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EVENTS

NEWS

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EVENTS

Old Blind Dogs with The Roe Family Singers The Twin Cities Scottish Club has acquired discount tickets to the April 28th performance of "Old Blind Dogs with The Roe Family Singers" at the Cedar Cultural Center! http://www.thecedar.org/ events/2011/04/28/old-blind- dogs-roe-family-singers

Scottish roots revivalists Old Blind Dogs are renowned for their impassioned live shows, and this show at the Cedar promises to present the fiery folk fusionists at their best. Let Jonny Hardie (fiddle, guitar and vocals), Aaron Jones (bouzouki, guitar, vocals), Ali Hutton (Border pipes, whistles, vocals) and Fraser Stone (drums, percussion) take you to the Highlands and beyond, as they showcase songs from their brand new album Wherever Yet May Be (Compass Records), and dish up a selection of old favorites drawn from the past two decades. Local faves The Roe Family Singers will open, bringing a hillbilly perspective to proceedings.

Ticket prices are $18.00, and the Cedar Cultural Center is offering a 20% discount to our Club! However, in order to obtain the discount, you MUST purchase tickets over the phone directly from the Cedar Cultural Center. You must call them at 612.338.2674 ext 2 to order, and tell the Cedar employee that you are a Twin Cities Scottish Club member. They’ll immediately apply the 20% discount on tickets. (If TCSC members purchase tickets on-line, They are unable to offer the 20% - this is for phone orders only.) Your tickets will be held at the Cedar will-call and can be picked up the evening of the show.

Act FAST to take advantage of this great offer! Please feel free to share this information with your family and friends, so they too can receive the discount!

416 Cedar Ave S | Minneapolis, MN

British Isles Family History Days The Minnesota Genealogical Society & The Irish Genealogical Society International proudly present “British Isles Family History Days”, Irish, Scottish, English, and Welsh Genealogy

Featuring David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS Chief Genealogical Officer, FamilySearch.org

Friday, April 29, 2011 An Evening with David Rencher Coffee, dessert, and presentation. "The Sun Never Sets on the Data Empire"

Saturday, April 30, 2011 Irish, Scottish, English, and Welsh Genealogy Two plenary sessions presented by David Rencher Twelve Breakout Sessions Vendors and Exhibitors

Events will take place at Hennepin Technical College, Eden Prairie, MN

9000 Brooklyn Boulevard | Brooklyn Park, MN

Minnesota Scottish Fair Kick-Off Party! Join us for a MN Scottish Fair kick-off party and help us welcome our newest sponsor, Merlins Rest, to the fair family! Meet us at Merlin's on April 30th at 6:00pm.

Print this below poster and bring it with you to the Kick-Off party to enter a raffle for a MN Scottish Fair prize!

KickoffParty

See you there!

Try to get there at 6:00. Papa John and the Hot Club start playing at 8:00 and the place could fill up!

3601 East Lake Street | Minneapolis, MN

New Pearl Buttons Performance April 30th-- Related but not (altogether) Scottish: Sherry's Civil War band, the New Pearl Buttons, will play for a free Civil War presentation at the Washington County Courthouse (a.k.a the Stillwater Courthouse) on April 30th from 1:30-3:30 p.m. This dramatic presentation from members of The First Minnesota Regiment re-enactors and musicians will be entertaining and educational to audience members of all ages. April 2011 marks the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. More information and directions: http://www.sherryladig.com

14949 62nd Street North | Stillwater, MN

Cape Breton Step Dancing Mini-Class The MN Scottish Fair is coming up and we are so lucky to have wonderful music to sing, listen, and DANCE to! Maybe you want to Pas De Basque to the music the whole time but if you want a little change, there will be a Cape Breton Step Dance Class before!

Cape Breton Step Dancing is done mostly in Nova Scotia. It started in and recently started making a comeback to Scotland. Cape Breton Step Dancing is a hard shoe percussive form of dance for ALL ages and abilities and the music is beyond awesome!

There will be a mini-class at Tapesty on Monday May 2nd 6:50 - 7:20 PM.

I will teach the very basics and the more advanced for those who want it. I have learned, danced, or taught in Scotland, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, and of course, YouTube University.

This is not through RSCDS this is through Jamie's mission for Everyone Can DANCE so there will be a small fee to cover costs probably $3 - $5 depending on the number of people.

Please RSVP to Jamie: [email protected] Thanks! ~Jamie Berg 3748 Minnehaha Ave | Minneapolis, MN

MaiFest Head over to The Glockenspiel for their MaiFest - German-Style festival celebrating the arrival of Spring! Festivities start at 11:00am. 2:00 Ceremonial Keg Tapping 1:00-3:00 Rythum Pups 4:00-8:00 Alpensterne Band Traditional dancers, door prizes, contests, etc The St. Andrew’s/Scottish American Center will be hosting the usual Meat Raffle starting at Noon!

605 West 7th | St. Paul, MN

Laura MacKenzie at the St. Croix Festival Theatre Mother's Day Matinee Concert! 2:00pm Laura MacKenzie with Gary Rue (guitar and vocals) www.festivaltheatre.org/index.htm

210 N. Washington St. | St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin | 715-483-3387

RSCDS Performs at the Festival of Nations The RSCDS Twin Cities Branch will be appearing on the main stage at the Festival of Nations at RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul. Our performance will be between noon and 1pm. Come check out the many wonderful performances of ethnic dance and enjoy the food booths, cultural displays, and vendors while you are at it. Bring your mom!

For more information about RSCDS Twin Cities, see http://www.rscds-twincities.org

175 Kellogg Blvd W | St Paul, MN 55102

The Paul McKenna Band at the Celtic Junction Mark your calendars for the Paul McKenna Band ( 2009: Best Up and Coming Act) on Mya 13th at the Celtic Junction! www.paulmckennaband.com

836 Prior Avenue | St. Paul, Minnesota

Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games Mark your calendar for the MN Scottish Fair & Highland Games of 2011!

May 14th, 2011, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm at the Dakota Country Fairgrounds. Dakota County Fair Grounds www.mnscottishfair.org

General admission tickets $15 Seniors 65+ $10 Children 6 – 15 $5 Children 5 & under FREE On site parking is FREE

Back this year by popular demand, Highland Reign perfoming alongside Double Fiddles and many more!

Ceilidh 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the McCracken Pub .

Check out our promo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFnvBeKmBz4

We're always looking for more volunteers! Please contact Don Cogswell if you are interested in helping us at [email protected] .

4008 220th Street West | Farmington MN 55024

RSCDS at the Scottish Fair What better time to give Scottish country dancing a try than at the Scottish Fair? We will be offering free mini classes for adults and children throughout the day at the Dance Tent (perfect preparation for the ceilidh later that night at the McCracken pub!). If you prefer to watch, rather than do, we'll also be performing with Night Scotsman. Check the published program for exact times.

For more information about RSCDS Twin Cities, see http://www.rscds-twincities.org

THE TCSC NEEDS YOUR HELP! On May 14th, the TCSC has two events that it is sponsoring at the Minnesota Highland Games and Scottish Fair. We are having our annual TCSC "Taste of Scotland" food booth (a fund raiser for the Club), and we are running the Family tent again this year. Both will take place all day, at the Dakota County Fairgrounds, at the address listed above.

If you can volunteer for a two (2) hour shift in the food booth or Family tent, please call or email Norma Macdonald 952-888-2800 OR [email protected].

If you can volunteer for a total of a four (4) hour shift, you will qualify for a free admission ticket to the Fair (while supplies last).

TWIN CITIES SCOTTISH CLUB - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) Please mark your calendars to attend the TCSC Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 21st from 1pm to 4pm, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Paul.

Please join us for a potluck lunch (please bring a dish (savory/salad) to share with your TCSC friends). It's always fun to enjoy good food and catch up with each other after a LONG Winter! Dessert, courtesy of our friends at Walker's Shortbread (Thanks Walkers Shortbread!) and drinks (Red Rose Tea and Cameron's Coffee, water and juice boxes) will be provided, along with plates, cups, silverware and napkins. We will conduct our AGM after lunch.

We really need all of you to attend our AGM, as we will be voting in new Club Officers. If you are interested in running for office, please contact me at [email protected] or 952-888-2800. Officer positions to be voted on are: Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Entertainment Committee Chair. (I am happy to report that we currently have individuals interested in all of these positions!) We will also be voting on financial support/gifts to other Scottish organizations within the Twin Cities from the Twin Cities Scottish Club. Remember, the TCSC ByLaws state that we need a quorum to vote in any changes, so your attendance is necessary.

Please note that the location of the AGM has changed to Immanuel Lutheran Church at 104 South Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. Unfortunately, Macalester United Plymouth Church had to cancel our reservation this week, due to the scheduling of a parishioner's memorial service, and has no other available dates until late June. Immanuel Lutheran Church was kind enough to fit us into their schedule, so we can still have our AGM in May. Immanuel Lutheran Church is 1 block south of Grand Avenue on Snelling. (Southeast corner of Snelling and Lincoln-right across from Macalester College on Snelling). There is ample parking available for all. Please plan on using the Snelling Avenue Entrance (handicap accessible), which includes an elevator to their meeting hall on the lower level.

You will be receiving a postcard reminder of this event within the next week or so. Looking forward to seeing all of you on May 21st!

NEWS

A press release from : The Caledonian Foundation USA, Inc Barbara Fayth Humphrey is Recipient of National Tartan Day Award for 2011

Barbara Fayth Humphrey of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the recipient of the National Tartan Day Award for 2011, the ninth person to be honored by The Scottish Coalition USA, a consortium of Scottish-American organizations operating at the national level.

The award will be presented on Tartan Day, April 6th – by Robert W. Murdoch of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, National Tartan Day Chairman, at the Symposium of the National Capital Tartan Day Committee based in Washington, DC. The NCTDC is a nonprofit charitable corporation that was created in 2002 for the express purpose of promoting and celebrating the Tartan Day observance each year in the National Capital area. The conference will be held in the Capitol Visitors Center adjacent to the U.S. Capitol building.

For over fifteen years, Barbara Humphrey has been fully involved in matters of consequence to the Scottish-American community in the United States. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of Jessie and Neil Cameron Humphrey, she did not become interested in her Scottish heritage until she noted at the annual Parade of Tartans at the Scottish Fair of Macalester College that those of the name of Cameron were not represented. As later events showed, “Babs” Humphrey was not one to stand by and bemoan a situation, but with the sound of the bagpipes in her ears and in her heart, she attended her first meeting of the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans in March 1995 and within two months had recruited 18 Camerons to march with her in the Parade of Tartans. It is with this background that her interest expanded to what she has described as “the perpetuation, preservation and celebration of Scottish history, culture and heritage.”

One of her first steps in this direction was to obtain permission from Donald J. Cameron, North American Commissioner, to convene Clan Cameron in Minnesota. In 1997 she traveled to North Carolina to attend the first North American gathering of Clan Cameron and was given permission to submit an application for a Branch Charter to Col. Sir Donald Cameron, Captain and Chief of Clan Cameron. Shortly thereafter she became president of the Northern Lights Branch of Clan Cameron in North America. She then traveled to Achnacarry, Scotland, where the Northern Lights Branch became the first branch in history to present, in person, the Branch Charter for Lochiel's signature. In that same year she was elected Vice President of the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans and spearheaded the writing of its By-Laws and Operating procedures.

With such a background and with such a keen interest in the heritage of the Camerons, it is not surprising that she developed a keen interest in Genealogy. Working for endless hours as a volunteer for the genealogy group associated with the Isle of , she is proud to say that in a six-month period in 2006 she was able to enter over 10,000 births for the period 1766-1855, now posted on the Tiree Genealogy page for access by Tiree descendants around the world.

Her most recent point of interest is that of the newly-formed Scottish-American Center in Minnesota, having served as one of the founding board members and now being available when called upon for her advice and expertise. But it is not all work, as some might think. This year, and for the six preceding years, Babs Humphrey has been the emcee on the main stage of The Scottish Ramble, an event that has been held at the Landmark Center in Saint Paul for more than 25 years, with participation by pipers, dancers, and other performers.

In closing this account of Barbara Humphrey's contributions relating to her love of Scotland and her heritage, here is an excerpt from a letter sent by one volunteer to another concerning the Tartan Day celebration in Minnesota several years ago. This informal note captures the enthusiasm and appreciation of those who assisted her in her many activities on behalf of those of Scottish heritage.

“Barbara did an incredibly superb job of orchestrating events, with Arbroath history reception and a Kirkin' on Friday. Then on Saturday the parade and ceremony at the State Capitol – followed by lunch at the Minnesota State History Museum. The Museums Deputy Director, Iain Stewart, was on hand to receive the new Minnesota State Tartans on behalf of the people of the State of Minnesota, a gift to all Minnesotans from all our Scottish heritage community (another successful project Babs contributed to mightily). Then many of us shared in a delightful Tartan Day Ball evening – with dinner, dancing, the works! Held in the beautiful penthouse banqueting facilities atop the University Club building in downtown Saint Paul. Clear weather, so we also enjoyed birds-eye views of our lighted State Capitol building to the north, and the Mississippi Riverfront and downtown skyline in the other directions. It was an inspiring day and one of those memorable 'magical' evenings”

The Tartan Day Award has been presented each year since 2003 by The Scottish Coalition USA, a consortium of six organizations serving the Scottish-American community at the national level: The American-Scottish Foundation, Inc.; Association of Scottish Games Festivals; The Caledonian Foundation USA, Inc; Council of Scottish Clans and Associations, Inc.; The Living Legacy of Scotland, Inc.; Scottish Heritage USA, Inc.

The SNIM is sponsored by the Scottish American Center. We welcome news from all variety of Celts. Please send news, announcements, questions and concerns to [email protected] .

Thank you! Tiffany Esau-McCracken Scottish American Center

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