Celebrate Celtic heritage at the 19th annual Cheyenne Celtic Festival

A rich Celtic culture runs seemingly unnoticed through Wyoming, but Ryan Seckman is making strides to change that with the 19th annual Cheyenne Celtic Festival and Highland Games.

The festival, which will take place June 8-9 on the Dunbar Softball Field at Lions Park, will feature nine Scottish Highland Games, the clan row, vendors, beer, traditional Celtic food, Celtic music and Celtic breed dogs. Admission to the festival and the Highland Games is free and open to the public, and the festival will begin at 10 a.m. both days.

The festival was held at the historic Cheyenne Depot downtown for the first 13 years, said Seckman. It featured music, clans and vendors.

Before becoming the organizer of the festival, Seckman was involved in Highland Games for 20 years. He lived in Cheyenne until 1993, when, at age 21, he moved to Arizona. During a visit to his parents in Cheyenne, he discovered the festival at the depot for the first time, he said.

Eventually, Seckman moved back to Cheyenne and wanted to get involved in the festival. He decided to add the Highland Games to it, causing the festival to be moved from the depot to Lions Park. The festival has been held at the park for six years, and it’s his love for the Scottish Highland Games that inspire him to put together the festival every year.

“For me, it was initially about the love of the sport,” Seckman said. “What I came to find out was that it became much more about the relationships and learning about the culture. It can be stressful at times, and competing is difficult.”

Sixty-five athletes will compete individually in the Highland Games over the two-day festival, Seckman said. There are three different classes — beginner, intermediate and advanced — and they will rotate through nine different events from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Some of the events include the sheaf toss, caber toss, Scottish hammers and weights for distance.

Down the middle of the softball field will be the clan row. Seckman said this is a row of about 10 or 12 tents where different Scottish clan members will represent their heritage and provide information about where their clans are from, and the history of their castles and battles.

Seckman is Scottish, and his family lineage goes back to Clan Malcolm. He said there is an interesting connection between the Celtic heritage and Wyoming that many people — himself included — did not know about.

There is a statue of Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet, on Pioneer Avenue. The Burns Monument was created by Scottish sculptor Henry S. Gamely and donated to the city by Mary Gilchrist, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland. There’s also a well-documented history of all the fur trading that went on in the West by people from Celtic descent, Seckman said.

“Almost no matter where you live, there is a connection to different heritages and people groups,” Seckman said. “And I think it’s important for people to see what those contributions are and see how they apply to their life.”

The festival will also include about 15 vendors. Seckman said he tries to keep the vendors at 51% Celtic and 49% local. The Celtic vendors will sell Celtic jewelry, kilts, walking sticks and more.

Three different bands will perform on the Chronicles Entertainment Stage during the festival. The bands are Piscin & Luch, Once Upon A Tune and Three Drink Minimum. The Reed School of Irish Dance from Fort Collins will also be performing. The four acts will all play both days of the festival, alternating times.

The event will also feature several Celtic dogs. The dogs are either locally owned or provided by a regional group that helps coordinate the breeds at the festival. Seckman said the dogs are not available for adoption, but will be there to provide education on just how many Celtic dog breeds there are and what they were historically used for.

With a typical turnout of 300 to 500 people, depending on the day, Seckman said his main goal in organizing the festival is for people to learn about the Celtic legacy.

“If I could have people walk away with something,” Seckman said, “it would just be an appreciation for the culture and heritage that people have invested so much time and effort into.”