The Annual Celtic Festival at Spyglass Ridge Winery

Nestled in the heart of the Susquehanna River Valley Spyglass Ridge Winery- located just on the outskirts of Sunbury, PA, plays host to the largest and longest running Celtic Festival in the central Susquehanna Region. Now in it’s ninth year, the annual Spyglass Ridge Winery Celtic Festival draws in live Celtic bands, a variety of food and craft vendors, local wineries, and a crowd that numbers into the thousands. This year’s event, held on an unseasonably mild August day, featured thirty craft vendors, six Celtic bands, eight Pennsylvania wineries, a meadery and one brewery, in addition to a falconer, Scottish Highland Cattle, and an antique car show.

I have attended this festival for the last four years now- once as a festival attendee and the last three years as a craft vendor. It is, with out a doubt, one of my most favored days of the year. And this year- as we were graced with such mild August weather and so much talent- wine making, music, and craft talent abound- it surely did not disappoint.

The festival opened, as it does every year, with Ullileann Piper Leo Schott and a procession of traditional Scottish Highland bagpipers.

Every year artisans present a variety of work ranging from traditional Celtic themed art to modern jewelry to candles and handmade soaps. There really is something for everyone.

Danville’s Michele K. Zelonis of MZ Glassworks and Design showcased a variety of her fused glass pieces. Above and at left is a collection of her glass fused pendants depicting Celtic knot work motifs. At right, a sushi set and soap dish show off what Zelonis describes as Fossil Vitrae, in which ferns are coated in powdered glass and fired in a kiln to create intricate, fossil-like patterns in the fused glass.

M. Reed Creative Renaissance blends “old world” freeform Celtic knot work, a technique that dates back thousands of years, with a Renaissance-like aesthetic. The result is a rather enigmatic body of work. Beginning at the top and moving clockwise are a handful of pieces from Reed’s Benzatine Collection; a piece from his Morgana Collection which focuses on the legendary Morgana (or Morgan Le Ray), an Arthurian enchantress rooted in early British mythology; and last, more of Reed’s elaborate Celtic knot work.

M Hart Pottery displayed a variety of museum reproductions of ancient artifacts that this husband and wife team create for museum collections through out the world. Here, an army of “sleeping hippos” bask in the August sun. Michael and Mary’s Hippo collection is based off of Egyptian artifacts from the 21st Dynasty, c. 1786, and are fabricated for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I picked up two more hippos for my own personal collection, bringing my total to five! An example of their vibrant stoneware pottery is at right.

In addition to jewelry, glass work and pottery, a variety of accessories where offered as well. Crocheted shawls by Country Vale Designs and the handmade leather handbags pictured above were some of my favorite pieces of the day.

Another favorite of mine was this pair of wine bottle stoppers (above), created by Richard and Georgie Bower of Metal and Glass.

Irish bands, such as The Barley Boys and the all female band Grisa, wowed the audience and really rang in the Celtic spirit of the day. The musicians performed on two stages- one inside the winery’s tasting room and the other outdoors, next to the winery’s pond.

Scottish Highland cattle from Who’s Hill Farm and a falconer were also included in the festivities.

With so much excitement and happenings going on throughout the day, a walk around the pond for a bit of quite reflection was a must.

If you are interested in attending next year’s Celtic Festival keep an eye on Spyglass Ridge Winery’s calendar and be sure to note it on your own. It is an event not to be missed!

Amy Pulliam, a self-taught jewelry artisan and the designer behind Helen Ethel Studio, was raised in the fresh country air and woodlands of central Pennsylvania but later moved to Philadelphia to pursue her studies in Art History. In addition to her work as a jewelry artisan, she is also the research librarian/historian for an historic architectural stained glass window studio in Philadelphia. Discover her Facebook page, etsy shop and blog .