BennyEast.Com/Blog The official blog of Kenny West

27Sep/150

Celtic Classic

Yesterday I went up to the Celtic Classic Festival up in Bethlehem.

 

 

Celtic Classic! #ClassicallyCeltic There's a sign so that makes the festival official.

A photo posted by Kenny (@kennywest82) on

 

 

I really liked it.  I'd never been to this specific festival previously even though it's been a thing now for quite some time.  Actually, they apparently are big on festivals up there in the little town o' Bethlehem.  There's an Oktoberfest coming up next month.  I may or may not attend.  We'll see what my prior plans are and how the weather is. The way up there started out not so great... As I was driving north on 476 I rounded a bend and noticed a bit of smoke in the air.  It wasn't smoke, but dirt from the embankment.  Then I saw a couple of cars already pulled off to the side.  Then I saw an SUV turned around 180 degrees in the left lane in very bad shape.  Pieces of the car were strewn about the road.  The couple in the car had already started to try and climb out of the car, stunned, in disbelief.  

I parked my car and threw on the flashers.  Then got out and ran towards them pulling out my phone to call 911.  My instinct was to make the victims of the crash the number one priority and make their safety and well being of utmost importance.  I asked if anyone had called yet and one person waved and pointed to their ear, they were on the phone currently.  A couple cars came up behind us and we waved them to slow down/stop pointing to the accident. We then ran towards the couple that were making their way to the side of the road with the help of someone who had reached them first.  Another person brought over a bottle of water.  I didn't agree with this, if the person needed emergency surgery, having ANYTHING in their stomach can make things worse.  I didn't fight it.  Water would be absorbed in the stomach fairly quickly and she only took a few sips anyway.  But if you are helping an accident victim don't give them any food or drink until a medical professional OKs it.  It may seem mean, but if they have to go straight to surgery, having any food or drink contents in the stomach is bad.  Especially don't give them any kind of pills.  Just wait for the EMTs to arrive.

We inquired if anyone had any sort of medical training... no one seemed to directly but a few of us knew people that did.  The husband was walking around but had a pretty bad gash on his lip from the airbag deployment, I presumed.  The wife had pain in her hip. I mentioned that it's best for both of them to sit tight (I didn't mention, as not to worry them, that they could have had injuries that they aren't aware of yet and any sort of further movement could make it worse).  Shock can block pain, or inflammation from damaged tissue doesn't always happen upon the initial impact of the injury.  It's always best to just stay still and calm and wait until medical professionals arrive, unless there's an immediate or greater threat such as the car possibly catching fire or exploding.  

It didn't appear that this was the case. In most accidents moving the victim isn't advised.  

Here's a great 10 things to do if you witness an accent: http://jalopnik.com/ten-things-to-do-when-you-see-a-car-crash-506699111

I feel like our little makeshift accident team of a dozen or so people really did most of these.  I can't speak for the others but I definitely had a beer when I got to Celtic Fest. Someone ran back to their truck and brought some tools to disconnect the car battery as a precaution.  A few of us stayed with the victims to comfort them and assure them everything would be ok.  Some people started to clear the debris from the roadway to open up one lane in order for the traffic to start moving the distance sirens of the emergency vehicles to get through. We also helped piece together some witness information for when the police arrived.  A green 4 door sedan, that had passed several of us driving very fast, ended up cutting off the SUV causing it to lose control.  The car didn't stop.  At least as far as we could tell on the scene it had left.  We found the car upon leaving the accident a half mile up the road pulled over on the shoulder.  The driver wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but a few people were waiting with that driver until police could arrive.

I decided to continue on to Celtic Fest since I wasn't of any additional help.  Sometimes the best help you can be is just to keep clear if you can't be of any further help. A lot of accidents have actually been made worse due to onlookers hindering the ability of the emergency workers to do their jobs effectively.  If it looks like the situation is already under control and you can't be of any help... Back away and leave the situation.  Everyone is curious when an accident happens... but sometimes it's best to just go about your way and let people assigned to that task do their job effectively.

I arrived at the parking garage and paid my 10 bucks all day parking fee. The first thing I did was grab that beer.  And relax.  I met up with a friend of mine and was introduced to more people.  We walked around as a small group finding the highland games.  I sipped on my beer and watched as very muscular men tossed large logs attempting to get these 200 pound telephone pole objects to topple one end over another. A few were successful.  Most were not.  There was a lot of 'oohing and aahhhing'.

After this interesting display of might we decided to walk onwards to browse the various wares that the vendors had for sale in tents surrounding the field games.  While they had all kinds of crazy things for sale, kilts and swords and funky hats...This was my favorite item...            

 

 


I just liked the pun.  Rocks, on the rocks.  Some of these items though, I have to wonder how many houses have attics/garages/basements filled with stuff bought at these kinds of events that never get used.

I finished my beer and the group headed up the hill away from all the tents and the highland games field place to the main street.  Now, if I backup a moment, I have to explain that in order to buy beer or food, you have to buy tickets.

I bought 20 dollars in tickets thinking that other people in the group might want a beer, or that we'd be there for a while.  After about 45 minutes everyone was ready to head back up the hill.  It wasn't long before there was talk of turning it in.  A little over an hour into the day and it was about to be me, myself and I.  That was about when I finished my beer.  Now the problem was that the tents up the hill only took cash.  So if you wanted to use your tickets, you had to trek all the way back across a river, around some bends, under and over a troll bridge...

And all this in some pretty packed crowds.  I made an executive decision to brave the wild packs of screaming babies in strollers and kids on parents' backs to use my remaining tickets.  I stood in line for a beer.  This took me from 15 tickets to 10.  Awesome, now all I had to do was use my remaining 10 tickets on a food item.  Then I'd run back up the hill to join my friends until they decided to leave for the day.

I surveyed the plethora of plain text signs stating what meals they served at which station.  There, in the distance, a turkey leg, on a stick.  Suddenly a man with a baby strapped to his back passed by me devouring one of these seven wonders of the world monstrosities.  It was bigger than his head and the kid's head combined!  I received text from my friend that they were waiting for my return... Like Bilbo Baggins returning from his ring quest... kind of... not really.  You get the idea.

I made another executive decision and got in line.  I waited... and waited.  Finally when I reached the turkey leg station they stated they were out.  What now... I failed to use my tickets exactly.  I failed at my quest!  Nooooooo.

The festival had won.

Then, I saw a small sign stating that bottled water was 3 tickets.  Wait, I thought, I need water!  I'm on my second beer already and drinking water is always a responsible course of actions when consuming alcoholic beverages.  I then asked what they had for 7 tickets.  The girl, that obviously did not want to be there another moment replied in an unenthusiastic voice they had a lamb burger with or without sautéed onions for 7 tickets.  I ordered it without onions to avoid a small onion on my shirt catastrophe that was bound to occur when attempting to juggle a bottle of water, a beer, and a lamb burger...

The lady behind me in line stepped in, she wouldn't allow me to disgrace a lamb burger in such way.

"You have to get onions!  Have you ever had a lamb burger?"
"No... I can't say I have."
"Get the onions.  I'm not letting you order it without them."  She signaled the girl behind the table under the tent and explained that I had no idea what I was talking about by ordering without onions.

The catastrophe waiting to happen arrived dripping slightly, and wrapped in aluminum foil.  The unenthused teenage girl forced to wait on demanding Celtic Fest goers for minimum wage tossed the bottle of water in my direction as well.

Somehow I returned from my quest without my shirt succumbing to dripping sautéed onion syndrome.

Some of the friends of my friend had already left as they needed to tend to a dog, or something like that.  So it was just my friend and I.  We walked up the street when she said that she needed to get going as well.  Since I'd just had a beer I needed to walk around for a while before driving.  I found another place that supplied water, this time for cash.  I also found a place that sold ice cream.  Yum.  It was the Penn State Creamery place... I'd never had Penn State ice cream before.  It was quite delicious if I do say so myself!  I walked up and down the main street waiting for the buzz to wear off.  I found an interesting sign outside of a bar...

 

 


I decided to have some coffee after watching a celtic band play.  I also decided that I'd experienced enough of this Celtic/Bethlehem event for one afternoon/evening.  Finally I made my way home.  Instead of taking the Turnpike, I opted to take 309.  I stopped halfway for a bathroom break at Wawa.

Well, that concludes my Celtic Fest experience.  Tonight I'm hanging out at Bahama Breeze having a margarita and mojito... I just devoured a delicious mahi and shrimp rice bowl something or other.  I'm about to head over to watch a movie...  Since I'm playing it by ear it looks like the movie that I'll be seeing will be...

Drumroll please...

 

 

Hotel Transylvania 2.  I saw the first one a few years ago on a second OKCupid date... I thought it was a really funny/cute movie... So I'm excited to see the second one.  Margarita and movie date for one? Check.

 

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