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second annual flathead celtic festival plans for fun and connection at herron park on sept. 17
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
tanding on a hill on a smoky August morning, Rob Eber- hardy adjusted the ag draped over his shoulder paying trib-
ute to all Celtic nations, put his sts on his kilt-wearing hips, and surveyed the nearly empty Herron Park.
If you squinted a little and pretended that the drying grass on the hill was instead lush, purple heather and the smoke was the fog of the Highlands, Eberhardy was a picture of his ancestors, represented by the tartan pattern on his kilt denoting the Bruce clan of Scotland.
And, probably like his ancestors, Eber- hardy is serious about his heritage, but quick to o er a joke.
“People like to say ‘What’s worn under your kilt?’” Eberhardy says. “The answer is, ‘Nothing’s worn, everything’s in good working condition.’”
As the drummer for the Montana Highlander Band and the founder of the Flathead Celtic Festival, Eberhardy, 39, is full of one-liners and quips about kilts and Celts, most stemming from his time talking to others about them.
And on Sept. 17, Eberhardy will be talking and joking and teaching all day long at the second annual Flathead Celtic Festival, taking place at Herron Park just outside of Kalispell.
The event is free, family friendly, and open to the public, featuring at least six tents for the area’s clans to gather, live Celtic music all day, vendors, beer and
Rob Eberhardy, founder of the Flathead Celtic Festival. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
wine, and, of course, the ever-popular Highland Games.
Last year’s inaugural festival was a hit, Eberhardy said.
“We had roughly a 1,000 people show
up, give or take,” he said.
Since it’s in Herron Park, people who
were biking and hiking the trails nearby wandered through and stuck around, like some of the families who showed up for a
regular day in the park and found instead throngs of people celebrating Celtic tra- ditions and heritage.
“All we have to do is improve on what we did last year,” Eberhardy said. “This
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SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
A Celtic Celebration