The James Monroe Museum and the Welsh Society of Fredericksburg will host the annual Fredericksburg Welsh Festival this year on Saturday, September 25, 2010, from noon to 5 p.m. Come join us in the 900 block of Charles Street (in front of the museum) in downtown Fredericksburg to honor the Welsh ancestry of James Monroe – whose mother, Elizabeth Jones, was from Wales – with live Celtic music, crafts vendors, dancing, story-telling, poetry and infamous Welsh cookies!
This year, festival-goers will enjoy traditional food of the British Isles catered by downtown’s Blarney Stone Irish Pub and will be treated to the lovely sounds of the Choir of the British School of Washington, D.C.
Joining the British School Choir on the main stage will be perennial fair favorites IONA, the Washington area’s premiere Pan-Celtic ensemble; songstress Jodee James; and local group Moch Pryderi.
Entertainment in the Masonic Cemetery adjoining the museum will include the Dragon Lady, Jeanette Episcopo; professional story-teller Cindy Roser; amazing Welsh Speaker Bob Roser; and James Monroe himself!
A donation of $4 for adults and $1 for children will be requested to defray the cost of entertainment. For more information, visit the festival website at www.welshfred.com, or call the museum at (540) 654-1043.
The Welsh Festival is part of the University of Mary Washington’s Family Weekend and is partially supported by funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Join us as we celebrate Wales and the heritage of James Monroe!
About Brynn Boyer