Painesville, Ohio

ClanDonnell was the feature at the Ohio Celtic Festival, June 27, 28, and 29, 2014. Three days of Irish music, dance, merchandise, and storytelling!!!

The festival was at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville Township. The ‘Lake’ in ‘Lake County’ refers to the smallest of the Great Lakes – Lake Erie.

We had a great time at the Ohio. We told many a Irish story, met some great people, and sold a few books.

Most of our stories were told at the children’s tent, billed as “Irish Story Time with David McDonnell”. The kids enjoyed the tales, as did the parents and grandparents in attendance. We were scheduled to close out the children’s tent on Sunday at 5:00 pm. We started our first story when the festival was hit by torrential rains, horrendous winds, and lightning and thunder. The wind blew over everything inside the tent, and the audience ran for safety.

A disappointing end to an otherwise wonderful festival.

ClanDonnell’s appearance at the festival is on the calendar of CantonRep.com, under the caption “Irish Story Time for Children”.

We met many genuine characters. By far, the most interesting was Big Jim The Clown. We only knew that he was a clown because he told us so – it was his day off and he attended the festival in street clothes. It was the first time I’ve ever met a clown out of uniform.

Big Jim is, he says, in the clown hall of fame. His calling card says he is a member of the International Association of Family Entertainment Professionals. I believe him.