Throngs of people are expected to converge on Historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25-27, for the 22nd annual Celtic Classic. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage. Its six stages of continuous entertainment will feature performances by Albannach, Barley Boys, Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Bua, Burning Bridget Cleary, Fil Campbell, Gaelic Storm (who close out the festival on Sunday), Ontario’s Glengarry Bhoys, Kane & Beatty, Seamus Kennedy, Malinky, McPeake, Timlin & Kane, Town Pants, and Robert Watt & Charlie Zahm. Other musical attractions during the weekend include The Celtic Classic Invitational Pipe Band Competition and fiddle and drum major competitions. Irish and Highland dancers also will take part in the festivities.

The Celtic Classic also features North America’s largest highland games. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships will include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing a 22-pound hammer, and tossing of the caber. Border collie exhibitions, a “Showing of the Tartan” parade, a haggis eating contest, and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap.

All the activity takes place at the festival grounds along the banks of Monocracy Creek and adjacent to downtown Bethlehem’s Main Street shopping area. Hours for the Celtic Classic are 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on one of the most popular events in the northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, visit www.celticfest.org.

Editor’s Note: Burning Bridget Cleary certainly captured my attention when I heard them for the first time during a Celtic showcase that was a highlight of this summer’s Philadelphia Folk Festival. I was thoroughly impressed with the fine fiddling, singing, energy and spirit of Rose Baldino and Genna Gillespie. The two teenagers met five years ago at Irish music sessions in Bethlehem and both have been first-place winners in the Celtic Classic fiddle competitions. In Burning Bridget Cleary – named for the young woman remembered as the last witch burned in Ireland — they are joined by Rose’s father Lou, who ably backs them on guitar and vocals. Music also is in Genna’s genes; her parents are founding members of Blackwater, a five-piece band that also plays the Celtic Classic.