Enter the Haggis Riding Celtic Wave Second Annual Celtic Festival at Chetola Next Weekend By Jeff Eason The Ontario-based Celtic band Enter the Haggis will serve as one of the headliner acts at the 2nd Annual Blue Ridge Celtic Festival in Blowing Rock on May 21. Celtic music is one of those timeless art forms that sounds good if it is performed in strictly a traditional manner or if it is updated with new sounds and instruments. Enter the Haggis, a new exciting Celtic band from Ontario, plays its Celtic music with both respective for its traditional roots and appreciation for its powerful modern potential. Enter the Haggis will perform as part of the Second Annual Blue Ridge Celtic Festival at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock on Saturday, May 21st. Tickets are on sale now for the full-day festival. Enter the Haggis features Brian Jonathan Buchanan on vocals, guitar and fiddle, Craig Downie on vocals, Highland bagpipes, deger pipes, tin whistle and guitar, Trevor Sidney Lewington on guitar and vocals, Mark Andrew Abraham on bass guitar, and James Matthew Campbell on drums. The band’s latest album, Casualties of Retail, is the first one to feature the new Enter the Haggis lineup. It aptly displays how this energetic quintet from Ontario combines the Celtic musical experience with rock, bluegrass, and folk with a searing sense of humor and an ability to “get the party started.” New songs such as the catchy bluegrass-tinged “Another Round” and “Gasoline” have opened up the band’s sound to a new acoustic audience while the driving Celtic-rock instrumentals continue to show how this group got its start. The instrumental “Congress” combines an Irish reel with electric guitar and Latin percussion for a totally unique perspective on the Celtic music experience. Haggis fans agree, however, that none of the band’s albums convey the magic that is a live show by the band. Through non-stop touring and a willingness to meet fans, the band has grown in popularity in just a few short years. Enter the Haggis will perform a day concert and an evening concert at the festival. Celtic Festival at Chetola The Second Annual Blue Ridge Celtic Festival at Blowing Rock starts at 10 a.m. next Saturday on the banks of the beautiful lake at Chetola Resort. The festival runs through early evening and ends with a concert featuring Enter the Haggis and Rathkeltair starting at 7 p.m. The festival will feature live music, authentic Celtic dancing, arts and crafts, Celtic food and beer, kid’s activities, demonstrations, living history, vendors and a recreation of the Court of Mary Queen of Scots performed by The Guilde of St. Andrews. The festival will also feature a demonstration by the North Carolina Falconry Guild as they show how birds of prey can be trained to hunt for humans. Craft demonstrations at the Celtic Festival will include handmade pottery, chairmaking, weaving and spinning. Kids will be able to test their skills at the medieval art of jousting with large foam-filled batons. In addition to Enter the Haggis and Rathkeltair, musical entertainment at the festival will be provided by Fire in the Kitchen and the Celtic Folkers. Tickets Tickets for the Blue Ridge Celtic Festival are available in a variety of packages. Festival only tickets are $12 for adults in advance, $14 at the gate, $8 for children (ages 6-8) in advance, $10 at the gate. Concert only tickets (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) are $12 for adults in advance, $14 at the gate, $8 for children in advance and $10 at the gate. Festival and concert combo tickets are $20 for adults in advance, $22 at the gate, $14 for children in advance and $16 at the gate. Tickets are available at Chetola Resort, the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis and Boone, Wachovia Bank in Boone and Blowing Rock, High Country Host Visitors Center in Boone, and at the Blowing Rock Stage Company. For tickets or further information, call 1-800-CHETOLA (800-243-8652) or 828-295-5500, or visit their website at www.blueridgecelticfest.com.