Hi all you C & F’rs!! Never too late to begin to plan a C & F gathering!!
I am planning on going to Irish Fest on Saturday Aug 21st…with tin whistle in hand! Who would like to meet and have a Great Session by a Great Lake!! Or just get together and meet!! Lets get all in Wisconsin and northern Illinois together for a wonderful time!!
Reply to this, or email me directly with questions about Irish Fest. I used to live in Milwaukee and have attended many. It is a whoppin good time!!
I’ll be there. Maybe we can find a place under the trees near the lake rather than the rather sunny place where we’ve met the last two years. Let’s touch base when we get closer to the festival.
Yeah…this will be my first year with the C & F gang there…I had no idea you guys had been meeting there!! See how shallow my life was BEFORE C & F!!! I am really looking forward to it…and hope many can come! Irish Fest has ALWAYS been a wonderful time for me!!..now..even more so!!
If anyone needs information on where to stay..campgrounds…etc…just give me an email…like I said before, I lived in Milwaukee for all but the past 5 years when I moved to the Northwoods!
Since we are completing our move from Memphis to Racine next week, My plans to attend are pretty firm. I was looking at the schedule last night. WOW! I hope Jim brings his bag of whistles & flutes like last year. I’ll bring of few of mine too, Can’t wait for it to begin. I might have a little room available for sleeping bags.
Hi all, just a thought, last year and this I set up a session area for Uilleann pipers for two hours. I’ve been involved with the festival since it’s birth. If we could guarantee a good sized group, I could see if we could get the session space for 2 hours on Sat. No promises it’s late for this sort of thing but I could have an answer soon from the coordinator of that area.???
I’m definitely planning on being there! I haven’t missed an Irish Fest in 11 years - well, except one, but that was because I was in Ireland. I was STILL bummed to miss Irish Fest though, that’s how great it is.
So I’m game for meeting again! Down by the lake would be nice, unless there’s a stiff breeze blowing off the lake. Brrrrr. (Low 50’s for temperatures today in Milwaukee by the way. Those are the HIGH temps!)
And maybe by then I’ll have the Chicken Dance outta my head… :roll:
The absence of a session puzzled me last year. I figured since it was my first time and I was a stranger to the area that I just hadn’t got the word. I’m not a session player yet but I’d show up with my whistle even though I’m not up to speed.
Last year just a few showed up in response to the posting here on C&F but after the Fest many more mentioned they had been on the grounds. It would be interesting to see what the response would be to postings on multiple boards.
Anyway, I’ll be there with my C&F shirt, a whistle in my pocket, and a big smile. You can already see what I look like. See you there.
This will be my first year as a whistler Duffy. Also, my first time at a session. I will definately be listening…but for a few songs. Looking forward to this…totally!!
I’m planning on being at my second Milwaukee Irish Fest, I had a great time last year. I’m not up to speed yet as a sessiun player, but I’ll give it a shot this year, just for a chance to meet some more of you C & Fers.
Only 11 more days till Milwaukee Irish Fest. So many groups. Check out the line-up. www.irishfest.com I hope I can hear all the one I want to. Somebody want to suggest a time and place for C&Fers to meet?
Any Chiffers having trouble finding motel rooms for Sat. 8/21?
I havn’t been able to get one through Priceline. Last year I found
a room in Brookfield without any problrm at all, but not this year.
Any suggestions on motel rooms in the Milwaukee area will be
appreciated.
Do to some scheduling conflicts, it looks like I will only be there on Sunday. Saturday may be the better day for most. If any are interested in meeting Sunday, I’m up for it. We generally go early Sunday and take a food donation to the Mass (it gets you into the festival free). One possibilty is to meet below the Marcus Amphitheater while waiting to get in to the Festival. We’d be far enough away from the Mass that we wouldn’t interfere and it would help to pass the time.
In my opinion, the best place to meet inside the Festival may be under the trees along the lake between the Children’s stage and the Tipperary Stage. That’s a long stretch, it’s quieter than some areas and it’s in the shade. Other years we’ve met at the cross in the Cultural Village but it was pretty hot with no shade.
If others want to meet on Sunday, I’ll be unavailable at 2:30…gotta see Flook again. Other times are open. I can bring my Copeland D & C, O’Riordan Concert D/C set and low G, Abell Eflat/D/C set and A/Bflat set, Busman Delrin, Burke Narrow Bore Brass, Composite F, Seery flute and Burns all wood three piece Blackwood flute to try. I’ll bring along tunable Overton Low D, Burke Al Pro Low D and Composite Low D, Reyburn Low D, and Blackwood Thin Weasel that are for sale and maybe some whistle cases that I know longer use. I’ve got a hard case for flute too. If anyone has a Burke Narrow Bore D composite I sure would like to try one of those.
I’m awfully new to the area but Racine is only about 25 minutes away. If you can’t find anything soon I’ll see what I can find in the area in between.
Jim: you’re going to have to get a trailer to haul your bag of whistles. All I’ve got at the moment is my Burke pro brass D, a couple of oaks, and some Gens, but after the interest in variety I saw last year, I’ll fill my smaller pack with mostly cheap common stuff to add to the sampling. Who knows, maybe one of the tour whistles will show up at the right time.
I want to be there, don’t know if I will. My mom had a stroke a little over a week ago, and now we’re dealing with rehab and her possibly coming home that weekend (if not before) and she will need to have help, etc. etc. I am going to try to get up to IF at least one day, but don’t know which day yet. Hope to see you there!
It’ll be good to see you if you do make it…but we will certainly understand if you don’t make it, given the circumstances. Hope your mom get’s better quickly. Will send healing thoughts in y’alls direction.
Sorry to hear about your mom, I hope she’s able to make a good recovery. Family comes first and you’ll all be in our prayers. We’ll miss you if you’re unable to make it, but I’ll bet there’ll be another Irish Fest next year.
By complete coincidence I was in St. Paul last weekend. I drive into downtown and see all these banners for Irish Fest. I find out it’s being held six blocks from my hotel. I even find one magazine that lists it as the 7-8th of August.
Unfortunately everyone else thinks it’s the 14-15th. Oh well . Hope y’all have a great time!
. Hope y’all have a great time!