Festival events and activities happen in the city park, in the adjacent church, and in other nearby sites in Malad and neighboring Samaria. Click here to see all locations.
Food and Craft Vendors in the park offer food, craft items, art, books, and more.
Activities for children and a playground keep youngsters entertained.
The grand event of the Festival will be the Chairing of the Bard.
The winner of the adult poetry contest will be chaired at the beginning of the Finale Concert on Saturday.
HISTORY & CULTURE EVENTS
Located in the church include poetry readings, youth presentations on the history of Malad, displays on Welsh family history and culture, and see our feature presentations (see HOME PAGE).
Carla Kelly – Presenter
“The Is That Was: The Perils, Peculiarities, and Pleasure of Writing Historical Fiction”
A well-known veteran of the historical romance-writing field, Carla is the author of forty-two novels and three non-fiction works, as well as numerous short stories and articles for various publications.
She is the recipient of two Rita Awards from Romance Writers of America for Best Regency of the Year; two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America; three Whitney Awards; and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
Carla’s interest in historical fiction is a byproduct of her lifelong study of history. She recently revisited the scene of the May 1, 1900, mine disaster near Scofield, Utah, with a second book about Welsh coal miner Owen Davis and teacher Della Anders.
Laraine Miner – Presenter
Laraine Miner, BS/MS is a dance historian who has taught folk dancing, and other dance forms in several universities, including BYU, U of U and UC Berkeley. She has primarily focused on researching the traditional dances of the Mormon Pioneers, publishing Old Time Utah Dances booklet/CD combo and recently Mormon Pioneer Dances, 31 Authentic Dances of the Early Saints, available on Amazon. Laraine has led performing and recreational folk dance groups in the Salt Lake City area, and currently presents the pioneer dances in the yearly A Pioneer Christmas,- a Time to Celebrate at the LDS Church History Museum. She currently lives in Orem UT and co-leads Barn Dances in Provo, UT.
Laraine Miner was born into a family with extensive Mormon pioneer ancestry and strong music and dance traditions. Her love of folk music and dance was augmented by her participation in the BYU International Folkdance Ensemble and their first European tour in 1964. Since then she has been avidly researching, teaching and presenting the traditional folk and social dances of her Mormon pioneer ancestors.
Laraine Miner has written and published several dance-related articles, including “Mormon Folklore” in Viltis, Magazine of Folklore and Folkdance, She presented her Master’s Project “Early Utah Dances” at the 1985 national Congress on Research On Dance conference. In 1995 she co-authored with Michael Hamblin “Old Time Utah Dances,” a self-published book/CD combo, and sold it primarily to schools in Utah for the children to have an enjoyable way of celebrating the Utah Statehood Centennial in 1996, and the Sesquicentennial of the Mormon pioneers in 1997.
Laraine’s hobbies are; weaving pioneer overshot coverlet patterns, family history research, supporting family dances in Provo, and Eagle Mountain, Utah that are perpetuating the pioneer dances featured in her book, Laraine is a member of the Pioneer Heritage Company and participates in their pioneer re=enactments at events across the state of Utah. The Pioneer Heritage Company was started by participants in the 1997 Mormon Pioneer Sesquicentennial Re-enactment Trek. This group also presented the pioneer dances researched and choreographed by Laraine at the LDS Church History and Art Museum every December from 2009 through December 2013 as part of Temple Square Performances.
Lucie Washburn
Lucie Thomas Washburn of Castle Rock, Colorado, earned a M.A. from Utah State University with emphasis on British literature. She has a deep interest in Welsh culture because of her Welsh pioneer roots in Malad, Idaho.
Mrs. Washburn lived three years in the British Isles where she studied Welsh language and history as well as traveling extensively in Wales. She also took Welsh language and culture courses at SUNY-Binghamton.
In 1990, she received the crown for 1st place in the Utah Welsh Poetry and Prose Competition. Two years later, she won the national Welsh Poetry and Prose Competition.
Music Events
MUSIC EVENTS include a Friday evening concert with multiple choirs, daytime performances on the outdoor stage, and youth performances and piano duets indoors.
Who’s playing the Welsh Festival this year? Check our 2018 Music Lineup here
Other History & Culture Activities Include:
Quilt show at the Senior Center
The Oneida County Pioneer Museum
Heritage games in the park
Wagon tours of historic sites
The Olive Osmond cabin
The Blue Goose Saloon in Samaria
