For those who wish to meet up with me while I am in Cape Breton, these are my current plans, based on what I know at this point; I will make updates as more information about other events becomes available (e.g., there are several missing days and one TBA item in the Shoe’s schedule as of this date). If the weather is going to be poor during the week preceding the festival, I will delay leaving New Jersey, but will in any case arrive on 8 October at the latest; in that event, I will stay a week beyond the festival if the weather should then prove coöperative. I have tickets to all of the festival events shown in the schedule below and expect to attend all of them. Once I am on the road and unable to update the web site, I may still alter my schedule as circumstances dictate.
The time given for an event is normally its scheduled time, but a time in red is when I plan on being at the event and not the time of the event itself: on days with a crowded schedule, I may have to leave early or arrive late.
The days shown as “roaming/hiking” are very much weather-dependent; I do not know at this point where I will be, though, if the weather allows, it will most likely be in the northern and eastern parts of Cape Breton. My return date, which I currently show as 21 October, will be later if the weather is reasonable for photography.
From 8-18 October, I will be staying at the Mabou River Inn; you can leave a message for me there.
Many thanks to Mike Little for his fine events listings at the cbchoices web site, which greatly assists in preparing a trip schedule such as this.
| Date | Time | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||
|
Thursday 1 October |
5h-15h | on the road | Drive to Bangor, Maine |
|
Friday 2 October |
6h-16h | on the road | Drive to Cape Breton |
|
Saturday 3 October |
14h-17h | Antigonish |
Cèilidh at the Piper’s Pub with Kinnon and Betty Lou Beaton |
| 22h-1h | West Mabou | Square Dance with Tim Chaisson, Kevin Chaisson, and Brent Chaisson | |
| Week 2 | |||
|
Sunday 4 October |
15h-18h45 | Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique | Cèilidh with Tim Chaisson, Kevin Chaisson, and Brent Chaisson |
|
Monday 5 October |
all day | unknown | roaming/hiking |
|
Tuesday 6 October |
all day | unknown | roaming/hiking |
|
Wednesday 7 October |
morning | unknown | roaming/hiking |
| 15h-19h | Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique | Cèilidh with Troy MacGillivray | |
|
Thursday 8 October |
all day | unknown | roaming/hiking |
|
Friday 9 October |
19h30-22h | Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre |
Island to Island: Cape Breton—Ireland Musical Bridge |
|
Saturday 10 October |
14h-17h | St. Matthew’s United Church in Inverness | Sandy MacIntyre’s Trip to Toronto |
| 19h30-22h | Wagmatcook Cultural Centre | From Coast to Coast | |
| 23h30-1h | West Mabou | Square Dance with Troy MacGillivray, Allan Dewar, and Shane Cook | |
| Week 3 | |||
|
Sunday 11 October |
11h-12h30 | Mabou Parish Hall | Annual Thanksgiving dinner |
| 14h-17h | Gaelic College in St. Anns | The Cape Breton Fiddlers | |
| 19h-22h | Whycocomagh Education Centre | All in the Family | |
| 22h30-1h | Glencoe Mills Parish Hall | Square Dance | |
|
Monday 12 October Thanksgiving Day |
19h30-22h | Judique Community Centre | The Hand that Rocks the Bow |
| 22h30-1h | Brook Village | Square Dance | |
|
Tuesday 13 October |
13h-15h | Lobsters R Us in L’Ardoise | Sounds by the Sea |
| 19h30-22h | Strathspey Place in Mabou | Close to the Floor: Steps across the Pond | |
| 22h30-1h | Red Shoe Pub in Mabou | Cèilidh with Marc Boudreau | |
|
Wednesday 14 October |
19h30-22h | Strathspey Place in Mabou | Mentors and Musical Minds |
| 22h30-1h | Red Shoe Pub in Mabou | Cèilidh with Troy MacGillivray | |
|
Thursday 15 October |
19h30-22h | Cape Breton Highlands Academy in Terre Noire | Angus Chisholm Tribute |
| 22h45-1h | Glencoe Mills Parish Hall | Square Dance with Troy MacGillivray | |
|
Friday 16 October |
19h30-22h | Inverness Academy | Return to Ireland: Tilleadh gu Eirinn |
| 22h30-1h | Southwest Margaree | Square Dance with Glenn Graham and Dawn and Margie Beaton | |
|
Saturday 17 October |
14h-17h | Gaelic College at St. Anns | Pipers’ Cèilidh |
| 19h30-22h | Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion in Sydney |
Master Cape Breton Fiddler: A Tribute to Jerry Holland |
|
| Week 4 | |||
|
Sunday 18 October |
15h-19h | Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique | Cèilidh with Howie MacDonald |
| 20h-23h | Judique Community Centre |
2009 Buddy MacMaster School of Fiddling Grand Finale Concert featuring Colin Grant, Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, Glenn Graham, Mairi Rankin, Gabrielle MacLellan, Allan Dewar, J.P. Cormier,Howie MacDonald and more to be announced… |
|
|
Monday 19 October |
all day | on the road | Drive to Augusta, Maine |
|
Tuesday 20 October |
6h-15h | on the road | Drive to Jackson |