St. Patrick's

Day is less than two weeks away and Offshoot Productions is getting into

the spirit of things with a three-day festival filled with Celtic music,

Irish dancing, good cheer and more.

The festival

starts tomorrow with Emerald Rose and Susan Hickey. Nine-Fingered Liam

and Barney's Goat will take the stage Friday, alongside storyteller Nancy

Riggs and dancers from the Drake School of Irish Dancing. The festival

concludes Saturday night with performances from Three-Quarter Ale, The

Lost Boys, Irish dancers and Shimmer.

Emerald Rose

has delighted audiences at previous Offshoot coffee house performances.

They have recently completed a tour of the Northeast and following the

Offshoot show will perform for the cast and crew of "The Lord of

the Rings: The Two Towers" at a post-Academy Awards party. Emerald

Rose is a high energy Celtic folk rock band that blends harmony vocals,

pennywhistle, world percussion and driving guitars and bass. Their music

ranges from traditional jigs and reels to original folk rock and pop songs.

The band often draws from Celtic myth and legend to create their unique

sound.

Susan Hickey

is another familiar face from the Offshoot coffee houses. She has toured

extensively for the past 10 years and also incorporates stories in her

eprformance. She has also performed with The Chieftains, one of the most

famous Irish bands in the world.

Nine-Fingered

Liam is an Atlanta based band whose members play a number of instruments,

ranging from the mandolin and fiddle to the bagpipes and the bodrhan.

Barney's Goat has performed on the southside before and energizes audiences

with their upbeat performances and good humor. Add the storytelling from

nancy Riggs and the dancing performances from the students of Drake School

of Irish Dancing and you have a full night of Celtic-themed entertainment.

On the final

night of the festival, two popular acts from the Georgia Renaissance Festival

will take the stage. Three-Quarter Ale offers audiences a combination

of folk with madrigals. The three-piece band has a delightful sense of

humor and leaves audiences with a smile. The Lost Boys offer something

similar but are nothing if not unique. Their folksy tunes are often very

funny as well and their performance is very high energy. Shimmer is a

two woman group performing all original songs and the Irish dancers from

the Drake School are back for the final night.

The St. Patrick's

Day Festival will take place at the Fayette Family YMCA on Huiet Rd. off

of Ga. Highway 54 between Peachtree City and Fayetteville. Advance tickets

are on sale now at the Peachtree City and Fayette County Public Libraries

for $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children. Tickets at

the door will be $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and children. The doors

will open at 7:45 each evening and the show will start at 8:15 p.m. There

will be a selection of hot beverages and homemade desserts. patrons are

encouraged to bring ther own mygs from home and are then eligible for

the "Most Unusual Mug" award.

For additional

information regarding the St. Patrick's Day Festival, phone the Offshoot

Productions office at 770-631-2362 or e-mail them at [email protected].

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