intheknow
By MARG JACKSON
W
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Patrick Michael Karnahan
here there’s a will, there’s a way – as the saying goes – and that proved true in 2021 for the Calaveras Celtic Faire, which was moved to June but still put on, making the 2022 version the 36th annual event. Founder Patrick Michael Karnahan said the 2022 edition returns to its traditional second weekend in March timeframe, planned at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp from March 11-13. The fairgrounds are at 2465 Gun Club Road in Angels Camp.
We try to represent everything, not just the history but also the culture, the food, beer, whiskey and the crafts, things people have made. —Patrick Michael Karnahan
“We had to manipulate it some, the (COVID) restrictions of last March forced us to move it to June,” Karnahan explained of the 2021 faire. “The fairgrounds were available in June so instead of skip a year and lose our annual status, I decided to go ahead and move it to June; we had it Father’s Day weekend.” While smaller in scale, he said it was still successful, although having it in June also meant they dealt with hotter weather than normal. Thankfully, Karnahan said, they are back to midMarch and he is excited to welcome crowds back to the fairgrounds. The event goes on, rain or shine. He also said the faire had a humble beginning, all those years ago, and has been hosted either in Sonora or Angels Camp throughout its tenure, having settled the last few years in Angels Camp as its preferred venue. “I just spent a lot of time in Ireland in my 20s,” he said. “Besides being a musician, I am also an artist, a painter, and I was honored to teach art over time in the west of Ireland.” After returning to the states, he continued to paint and decided to put on a small art show one year around St. Patrick’s Day. “I put together a show that became a small festival, I grabbed a couple of other painters and it kind of grew,” he said of starting the faire in the mid-1980s. “I thought, maybe we can do this again, it was a focal point for artwork and we had music for the reception, some food and drink … before you know it, it’s a fullblown festival celebrating the culture of everything Celtic.” That premise has remained the same throughout the years, even as the faire has expanded and now includes multiple bands, specialty acts such as jousting, sword fighting demonstrations, ‘street’ acts like magicians and jugglers, and plenty of authentic food, drink and wares.
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IN THE KNOW - Celtic Faire Preview.indd 22
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F E B R UA RY/MA R C H 2022
1/25/2022 8:52:05 AM
