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Southwest Missouri Celtic Festival Receives Missouri Arts Council Grant Award
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Southwest Missouri Celtic Heritage Festival and Highland Games received a Missouri Arts Council Folk Arts Grant award of $8,265 for this year's Festival, which will take place on September 5 and 6, 2008, in the Old City Park and Fairgrounds in Buffalo, Missouri. The grant will help to fund Festival expenses of more than $25,000 for entertainment, advertising and marketing. This year is the 6th year for the event, which celebrates Celtic cultures with music, arts, food and athletic events. The Festival is sponsored by the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce and receives organizational support from the Dallas County Betterment Association each year.
In reaction to the award, Beau Buffington (Entertainment Director and grant writer) comments, "I grew up in Polk County, just next door to Dallas County, and my childhood dream was to become a world-champion highland bagpiper someday. At the time, however, access to a bagpipe teacher, or even Celtic music, wasn't available locally. In hindsight, I realize that I have benefited tremendously from the mentorship and opportunities from playing traditional music. These opportunities and this mentorship are what I hope to help facilitate with the MAC grant."
The mission of the Festival is to provide authentic traditional Celtic music, dance and culture to the people of Southwest Missouri, most of whom have Celtic roots, but no outlet to learn and explore those roots. The Festival serves to expand the artistic horizons and to educate the cultural aesthetics for the entire area. Traditional foods will provide a culinary glimpse into Celtic cultures, Clans people will explore ancestries, and the ancient athletic games, various vendors and demonstrations will round out the experience. The event helps children and adults alike from across the United States by expanding access to the arts and paying recognition to the seven Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany and Galicia.
This year, evidence of community support includes cash and in-kind donations such as $700 from Citizens Memorial Hospital, $500 from O'Bannon Bank, and in-kind donations from Bryant Business Graphics and the Buffalo Reflex for $2,000 and $3,600 respectively, as well as in-kind donations from a variety of private donors. Corporate and individual donations are being accepted by the Dallas County Betterment Association and should be earmarked for the Celtic Festival.
For more information, contact Kathy Kesler, Executive Director of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce, by telephone at 417-345-2852, by e-mail at chamber@buffalococ.com, or P.O. Box 258, Buffalo, MO 65622.