounds that was not obvious to find.
A competitor in the women's weight toss - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
One of the local clan branch's tent - Liz Patton, (c) 2008
Attendance was lower than in past years, but the event planners didn’t get particularly good word out to the local media. Hopefully next year
will be better for this local festival.
About the Author
Liz Patton is the founder of Celtic Music Nations, an avid Celtic musician and fan. She has played guitar and bass for over a decade, and occasionally dabbles in other
Celtic instruments like mandolin, bodhran, fiddle and tin whistle. She wrote and edited for the University of Texas at Arlington's student paper for two years.
She has an Associate's in Commercial Music from South Plains College, and a Bachelor's of Music from UT Arlington.
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