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Irish Kids' Camp Saturday, August 23rd or Sunday, August 24th
Hamburg Fairgrounds Hamburg, NY 14075 |
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Camp will give children between the ages of 8 and 12 the opportunity to experience several aspects of our Irish Culture and then join their families to enjoy the Irish Festival. CAMP INFORMATION Saturday: 9:00AM-2:00PM Sunday 9:00AM- 3:00PM (mass) Lunch, Tee Shirt and Camper's Festival entry included.
WHAT WILL THE CAMPERS BE DOING? TRADITIONAL MUSIC Camper will be given exposure to and instruction in a number of traditional Irish instruments and Irish song GAELIC FOOTBALL & HURLING Come learn the fundamentals of the sports. ARTS & CRAFTS Campers will decorate their camp shirts with their own Celtic design and learn about the Book of Kells IRISH STEP & SET DANCING The children will learn some of the basics of Irish Dance IRISH LANGUAGE Campers will learn about the Gaelic language STORYTELLING Short stories are told, with some background given on storytelling as an artform. |
Name: _____________________________ Age: _____ Address: ___________________________ City: ______________________________ State: ___________ Zip: ______________ E-Mail Address (Required):____________________________________ Parent or Guardian: __________________ Phone: ____________________________ Emergency Contact: __________________________________ Phone: ____________________________ Allergies: __________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Choose Your Preferred Camp Date: ________ Saturday August 23, 2008 or ________ Sunday August 24, 2008 Tuition is $25, payable to "Buffalo Irish Dot Com" Mail check to: Irish Kids' Camp, c/o Katie Cunningham, 3627 Cumberland Lane, Hamburg, New York 14075 Scholarships are available, email us at IrishKidsCamp@aol.com |
From the Buffalo News, By Anne Neville NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 07/30/08 6:46 AM
Along with the traditional music, dancing and food, this year’s Irish Festival will offer a taste of the Emerald Isle for the wee ones. The 27th annual Buffalo Irish Festival will provide a sampling of Irish culture geared toward youngsters ages 8 to 12. The festival’s first “Irish Kids’ Camp” will feature brief sessions on the Irish language, sports such as Gaelic football and hurling, Book-of-Kells-style artwork, storytelling, both step-and set-dancing, genealogy and playing the tin whistle and bodhran, or Irish drum. Youngsters will learn to spell and pronounce their own names in the Irish language and will also learn a bit about Irish history and the Irish emigration to Buffalo.
“These kids will go away with a solid basis from which to better understand future exposure to things Irish, including the rest of their weekend at the Irish Festival,” said Kevin Townsell, festival organizer.
Katie Cunningham, an art teacher in the Buffalo public schools and a certified Irish dancing instructor who is coordinating the camp, said the camp will build on a solid cultural foundation.
“We have very strong Irish culture in Buffalo,” she said, “and there are a lot of opportunities for children to be involved and learn about their culture.”
Townsell agrees that local people with Irish roots “have been fortunate in being able to keep their ‘ould country’ traditions alive.” He listed many cultural opportunities, including Irish pubs that offer folk music weekly, Celtic rock performances at concerts, language and dancing classes, as well as nationally televised PBS specials about such groups as Celtic Women.
And, Townsell said, “Riverdance has given Irish dance step-dance instruction a huge boost, and there are six schools of Irish step-dancing in Buffalo, with almost 1,000 current students and untold graduates high-stepping their way around.”
The organizers hope the camp will also “round out a one-stop group of experts in all things Irish,” Townsell said. The instructors for each day’s 10 25-minute camp sessions will include “a crew of local experts in genealogy, language, history, music, amateur athletics and entertainment, including university professors, high school administrators, professional teachers and dance school volunteers and counselors,” he said.
The camp offers “a wonderful opportunity for the children to get a taste of Irish culture that would not necessarily be available to them,” said Cunningham, although campers do not have to have Irish roots to enjoy the sessions.
“Any child would have a great time at the camp,” she said, adding, “I believe that if we learn more about different cultures, the more well rounded and tolerant we become.”
Preview
The 27th annual Buffalo Irish Festival will take place from 5 to 11 p. m. Aug. 22; from noon to 11 p. m. Aug. 23; and from noon to 9 p. m. Aug. 24 at the Hamburg Fairgrounds.
The Irish Kids Camp, which is limited to 50 students per day, will run from 9 a. m. to 2 p. m. Aug. 23 and 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. Aug. 24, a session that will include Mass. A fee of $25 per student will cover the classes, lunch and a camp T-shirt. Students ages 8 to 12 may register online at www.BuffaloIrish.com.
