Come to the 18th Malad Valley Welsh Festival –whether or not you are Welsh!  Celebrate the history of Malad Valley and learn about the pioneers who settled this area in the 1860s. The Festival will feature some new events and a lot of favorites.  The Festival is scheduled for Friday, June 28, and Saturday, June 29, with an evening devotional on Sunday,
June 30.

Presentations

Each day of the Festival will begin with an Opening Ceremony, presided over by Blaine Scott, the 2023 Bard of the Festival.  The Knight of the Festival will lead past Bards into the Festival, somewhat reminiscent of the pageantry at the eisteddfod held annually in Wales. Besides Blaine, the past Bards of the Welsh Festival are Jan Crowther Myers, Dotty Thorpe Evanson, Cory Webster, and Monte John.

Lucie Thomas Washburn will introduce the theme of this year’s Festival by speaking about dragons, the symbol of Wales, as seen on their flag, (and the Malad High School mascot). Other presentations will feature local speakers. Blaine and Tera Scott will speak about their month-long trip to Wales last year during which they found ancestors’ homes and villages as well as cathedrals, castles, and scenery.  Luke Waldron will dispel the myth that the Welsh are not known for good food.  After his trip to Wales last year, he came back with recipes for delicious cookies, breads, rarebit, and other goodies.  After the presentation, attendees will be able to sample almost authentic Welsh foods at the “Taste of Wales” booth, sponsored by the Malad High School FCCLA and the Malad Valley Heritage Square. 

Sunday Fireside

The saga of saving the Welsh language after the English took over the country and banned the use of Welsh in the 1400s will be presented by Bob Crowther at the Sunday evening fireside in the 2nd Ward Building. Bob will use three ancient Welsh Bibles to show how important the Welsh Bible was to preserving the language and culture
of Wales.

Welsh Language Class

Welsh language classes will be offered for the first time at the Festival to introduce this difficult language to interested persons.  John Shaw will have a small class area set up in the church building so that people can just drop by to learn a few words of Welsh in the afternoons on both days of the Festival.

Music, Poetry, Art

Music, poetry, literature and art have to be part of any Welsh Festival. Celtic musicians will perform on the outdoor amphitheater at Malad City Park. Harpists and western music instrumentalists will perform on Friday evening. A youth concert and a piano ensemble concert will also be held. The Malad Valley Welsh Men’s Chorus will perform several times during the Festival.

Youth poets will recite their poems at the reading on Friday with winners being crowned at the conclusion of the program. The fiction winner will be named at the Festival’s final program. Adult poets will recite their poems at the Finale of the Festival with one winner being chaired as the Festival Bard and one winner receiving the Patsy Price Scott
Poetry Prize.

Works of art by the winners of the Youth Art Competition will be displayed in the 2nd Ward Church
building. 

Other Activities

The Oneida Quilters will host their annual quilt show at the Co-op building during the Festival. Kids’ activities sponsored by the Malad After-School Program will be on Friday, and pioneer games sponsored by the Malad Middle School MathCounts Team will be on Saturday.  Guided wagon tours along historic routes in Malad are always popular and allow visitors the opportunity to stop in downtown Malad at the Quilt Show, the Oneida Pioneer Museum, and the 142-year-old Malad Presbyterian Church. The Oneida County Library’s Friends of the Library will sponsor a book sale during
the Festival.

Whether or not you have ever been to Wales, you will want to take a “Walk through Wales” in the display area of the Church, where enlarged photo banners will bring Wales to Malad. Family histories of many of Malad Valley’s first pioneer families will be on display so that attendees can determine how many cousins they have with Malad Valley roots.

Lots of food booths be available, selling everything from corn dogs to waffles to ice cream. Authentic Welsh food will be sold at the “Taste of Wales” booth.

Craft booths will sell practical and whimsical items throughout the Festival. The Welsh Country Store will sell souvenirs of Wales and the Welsh
Festival. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the Knight of the Festival.

Additional Information

The Malad Valley Welsh Festival is partially funded by grants from the Idaho Humanities Council and the Bistline Foundation through the Idaho Community Foundation and generous donations from local businesses and organizations. Admission to the Festival is free although some individual events will charge participation fees. Donations are
very welcome.

For the complete schedule and additional information, please see www.welshfestival.com or call Malad City Hall at 208-766-4010.