Annual Lobster Supper

Annual Lobster Supper—Saturday, 26 May at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, North River Bridge. Take out starting at 3:00 pm, eat in at 5:00 pm. $25.00 one lobster, second lobster $10.00. Turkey dinner also available $10.00. All meals served with potato salad, coleslaw, roll and dessert. Board members have tickets or you can call 902.929.2334, 902.929.2558 or 902.929.2205.

Location: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, North River Bridge

Date: May 26

Blas Math Lunchtime Ceilidhs

Make plans for one of our Blas Math lunchtime ceilidhs, and get a taste of our lively music and dance, and a hearty home-cooked meal. Tap your toes to the sounds of fiddle, piano, bagpipes, Gaelic song, and more when you join us for lunch!

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: July 2 - September 28

Cabot Trail Acoustic Festival & Series

The Cabot Trail has a history of great music, great musicians and there's a whole new generation that's revising acoustic roots, celtic and folk music, so we are having another festival across generations, one that features traditional and original music.  It's a players and a music lovers' festival, right along the Cabot Trail, indoors and outdoors, with concerts, open mikes, song writing and other workshops, open air jams included.

In addition, local chefs will have a "tasting" of Nova Scotia seafood, meats, vegetarian/vegan offerings.  Much of produce grown on the property and apples are available for pressing into apple cider.

Date: May 21 - March 31

Cabot Trail Writers Festival

Every fall, as the Highlands blaze with autumn colour, writers and readers from across the country may be found in the heart of Cape Breton for a three-day celebration of the written word. Here, we put aside all pretension for a wholehearted celebration of the special relationship between reader, writer, and literature. Our intimate venues, packed wall to wall with devoted readers, and the lively Cape Breton spirit that suffuses every festival event bring readers and writers into a uniquely close connection. Year after year, we’ve heard our authors and our audiences say they’ve never had so much fun at a literary event.

This year will mark our 10th anniversary, which we're celebrating with a number of special events and a magnificent author lineup, including Madeleine Thien (2016 Giller Prize), Linda Spalding (2012 Governor General's Literary Award), Shalan Joudry, Sharon Bala (2018 Canada Reads finalist), Phonse Jessome, and Oisin Curran, among many other authors and musicians. Please join us for this extra special edition of a true Cape Breton event.

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: September 28 - September 30

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

• Tuesday July 17 – Rachel Davis & Darren McMullin - Cape Breton fiddle, guitar, mandolin & tenor banjo

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 17

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, July 6 – Brad Reid & The Maudes From Halifax  - fiddles, piano and cello.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 6

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Tuesday July 24 – Kyle & Sheamus MacNeil - Cape Breton fiddle and piano.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 24

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, July 27 – Kyle and Colin MacDonald - Cape Breton fiddle and piano.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 27

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Tuesday, July 31 – Colin Grant & Mario Colosimo - Cape Breton fiddle and piano.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 31

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, Aug. 3 - The Narrows – Irish style group from Halifax - Irish pipes, fiddle etc.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 3

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, Aug. 10 – Kimberly Fraser and Brenda Stubbert - Cape Breton fiddles and piano.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 10

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Tuesday, Aug. 14 – Jerome Aucoin and Ron LaFitte. - Traditional and original songs
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 14

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, Aug. 17 – David Greenberg and Doug MacPhee - Cape Breton fiddle and piano.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 17

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Tuesday, Aug. 21 – Stewart and Boyd MacNeill - Two members of the Barra MacNeils - fiddle, piano, flute, guitar, mando cello, tin whistle and vocals.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 21

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, Aug. 24 – Dara Smith and Susan MacLean Cape Breton fiddle and piano

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 24

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, August 31 – Rocky Shore - Local group of fiddles, guitars, vocals and more.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 31

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

•  Friday, September 7 – Buddy MacDonald & Rachel Davis - Cape Breton fiddle, guitar and vocals.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: September 7

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, September 14 – Dwayne Coté and Doug MacPhee Cape Breton fiddle and piano.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: September 14

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Tuesday, Aug. 28 – Lucy MacNeil and Rob Durando  - Fiddles, guitar, harp and songs.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: August 28

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday July 13 – Dwayne Coté & Doug MacPhee -  Cape Breton fiddle and piano.

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 13

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Wednesday, July 11 – Concert celebrating The Canada-France Vimy Ridge Connection.
NOTE: this the only Wednesday concert of the season.  Meet and Greet a contingent representing France.
Local Music by Allie Mombourquette, John Grant, Leon, Beth and Ella Dubinsky, Brad Murphy and Paul Cranford. - Fiddles, pipes, piano, guitar & vocals.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 11

Celtic Tea Room Ceilidhs

Friday, July 20 –   The Quilly Family. An Irish and traditional music group from Ontario playing a variety of instruments.
 

Location: 46715 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook

Date: July 20

COLOURS OF CANADA (DAY) - CAPE BRETON'S NATIVE ACADIAN ECOSYSTEM PIGMENTS

Taught by local ecological fibre artist Mel Sweetnam, a juried member of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design, this one day workshop will introduce participants to several techniques using native plants (no artificial inks or dyes are used in this process, only those extracted from plants). - whole cloth dyeing - ecoprints (to transfer plant pigments, shape and texture) onto fabric and paper - resist dyeing to achieve different surface design effects Students Will Take Home: - yarn, fabric and paper samples coloured/printed with the very essence of Cape Breton - dye records showing all of the key variables in achieving successful results - the skills to further explore the magic of plant colour - an appreciation for the importance of protecting native ecosystems Full details on Mamie's Schoolhouse's web site. Date: Sunday 1 July, 2018 (Canada Day); 10 am to 3:30 pm Location: South Haven Community Hall, a former one room schoolhouse conveniently located 12 minutes from Baddeck, and 3 minutes from the Gaelic College (the headquarters of October's Celtic Colours International Festival).

Location: South Haven Community Hall, South Haven

Date: July 1

Concert featuring Kim Dunn & Colin Grant

Concert featuring Kim Dunn & Colin Grant. Doors open at 7:00 pm., concert at 7:30 pm. $20.00 at door. 

Location: Ceilidh Tea Room, Indian Brook

Date: May 26

Dinner & Music at Cabot Shores

Come for a night of delicious food and traditional Gaelic music at Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort! Indulge in a 3-Course Meal prepared by our talented chefs Ron and Nicole. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, a local seafood lover, carnivore or somewhere in between, you’ll be sure to find something on our menu that delights your taste buds! Dinner reservations can be made for 5:30pm-8pm, with concert from 8pm-10pm.

Featured performers - Miller, MacDonald & Cormier

Ben Miller & Anita MacDonald have become renowned across Atlantic Canada and further afield for their synergistic, pipe and fiddle driven style of Gaelic dance-music. Joining together the musical traditions of Cape Breton and the Scottish Highlands, while incorporating influences from Ireland, Shetland and beyond, Ben and Anita have created a signature sound, described as "Fiery... Fresh, yet totally traditional." - Piping Today Magazine (Glasgow, UK) As well as performing as a duo, Ben and Anita tour as a trio with Acadian multi-instrumentalist, Zakk Cormier. Zakk is a dynamic musician with deep roots in the musical community of Prince Edward Island. He brings his talents as a sympathetic guitar accompanist, as well as the driving rhythm of Acadian foot-percussion. As Miller | MacDonald | Cormier, these three young artists create a powerful sound, which transcends the boundaries between Cape Breton, Scottish, and Acadian traditions.

Buy your tickets online or by phoning 902-929-2584

Location: 30 Buchanan Drive, Indian Brook

Date: June 30

Double Trouble - KitchenFest

We’re kicking off the week and festival year 5 in style and on home turf in cozy St. Ann’s. Join us on this fun eve, as we look to musical pairs of pals and siblings, and the magic they create together. Angus and Kenneth MacKenzie are piping brothers from Mabou Coal Mines, now raising their young families on either side of the Atlantic. We’re thrilled to have Angus home and the two reunited once again. Scott Macmillan and Brian Doyle are old friends, but perhaps brothers in music, and both monsters on the guitar. Dawn and Margie Beaton are a pair of fiddling/dancing sisters that have been in duo form since day 1, much like legendary dancing brothers John and Bill Pellerin. And we can count on Joel Chiasson to add the perfect piano accompaniment to any pipe or fiddle tune. Hostess Joanne MacIntyre will welcome us in for the eve, and welcome her sister Rita Rankin in on some rousing Gaelic songs.

 

TIME:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

PRICE:  $25 | All ages

VENUE:  The Great Hall | Colaisde na Gàidhlig

ADDRESS:  51779 Cabot Trail, St. Ann's

TICKETS:  Tickets available at Gaelic College Craft Shop 902-295-3441 and online

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: June 29

ECOPRINTS + HAND-STITCHED BOOKS

ECOPRINTS + HAND-STITCHED BOOKS
 

Taught by local ecological fibre artist Mel Sweetnam, a juried member of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design, this one day workshop is one of the more contemplative workshops offered by Mamie’s Schoolhouse, requiring the student to slow down at every step, while learning both modern techniques for surface design with plants, and an ancient method for securely hand-stitching books. There is something magical about starting with blank sheets of paper and a pile of plant material, and ending the workshop with a beautiful, hand-stitched book printed with the essence of Cape Breton’s glorious landscapes, and securely bound with your own hands. No artificial inks or dyes are used in this process, only those extracted from plants.

Students Will Take Home: - a completed hand-bound book - a range of paper samples printed with plants in class for use in other projects and/or as a reference library of techniques - the skills to further explore the magic of local plant colour and book-binding.

Dates (each one day workshop runs from 10 am t0 4 pm, with one hour for lunch, which is not provided): - June 8, 2018 or also on August 3, 2018 Location: South Haven Community Hall, a former one room schoolhouse conveniently located 12 minutes from Baddeck, and 3 minutes from the Gaelic College (the headquarters of October's Celtic Colours International Festival).

Location: South Haven Community Hall, South Haven

Date: June 8

Elusive Glorious Green

Taught by local ecological fibre artist Mel Sweetnam, a juried member of the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design, this one day workshop will teach students how to develop a sophisticated skill set in extracting green dye from a very small number of plants that reliably product it, how to use assists to shift other plant dye colours into various green shades, how to use over-dyeing (combining different plant dyes) to achieve green, and how to extract chlorophyll from plants. Students Will Take Home: - yarn and fabric samples in a range of green hues produced in the workshop - dye records showing all of the key variables in achieving successful results - an expanded skill set to further explore the magic of green from plant dyes Dates (each one day workshop runs from 10 am to 4 pm, with one hour for lunch, which is not provided): - July 8, 2018 Location: South Haven Community Hall, a former one room schoolhouse conveniently located 12 minutes from Baddeck, and 3 minutes from the Gaelic College (the headquarters of October's Celtic Colours International Festival).

Location: South Haven Community Hall, South Haven

Date: July 8

Father's Day Roast Beef Dinner - South Haven

Jun 17—Father’s Day Roast Beef Dinner—12:00 noon–2:00 pm at South Haven Community Hall. Roast beef dinner, dessert and beverage. Adults $13, children under 12 years $7 

Location: South Haven Community Hall, South Haven

Date: June 17

Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling

The 45th Annual Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling will take place at the Gaelic College, St. Ann’s on Saturday, August 18^th and Sunday, August 19^th. Highlights include performances by local fiddlers known for the excitement they generate while playing lively jigs, strathspeys, and reels in particular. Guest fiddlers from Glengarry, Ontario, and members of the Queen’s County Fiddlers, PEI, to name a few, will add to the performances.

Saturday, August 18 
 2-5 pm. Workshops - Fiddling, step-dancing and piano
 5-6 pm. Supper
 6-7 pm. Tune -Sharing Sessions 
 7-11 pm. Concert & Square Dance 
                $5.00 per person, children under 12 free.

Sunday, August 19  
2-7 pm. Finale Outdoor Concert - featuring the best of local, national and international talent. 

Full concession facilities available, free parking $15 per person, children under 12 free. 

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: August 18 - August 19

Flea Market - South Haven

 

 Jun 23—Flea Market—10:00 am–1:00 pm at South Haven Community Hall. For table rental call Wanda 902.304.1743 and leave a message. 

Location: South Haven Community Hall, South Haven

Date: June 23

Kitchenfest

Fiddles and bagpipes, concerts and céilidhs, food and drink, Gaelic language and song, cheering and dancing, informality and hospitality — consider this your official invitation to Cape Breton’s biggest kitchen party!


 



 

Location: Throughout Cape Breton

Date: June 29 - July 7

KitchenFest

More info to come in 2019.

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: June 28 - July 6

St. Ann's Bay Blueberry Festival

Blueberry Festival Schedule of Events:

8:00 am. - 10:30 am.  Breakfast  - Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon
                                                     Tea/Coffee $8.00

10:30 am. - 2:00 pm.    Blueberry Pies, Cheesecakes, Crisps, Muffins, Coffee/tea

11:30 am.  BBQ - Sausage, Hot dogs and fries 

Flea Market tables available - call Debbie at 929-2061. 

Location: St. Ann's Bay United Church, Indian Brook

Date: August 11

Wednesday Night Ceildhs

Wednesday Night Celidhs - 7:30 pm. $10.00 Adults. Join us on Wednesday evening throughout the year for traditional music, song, story and dance on our cozy campus at St. Ann's.

Location: Gaelic College, St. Ann's

Date: April 25 - December 12