Tursachan

The Newsletter of the Callanish School of Celtic Arts

Dear Students and Parents,

Spring has officially arrived, which means the Highland Games Season is upon us. Maggie will have dance competition entry forms available in class for those who compete. Please see Lissa for information on fiddle contests and upcoming fiddle events. Thanks to everyone who participated last month at the various shows and the Newport Parade — the Callanish School was a big hit and everyone did an excellent job!

Mòran Taing,

Maggie Carchrie

Make-Up Lessons

The following dancers are entitled to a free make up lesson on Monday, April 19th because they missed a lesson and informed Maggie of their absence:

All other dancers may attend by paying $11 for the extra class. All students should let Maggie know if they are planning on attending.

Schedule for April 19th:

Committees to Form

Over the past year, the Callanish School has significantly grown in size. Maggie feels that it is now time to form committees to help oversee school operations. Therefore, she is looking for people to be in charge of the following areas for a one year term beginning July 1st:

  1. Fundraising: This person or persons would be in charge of finding and executing school fundraising endeavors. If several people volunteer, one could be in charge of the Christmas fundraiser and the other the spring fundraiser. Chocolate fundraiser to continue in February, everything else is up to the new people and their ideas!
  2. Performances: This person or persons would be in charge of finding and scheduling dance and music performances for the school. The school has virtually performed at all the places and events Maggie knows about. Now it’s up to some of you to find new places and events, perhaps unique to the towns you live in, for us to appear.
  3. Nursing Home MC: This person or persons would be in charge of our traditional Sunday afternoon nursing home shows. Maggie would train parents on how shows run and make cards to read with the history of the dances on them etc.

Sewing Party Scheduled

There will be a sewing party planned for Saturday, April 17th from 1-5 PM at Emma Haselton’s House in West Barnstable. We will be making tartan dog coats as one of the spring fundraisers. We will need lots of help cutting and sewing and children are invited to attend if they are old enough to cut well. Please let Maggie know if you will be able to attend and if you have a sewing machine. If you are not able to attend and willing to help cut cloth before the 17th or could sew some coats on your own, please let Maggie know as well.

Spring fundraiser

Beginning April 1st, the Callanish School will be involved in a cool new fundraiser. We will be selling coupon cards (in the shape of a credit card) good at over 40,000 participating merchants across the country. By purchasing this card for $20, the holder will get discounts both locally at places like D’Angelos and 7 Eleven, and at locations while on vacation anywhere in the country and Canada! So, that means you can sell them to Grandma in Idaho or Uncle Bob in Florida! The cards will be valid for 13 months and can be renewed after that time by logging onto our special web page link at www.mygocard.com/csca. For every card that is sold, the Callanish School will get to keep $10. There is also a special incentive: the first 10 families who sells 10 or more cards will receive a free card for themselves. Each family will be given five cards to start, but orders can be taken if they run out or they can be purchased on our website! This can be an on-going fundraiser for the school since friends and family all over the country can log onto our link and order a card for themselves and it will count for our fundraiser! The School account is still $2,000 in debt from past kilt orders. This will be the last big fundraiser selling stuff for a while, so please give it your best shot! If you have an idea for a store or restaurant that you’d like to see added to this program, just click on: www.memberweb.com/Memberweb2k1/ReferralForm.asp?sptype and follow the directions. Maggie will also be e-mailing everyone this link.

It’s Off to Scotland for Maggie and Thomas

As many of you have heard, Maggie and Thomas will be away to Scotland from June 21–July 18 to study Gaelic, music and dancing in the Hebrides. Therefore, no group dancing lessons will take place over the summer. Maggie is encouraging as many dancers as possible to attend the Braemar Summer School of Highland Dancing from June 27–July 2 while she is away. Miss Colleen will also be available to teach private lessons at Maggie’s home in Sandwich at the rate of $15 per hour. These lessons will be coordinated through Maggie before she leaves. Once back from Scotland, Maggie will only be teaching private and semi-private lessons until September. These should also be arranged with Maggie before she leaves for vacation.

Hats Off!

Hats off to the following dancers who received medals and Trophies at the NHSSA Indoor Highland Dance Competition on April 3rd in Derry, NH:

Upcoming Events

3 April Manchester, NH Indoor Highland Games, 9 am–4 pm
10 April

HLSS Tartan Day 11 am–3 pm, Yarmouth Senior Center, Forest Road, Yarmouth
(Arrive 1:30 for 2 pm Show)
Volunteers needed to set up and work table from 10:30 am–noon
15 April PEO Woman’s Luncheon, Hyannis, 1 pm
17 April Sewing Party, 1–5 pm
The Haseltons’ house, W. Barnstable
22 April Windsor Nursing Home (Adult Day Care)
(Arrive 1 pm for 1:30 show)
27 April Orleans Woman’s Club, 1:30 pm
1 May National Dance Week Performance,
Cape Cod Mall, 2 pm
22 May RI Highland Games, Westerly, RI, 9 am–4 pm
5 June Southern NH Highland Games, Greenfield, NH, 9 am–4 pm
26 June Western Mass. Highland Games, Greenfield, MA, 9 am–4 pm
27 June – 2 July Braemar Summer School of Highland Dancing, Troy, NY
17 July Glasgowlands Highland Games, Northampton, MA, 9 am–4 pm
26 July Blackstone Valley Celtic Festival
(Performances by Dancers — time TBA)
24 October Harborpoint Nursing Home, Centerville
(Arrive 2 pm for 2:30 Show)

Need more info on festivals? See the official Highland Games web site at: www.maclachlans.org/games.html