I was walking through a store in lateOctober when I heard the voice of BingCrosby crooning these words:

“The holly green, the ivy green,The prettiest picture you've ever seen.It's Christmas in KillarneyWith all of the folks at home.

It's nice, ya know, to kiss your beauWhile cuddlin' under the mistletoeAnd Santa Claus, ya know of courseIs one of the boys from home

The door is always open.The neighbors pay you call.And Father John, before he's goneWill bless the house and all…

How grand it feels to click your heelsAnd join in the fun of the jigs and reels.I'm handing you no blarney,The likes you've never known,Is Christmas in KillarneyWith all of the folks at home.”Yes, it is “Christmas in Killarney,” a

song most associated with Bing Crosby,although it has been covered by manyother artists over the decades.

The tune was written by the Americansongwriting team of John Redmond,James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon, andwas copyrighted in 1950. That year bothPercy Faith, with the Shillelagh Singers,and Dennis Day recorded it, with the Faithrendition going to number 28 on Bill-board, and Day’s to number 10 on thesame chart.

The song was then recorded by BingCrosby on October 21, 1951, (ironically,the same date I heard the song 66 yearslater,) and it was then included in the 12-inch LP version of his album, MerryChristmas.

The songwriters had collaborated anumber of times over the years. James Ca-

vanaugh was an American songwriter,born to Irish-American parents. Amonghis best known songs were "The GauchoSerenade" (title track of the soundtrack tothe Gene Autry movie, Gaucho Serenade),and "Mississippi Mud," (1927) made pop-ular by Bing Crosby, and "Crosstown,"(1940) co-written with John Redmond.Not much is known of his early career,except that he worked in vaudeville andwrote his own material.

Frank Weldon was born in Massachu-setts. Not much is known of his earlycareer, except that he worked in vaudevilleand wrote his own material. He alsobecame a popular songwriter for theaterand film, as well as the radio.

Redmond was an American songwriter.He was born John Redmond Lynskey andgrew up in Clinton, Massachusetts in anIrish-American family.

In 1955, Redmond spearheaded theorganization of the Religious Music Guild,along with Father Timothy Flynn, thendirector of radio and television for theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of NewYork. He subsequently devoted most of hisremaining career as a songwriter to creat-ing music for Catholic children. HisReligious Music Guild produced two full-length LPs of these songs: Seven Songs onthe Seven Sacraments and Twelve Songson the Apostles' Creed.

The popularity of both Bing Crosby andthe desire for people to hear Christmasthemed songs in December helped topropel the idea of a Kerry celebrationbeyond its limited seasonal audience.

The first person who had a hit with the song after “Der Bingle” was RubyMurray, the Belfast singer, who was oneof the most popular singers in Ireland andBritain ever. Murray recorded it in 1962and it charted on the British charts thatyear.

Subsequent artists who recorded it wereBobby Vinton in 1964, Joan Morrissey in1974, Anne Murray in 1981, and the IrishRovers in 2002. It has also been performedby the Barra MacNeils, Marc Gunn andThe Four Ramblers. In 2016, Neil

Christmas in Killarney – A Festive Festival Song.........................................................................................................

Volume XLIII, No. 10 • December (Nollaig), 2017

continued on page 5

DECEMBER 7, 2017 • 7:00 PMMILWAUKEE MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Irish Cultural and Heritage Center (2133 W. Wisconsin Avenue)

T T TChristmas Party & Potluck at 6:30 • Please bring a dish to pass.

TMilwaukee Calendar of EventsTFor More Information visit http://shamrockclubwis.com

DECEMBER1 First Friday Ceili Dance; Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W

Wisconsin; 7.30 pm; Music by Frogwater1 Indoor Gaelic Football; Presented by Miltown Gael; Uihlein Field, 70th and

Good Hope; 7.30 pm5 Celtic Thunder; Riverside Theatre; 7.30 pm7 Shamrock Club Christmas Party; ICHC; 6:30 pm9 Tallymoore Christmas Concert; Celtic MKE Center, 1532 N Wauwatosa; 7 pm12 Celtic Women International Book Club; Christmas lunch at the Ambassador

Inn, 2301 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.16 Hallamor Concert - A Holiday Celebration with Kim Robertson and friends;

Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W Wisconsin; 7.30 pm16 Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy present A Celtic Family Christmas;

Sharon Lynne Wilson Center;19805 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield; 8 pm16 Paddy Homan's The Noble Call Christmas Show; With Mick Broderick and

Dave Curley; Schauer Arts Theater, 147 N Rural Street, Hartford; 3 pm

JANUARY4 Shamrock Club Monthly Meeting; ICHC; 7 pm; Dinner at 6:30 pm9 Celtic Women International Book Club; Evil Under the Sun, by Agatha

Christi; Hostess: Sheila Isakson; ICHC; 1 pm

FEBRUARY1 Shamrock Club Monthly Meeting; ICHC; 7 pm; Dinner at 6:30 pm13 Celtic Women International Book Club; Across the River, by Alice Taylor;

Hostess: Rosemary Walsh; ICHC; 1 pm

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ON GOING … Set dancing at the following: Set dancing Wednesdays, 7 PM atO’Donoghue’s T Craobh Curtin Conradh na Gaeilge meeting at O'Donoghue's Pub, 7 PM, last Tuesday each month T Irish Emigration Library in ICHC open every Wednesday 12–6 PM T Irish Sing-a-long, Irish Fest Center, First Sundays, (throughMay) 7 PM T Irish Fest Sing-a-long: O'Donoghue's Pub, second and fourth Sundays, 7-9 PM T Irish Music Sessions at the following: Session - O’Donoghue’s,Sundays 7 PM; Thursdays @ Paddy’s 7 PM; and The Pub in Oconomowoc, 7:30 PMT Thursdays: Barry Dodd; County Clare Inn; 10 PM T Fridays: áthas and Myserk;County Clare Inn; 6 PM T

Sunshine Report..................................Dan and Patti Stotmeister had their

first two grandchildren born recently. Old-est daughter, Sadie, gave birth to AlbertJoseph (“Sep”) on Sept. 19th here inMilwaukee and daughter, Carrie, gavebirth to Leo on Oct. 4th in Los Angeles.Everyone is doing fine.

Denis Donohoe’s daughter, Shannon,gave birth to a little girl, Riley Savannah,on Oct. 31, 2017.Nancy Vose had a total knee replace-

ment on her left leg on October 17th. Sheis home recuperating.Nancy Fardy had knee replacement on

Nov. 21st. Hopefully she will be ready tosing for St. Patrick’s Mass.

Bill O’Boyle died Oct. 18th from mul-tiple myeloma. Bill was president of theShamrock Club in 1978 and Irishman ofthe Year in 1984.

Elder member of the Donovan family,Robert J., died Nov. 8th at the age of 99.Robert leaves behind his wife, Gloria andthree sons, Ken, Philip and Alderman Boband their families.

Barb Tyler, having passed on Nov 2, isbeing mourned by all the Irish communitydue to her many years of involvement inall things Irish. Her funeral was Novem-ber 18, 2017.

Birthdays for November are: Nov. 3,Greg Konkol and Lisa Rott; Nov 4, GailHettrick; Nov. 9, Erin Canon and KatieVoss; Nov. 25, Jean Bills; and Nov 29,Pam Canon. 365 more days of blessingsincluding good health and joy.

If you have Sunshine news, please emailit to: slainte4142-shamrock@yahoo.com.

- Maggie Blaha, Sunshine Chair

Holiday Folk FairRetail Booth..................................

Thanks to all who worked at themarketplace booth at the Holiday FolkFair! Special thinks to the set up and teardown helpers.

- Mary Koehler, Retail Chair

Christmas Party - Nollaig Shona Daoibh!Join us for the Shamrock Club's Christmas Party

Thursday, December 7, 2017Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 6:30 PM

Potluck Dinner - Ham ProvidedFun, Friends, Caroling, and Special Entertainment.

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MilwaukeePresident’s Message..................................Ladies and Gentleman, Celtic Friends All:

Happy Christmas!Nollaig Shona Daoibh!

A belated Happy Thanksgiving! I hopeyour Thanksgiving was a wonder-filledfamily time . . . that Rockwellian picturecomes to mind.

Your Shamrock Club has returned tothe Holiday Folk Fair with three venues. . . Cafe, Retail and Cultural. Thank Youto all for the dedication and hard work youput in to make this effort a success.

May your Holiday Season be blessedwith the friendships we have cultivatedthis past year. Before we sing the chorusline to "Auld Lang Syne," let's not justbring those folks to mind . . . Let us makea call, plan a visit, send a note. Let usREMEMBER them.

Here's an Idea! Bring them your pres-ence. Forget the store-bought gifts. Stopover, make a phone call, connect with thatolder aunt you may not have talked tosince . . . I don't know. I'm sure we allknow someone whose life we couldbrighten.

Our December meeting will featureham for the holidays. Please bring appe-tizers, desserts or a side to share. . Our en-tertainment will be guests from the FredAstaire Dance school, and their instructorswill coach us in the fine points of ballroom dancing.

Ugly sweaters for the party . . . sure!Formal dance attire . . . sure! Dress upparty garb . . . absolutely. I'll be in formalwear.

- Joseph Hughes, President

T T T

Celtic Women International..................................

The CWI Book Club meetings begin at 1:00 pm at the ICHC and include discussion, tea, and treats. New membersand guests are always welcome to join us!

On December 12th we will celebratethe holidays with a festive Christmaslunch at the Ambassador Inn, 2301 W.Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.

Our topic on January 9th will be EvilUnder the Sun, by Agatha Christie, hostedby Sheila Isakson.

Rosemary Walsh will be our hostess onFebruary 13th when we will discussAcross the River, by Alice Taylor.

On March 13th our topic will be TheLake District Murder, by John Bude,hosted by Nancy Vose.

- Rosemary Walshrowalsh@wi.rr.com

Jackie’sCorner Cupboard..................................I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanks-

giving spread we had at the Novembermeeting.

The December meeting is our holidaycelebration. The club will be providing hotham. Please bring a side dish, appetizer ordessert to share. It will be a great eveningwith ballroom dancing from club mem-bers Chris and David Brust and the FredAstaire dance instructors. We will havegreat raffle prizes and will bring back the50/50 raffle.

Please bring non-perishable food itemsto the December meeting. Thank you tothose you brought food for the Novembermeeting. It was gratefully accepted by St.Patrick's church.

Looking ahead to January, I would liketo have an Irish Stew cook off with prizesfor the top three. If you are interested inbringing a stew please let me know. Thanks so much!

- Jackie KonkolSergeant-at-Arms

Rent the ICHC for your next

PartyMeeting

RecitalWedding

Spaces available for large

or small events

Email: director@ichc.net

or call (414) 345-8800

ScholarshipCommittee..................................

The scholarship committee is lookingfor new members. It is a short term com-mitment (now through April). We try toaccomplish most of what we need viaemail with one or two actual meetings.We will be creating a new “scholarshipcategory” which will take a little extrawork.

Contact Mary Moze at mozem@att.netor 414-327-0552 to volunteer or for moredetails.

Irish AmericanHall of Fame..................................

Brian Witt was recently named to theselection committee of the Irish AmericanHall of Fame. It is based in Chicago, at theIrish American Heritage Center. The se-lection committee is made up of promi-nent Irish-Americans from across theUnited States.

Emerald Reflections

Copy Deadline.................................

Membership Chairs

Content for Emerald Reflections is dueon the 15th of the month (next deadline:Dec. 15th to appear in the January issue.)Copy received after that date will not appear due to deadlines. While we try toinclude every submission possible, due tospace limitations, we cannot guarantee thatevery submission will be included imme-diately. E-mail submissions preferred,send to:

Brian Witt, Editoremeraldreflections@shamrockclubwis.com

Pam Canon, PublisherMary Moze, Proofreader

4

DANE COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat McCarthyP.O. Box 70765, Madison 53707-0765

pmmccarthy@charter.net; (608) 277-0394

FOX CITIES . . . . .P.O. Box 1632, Appleton 54912

LA CROSSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Linda O. Pfaff,1702 Jackson St., LaCrosse 54601

LAFAYETTE CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beverly Mulcahy,504 E. Mary, Apt. A, Darlington 54530

MILWAUKEE . . . . Member. Chair Maggie Blaha, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue,

Milwaukee, WI 53233slainte4142-shamrock@yahoo.com; (414)344-0688

NEW DUBLIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Suzi Snyder,313 W. Beacon Ave.., New London 54961

NORTHEAST WISC. . . . . . . . . .Michelle Anderson,P.O. Box 10612, Green Bay 54307

SOUTH CENTRAL . . . . . . . . . Dana Horkan-Gant,610 Vine St., Reedsburg 53959

email: willardana@yahoo.com; (608) 524-6821

E-mail: . . . . . . . . . . club@shamrockclubwis.com

Web site: . . . . . . . . http://shamrockclubwis.com

To become a member of the Shamrock Club ofWisconsin contact the membership chair of thechapter you would like to join. MILWAUKEE ONLY:Family membership (includes both parents and all children under eighteen) - $25.00. Single membership - $20.00. Membership is renewable annually on the anniversary month of the originalmembership. Please send all new and renewal Milwaukee club membership dues to MembershipChair, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee,WI 53233. Be sure to send change of address notification to Membership Chair, also. The postoffice will NOT forward copies of Reflections.

Holiday Harp withKim Robertson & Friends

Friday, Dec.16 at 7:30 pm..................................Internationally acclaimed harpist Kim

Robertson, along with guest artists fromthe Milwaukee Celtic community, willpresent an intimate, warm and joyfulcelebration of a traditional Christmas atthe Irish Cultural and Heritage Center,2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., on Saturday,Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Joining Robertson in the historic Hal-lamór will be well-known musicians BrettLipshutz on Irish flute and whistle andMaria Terres on fiddle. Other specialguests include dancers from the CashelDennehy School of Irish Dance, vocalistRachel Pollock, David Pollock on theGreat Highland bagpipe and small pipes,Celtic harpist Mary Radspinner and a harpensemble from the Irish Fest School ofMusic. Born in Wisconsin, Kim has traveled

with her harp from concert halls to grassroots folk clubs and from luxury cruiseships to remote candlelit mountaintops.She also played herself on an episode ofBeverly Hills 90210. Combining an im-provisational spirit with a passionate senseof tradition, she brings a contemporarytouch to the centuries-old instrument. Apioneer in the American folk harp move-ment, Kim stretches the boundaries of theharp for a new generation.

Tickets for the show are $21 in advance,$25 on concert day, $10 for students with IDand free for ages 12 and younger. To orderonline, visit www.ichc.net. Tickets mayalso be ordered by calling (414) 345-8800.

The annual holiday bake sale will beginat 6:30 p.m. and remain open during theintermission and following the concert

- Kathy Schultz

Irish Cultural & HeritageCenter AnnouncesSpring Concerts..................................

The Irish Cultural and Heritage Center,2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., has announcedits Spring Hallamór Concert Series. Thestart time for each concert is 7:30 p.m.

The season opens with the Scottishband Daimh on Saturday, Feb., 17. Basedaround the Isle of Skye, Daimh (pro-nounced Dive) have been called the cham-pions of “straight-in-the eye Highlandmusic. Taking their name from the Gaelicword for “kinship,” the five membergroup is known for pyrotechnic jigs andreels, along with achingly poignant ballads.

Performing on Saturday, March 31,RUNA enchants audiences by pushing theboundaries of Irish folk music and inter-weaving the exuberant tunes of Irelandand Scotland with the lush harmonies andintoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass,flamenco and blues. Coming from variedmusical and geographical backgrounds,the band members are known as one of themost innovative Irish folk groups. Each player in The Alt, performing on

Saturday, April 21, is a leading light oftoday’s folk music scene and critically ac-claimed for collaborations with a who’swho of the greatest names in Irish music.Although they could be called a “super-group,” at its heart, John Doyle, NualaKennedy and Eamon O’Leary’s trio is acelebration of friendship and song.

Tickets for the Daimh and The Alt con-certs are $21 in advance and $25 on con-cert day. Tickets for RUNA are $24 inadvance and $28 on concert day. Ticketsfor students are $10 with ID and free forchildren 12 and under. To purchase ticketsand for more information, go towww.ichc.net or call (414) 345-8800.

MilwaukeeMembership News..................................We can be very proud of our Club and

people who are friends of our group. Wehad 132 shifts to fill for the Holiday FolkFair on November 17th – Nov 19th in thethree areas of cultural, food and retail.Thanks to all who volunteered! Every oneof you counts when it comes to belonging,participating, and enjoying the cama-raderie of wonderful generous people.One of our volunteers even came homefrom college to do a 3 - 4-hour shift.Some of our members did 4-5 shifts notcounting the organizers of each area.

We had the set-up team and the teardown team. We had the cultural area ledby Jackie Konkol, assisted by Ron Daniel-son who painted the Welcome doors. Thevery challenging area of food was led byKim Nowak, who reached out to manypeople, chaired the cafe. Mary Koehlerled the retail area, for the second time thisyear.We have a few people who remember

to send their dues on time. We hope tofind the secret to notify people more effi-ciently. Those members receiving theEmerald Reflections in the mail will finda note on it containing the date of their re-newal. If any of you choose not to con-tinue your membership, please notify us.As was mentioned previously, we will

be developing a directory of ShamrockClub members for use by only the mem-bers. We will be including everyone whois on the roster, unless you have requestednot to be included. It is very importantthat you respond. If you have a new ad-dress - mail or email, a new phone number- landline or cell phone, PLEASE sharethe information with us so that we can beaccurate.

You may contact me at: slainte4142-shamrock@yahoo.com or callme at 414-344-0688.

- Maggie BlahaMembership Chair

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Diamond sang it on his Acoustic Christ-mas album.

The extended Christmas or holidaymusic season in recent years has put thesong into constant seasonal play, increas-ing the awareness of the song.

So, we have a song written by Irish-Americans, mainly sung by North Ameri-can based acts, in both the United Statesand Canada, and with no real associationwith County Kerry. But there is a newerconnection to the song.

In 2008, the city of Killarney developeda Christmas theme in conjunction with anationwide development for Christmasparades, parties and city lights. And it wasnamed, quite naturally, Christmas inKillarney.

Christmas in Killarney has become thepivotal winter festival in Killarney with amyriad of offerings for the young and old.Killarney is famous for its late-nightChristmas shopping. Whether you cometo Killarney for an overnight stay, diningor a fantastic event in the INEC, they willdeliver a magical experience that youdeserve at Christmas time.

The Christmas parade took place onNovember 25, and other various eventstake place across the entire month ofDecember.

The Killarney Christmas Day Dip is inaid of ‘Aware’ and takes place at DundagBeach, Muckross, Killarney at 11 am. Thisyear the Dip takes on a fancy dress theme,so have your best costumes out at theready.

Christmas in Killarney seems to havegone full circle. Starting its life as a sea-sonal novelty song, it has now become thetheme for a festival in the Ring of Kerry.The wonder of music is endless.

May your Christmas become as cheeryand bouncy as this song, and, if luck, mayyou celebrate it in the Kingdom of Kerry.

Go raibh dochas, siochain agus gra agatgach uile la. Thank you all, and peace andlove on the day.

Nollaig Shona Daoibh.A Merry Christmas to all.

- Brian Witt

continued from page 1 We are also offering up a SimpleChristmas Cake for you, as well.

Simple Christmas CakeIngredients:

• 175g/6oz Butter, at room temperature• 175g/6oz Light Muscovado Sugar• 4 Large Eggs• 225g/8oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour• ½ tsp Mixed Spice• ½ tsp Goodall’s Nutmeg• 275g/10oz Raisins• 275g/10oz Sultanas• 100g Tub Cherries• 100g Tub Mixed Peel• 100g Packet Chopped Almonds• 100g Packet Ground Almonds• Grated Zest of 1 lemon• Grated Zest of 1 orange• 2 tbsp Whiskey

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/gasmark ½. Line a 20cms/8in round or18cm/7in square deep cake tin with adouble layer of baking parchment.2. Beat the butter and sugar together in

a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat inthe eggs with a few spoonfuls of the flour.Sieve in the remaining flour and thespices. Mix well.3. Stir in the raisins, sultanas, cherries,

mixed peel, chopped and ground almonds,lemon zest, orange zest and whiskey untilwell combined.4. Transfer to the prepared tin, smooth-

ing the top with the back of a spoon. Bakefor approx. 3-4 hours until a skewer in-serted into the centre comes out clean(check at regular intervals after 2½ hours).5. Leave to cool completely in the tin.6. When cold, remove from the tin and

wrap in greaseproof paper, then in tin foil.Store in a cool dry place until ready fordecorating.

Donate to the Club..................................The Shamrock Club is a 501 (c) (3)

corporation. If you donate to us, you canwrite this off on your taxes.Donate to our scholarshipfund, our general fund, orto the parade. Thank you!

6

Word of the Month..................................Scriobh (Screeve) - WriteScríobh mé litir do mo mhathair.(Screeve may liteer do moe ma-har)I wrote a letter to my mother.(Obviously not written by Irish sons.)

Advertise in theEmerald Reflections

Contactdpcanon@wi.rr.com for rates

Folk Fair Award..................................The Shamrock Club’s cultural booth

won a People’s Choice award at the 2017Holiday Folk Fair International. Kudos toChairperson, Jackie Konkol, and all of themany volunteers who designed, createdand manned the booth!

Facebook&Social Media..................................If you haven’t seen us on Facebook,

like us! 2195 people have already.www. f a c e b o o k . c om / S h am r o c k -ClubofWisconsin/

You can also find us on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/shamrockclubwis or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/com-pany/shamrock-club-of-wisconsin.

Paddy Homan'sThe Noble Call

at Schauer CenterSunday, Dec. 17 at 3:00 pm..................................

Cork native Paddy Homan's TheNoble Callwill take place on Sunday, De-cember 17 at the Schauer Center for theArts in Hartford at 3 pm.

The Noble Call takes audiences back tothe 'hearth’ of an Irish Christmas, filledwith songs, stories, rousing music and tra-ditional Irish dancing. Everyone gets achance to sing a song or tell a story asfamilies gather together. The Noble Call isthat age-old Irish tradition, in the smallhours of the morning when everyone getsa chance to sing a song or tell a story. ThisNoble Call tradition is very popular atChristmas time in Ireland, as family’sgather together, to welcome home theirsons and daughters from distant shoresand to share in the festivities. And no bet-ter way to do that than through music!

Joining Homan for this special holidayevening is Mick Broderick on bozouki andDave Curley on guitar, banjo and vocals,from the band, SLIDE. With Homan hail-ing from Cork City, Broderick fromDublin and Curley from Galway, the 'ban-ter' and fun is always high! There will bemany special guests and dancers for whatpromises to be an incredible night ofmusic, song and dance.

The Schauer Arts Center is at 147 NorthRural Street, in Hartford, WI.

Irish ChristmasStamps 2017..................................

An Post has released its Christmas2017 stamps. There are three designs,which were released on November 2nd. You can order them online athttp://www.irishstamps.ie

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Thanks to our Shamrock Club Volunteers at the International Holiday Folk Fair!............................................................................................................

EMERALD REFLECTIONSPHOTO OF THE MONTH

An Old Gaelic PrayerMay the Road Rise to meet youMay the wind be always at your backMay the sun shine warm upon your face,

till the rains fall soft upon your fields.And, until we meet again,May God hold you in the palm of His hands.

SHAMROCK CLUB OF WISCONSIN2133 W. Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53233

For Information: http://shamrockclubwis.comor: www.saintpatricksparade.org

Members of the Milwaukee Irish Dance Company represented the Irish at the2017 Holiday Folk Fair International

Photo by Pam Canon