Wheeling Heritage will host its 22nd annual Wheeling Celtic Celebration on Saturday, March 3, at the Wheeling Artisan Center, 1400 Main St., Wheeling. The event will open with entertainment and activities at 11 a.m. and continue until 11 p.m.
The Artisan Center’s three floors will be filled with Celtic music, dancers, vendors, culture and great food offerings. A children’s activity area, presented by the Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley, will take place on the second floor from noon to 4 p.m.
The Celtic Marketplace, on the second and third floors, will feature a selection of Celtic merchandise including clothing, pub shirts, glasses and signs, jewelry, photography, honey mead wines and more. Members of Gallowglass will be set up on the second floor to provide educational information and cultural presentations on various Celtic instruments and practices.
River City Restaurant will be open offering its regular menu selections on the first floor, and will offer ethnic food selections on the third floor, including Scotch eggs, colcannon, and other Celtic delicacies as well as imported and domestic beers.
This year’s entertainment will include returning favorites such as The Macdonald Pipe Band of Pittsburgh, the Burke Conroy School of Irish Dance, Brigid’s Cross, Wheeling’s Gallowglass and Terry Griffith.
The Celtic Celebration will end with a performance by the Kilmaine Saints. Fans of Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues and Flogging Molly will enjoy the high-energy Celtic punk band, appearing in Wheeling for the first time.
“The Wheeling Celtic Celebration has become an annual tradition enjoyed by many in and around the Ohio Valley. It’s a time to celebrate Celtic culture and heritage and a time to gather with family and friends,” said Chris Villamagna, Wheeling Heritage program manager, noting that the festival sees about 2,000 attendees each year.
Admission to the Celebration this year is $7 per person. Admission for children 12 and under is free.
The event is sponsored by the Wheeling Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Ohio County Commission, the WALS Foundation, Altmeyer Funeral Homes and Felton CPA.
Visit wheelingheritage.org for a full entertainment schedule. For more information, call the Wheeling Artisan Center at 304-232-1810 or the Visitors Center at 1-800-828-3097.
(File Photo by Steve Novotney)