Memphis Scottish Society Ceilidh

Held on Saturday night, April 14, 2007, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church
2000 North Germantown Parkway
Cordova, TN 38016

Ceilidh 2007 Highlights

Sue Malone & Sammy arrived at 5:00 pm and began setting up. Debbie Sellmansberger and son Rob joined them after a few minutes, and we finished putting table cloths on the tables for the food and the drinks. Next, we set each dining table with menus for the evening’s entertainment, a song sheet of sing-a-long songs, and a few flowers from Debbie and Sue. Then, we just had to wait on people to come in.

The food brought was ample and tasty. Thanks to all who contributed to our meal. We started eating just a few minutes after 6:00 and were pretty much through by 6:35.

At 6:35 we had the Pledge of Allegiance led by Dick Bevier and then a blessing from Monty Payne. At this point the waiters and waitresses (who were also the evening’s featured entertainers) were introduced, and they commenced to selling “appetizers” (short entertainments like riddles, limericks, songs, & jokes) and to taking the orders from the entertainment menus at the dining tables. The theory was that whoever of the wait staff “sold” the most entertainment would perform first, the next, second, so forth, but after clear frontrunners Geoffrey and Elaine Meece, all the rest made up a second place just too close to call, so we decided to just have them perform in the order in which they appeared on the menu. This proved expeditious and nobody complained, always a good sign.

The entertainment began just after 7:00. Bud Hisky packed all of the boyhood charm he could muster in his rendition of “Nelly May” which placed everybody in a good spirit. Then Sammy led everyone in the singing of “Rothesay-O”. We may as well just say, though, that Bill Crump about stole the show with his powerful and poignant sharing of his son-in-law’s story, ending with the 1860s song “Angel Band”. Emily Smith found a dance called “Three’s the Charm” which demonstrated the dancing skills of herself and of John & Kathy Schultz.

Those in attendance were complimentary of the evening in general and also of the other varieties of entertainment offered: poets – Monty and Geoffrey; storyteller, Mary Ann Lucas; actors – John & Kathy; singers – Elaine, the Caledonia Chorale, and myself (though Bill also performed a Scottish agricultural ballad with improvisations from John as an elephant, Emily as a slinky snake and George Malone as a springy kangaroo - some strange animals down on Old McDonald’s farm); musicians – George, Debbie, Marty Wooley, and Melissa Gibson; dancers – some really good sports from the crowd.

Mary Ann nearly killed us all by trying to teach us ceilidh dances with her instructions of “clockwise” and “counterclockwise” – whatever happened to “Right, Right, Gimme a Right, Left, Right”? Ask Dick & the other SAMS members: Sammy bets they know.

Anyway, the so-called ceilidh dancers had a good time trying to dance. And didn’t we have a dramatic ending to the evening when the lights went out!

Thanks also to Debbie for serving as Hostess; Mary Ann, Aide-de-Camp; Sue, Facilities Liaison with St. Luke’s Lutheran, whom we also thank for the use of their fellowship hall; Tom Lewis, Chancellor of the Exchequer; Ken Noe and Charles Stuart for help with the set up and break down, along with a few others, including virtually all of the men that were there; Lindsey Miles, Houston Brown, and Lottie & Ellis Rich for being the token kids that were dragged there screaming, but managed to have a good time regardless..

[If you have pictures from this year's Ceilidh, please post them in the Member Gallery...]