Getting some questions about our festival so, if you missed previous statements about it, it bears repeating that the group has decided not to continue with further festivals. While unfortunate, it was a decision based on many factors and decided upon by our council. We will still continue to promote our annual Burns Dinners and encourage fun gatherings throughout the year.

It’s time to make your reservations for our annual Burns Dinner! Click on the link above to pay by PayPal, or for instructions to send payment by mail. Reservations are due by January 20th! Also: *share this event with your friends and family-let’s get it plastered all over Facebook* *Bring a dessert to share and enter our dessert contest* *Bring an item for our raffle table* *This event is open to the public!* Share, share, share! Make your reservation NOW-don’t miss out!

Dear HAGGIS members,

Here is some information relating to the most recent council meeting, and upcoming events:

1) EVENT: Bloomsday Kilt Krawl, Friday, June 17th, 7pm, starting at Parlor City
Join us as we celebrate our Irish roots HAGGIS-Style! Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce during which the events of his novel Ulysses (which is set on 16 June 1904) are relived. We will be celebrating by doing a pub crawl (in kilts) around Cedar Rapids, while reading from Joyce’s famous novel, Ulysses.

*Part of our new focus for this year is to reach a wider audience by appealing to ALL things Celtic. We want to be very inclusive and welcoming to new members, so look forward to lots of different kinds of events that reflect holidays and traditions of all the Celtic Isles…including, but not limited to, whiskey tasting, rugby games, solstice potluck, mini golf, Guy Fawkes, tea parties, and fund raisers such as yard sales or kilt-car washes! 🙂

2) Order requests: We are gathering requests to place an order for Iowa Tartan. We are 5 yards short of a minimum of 30 yards to place an order. If you are interested in ordering yards of Iowa Tartan (at $69.95/yard), please let us know so we can get closer to our goal!

3) Eastern Iowa CelticFest: As most of you know, our 2016 CelticFest was canceled due to construction at Squaw Creek Park. What we just learned was that the prices for renting the location we have used for the past 2 years has nearly doubled, making that location no longer viable. Please submit and investigate any suggestions you may have on a location for our festival for 2017. The Cedar Rapids are is most ideal, but we may need to start to search beyond in order to find a suitable and affordable location.

Here is the menu for our Burns Dinner, provided by Congrats Catering: shepherd’s pie, neeps, tatties, veggies, and soda bread. And, of course, there will be haggis!

We are pleased to announce the band, Lilywren, will be performing for our Burns Dinner!  Check them out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQxXdNMESYc&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Join us at the Kula Farm Saturday, November 7th, at 5pm for the traditional bonfire, effigy buring, and fireworks!  Bring a bag chair and a dish to share.  Board games are welcome and we’ll try to fit in some dancing, too!  Invite your friends, open to non-members!  Contact a board member or visit our Facebook page for more information!

We will be promoting CelticFest this Saturday in the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival parade, followed by a Kilt Krawl (pub crawl) in the NewBo district.  If you can join us, please meet in the staging area at 9am in Czech Village, at the corner of 18th Ave SW and A St SW.  We will be handing out fliers, and you are also welcome to bring candy to pass out to the children along the route.  And, of course, wear kilts (if you have them) and HAGGIS t-shirts!  See you there!

We are again hosting a Highland Games Practice Day at Lower Kingston Stadium, Saturday, May 23rd at 11AM.

All are invited to attend!  Have you ever wanted to try out Highland Games without the pressure of competition?  Whether it is the caber toss or hammer throw, come and learn all about the different events, and give them a try alongside experienced instructors.

Practice now, compete later, at CelticFest July 18th at Squaw Creek Park!

This event is free and open to the public!