Upcoming Events
Check start times for each event as they are not the same!
Bara Brith
December 1
Welsh fruit bread. Bring your favorite recipe and taste-test our traditional bread. Read More »
Register 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm ($12)
Tudor Oaks, S77 W12929 McShane Dr., Muskego, WI
Krampusnacht
December 5
In Alpine lore, December 5 is a night that children are visited by kindly Saint Nick and his dark companion, Krampus the Christmas demon. The good are rewarded, the bad are punished, and then we return you to your regularly scheduled Christmas season. This year’s Krampusnacht promises to be bigger and better than last year’s sold out event, a fun evening of local music, craft vendors, food and drink, activities, and a Krampus Parade! The Welsh Club of the Milwaukee Area will be part of the fun, so come visit us at our table!
5-11 pm, Bavarian Bierhaus, 700 W. Lexington Blvd, Glendale, WI
Past Events
Holiday Folk Fair International
November 16-18
Volunteer to work at this important multi-cultural event. Read More »
Wisconsin State Fair Park, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis, WI
Show and Tell
October 6
Bring a piece of Welsh history and share its meaning with the group. Read More »
Register 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm ($12)
Three Pillars, 410 North Main St., Dousman, WI
Highland Games
September 1-2
Help at the booth at this busy Celtic event. Read More »
Waukesha Expo Center, 1000 Northview Road, Waukesha, WI
Summer Picnic and Games
August 25
Bring your own picnic and enjoy some outdoor summer socializing. Read More »
Naga-Waukee Park, 651 Hwy. 83, Pavilion #4, Hartland, WI ($5)
Milwaukee Gymanfa Ganu
July 15
Gymanfa Ganu at 2:30 pm followed by Tê Bach (Welsh Teatime). Read More »
Christ United Methodist Church, 5200 S. 48th St., Greenfield, WI
Claire Bilicki (Soprano)
June 2
The 2017 Welsh Club Scholarship Recipient performs.
Lunch 12:30 pm ($12), Program 1:30 pm
Milwaukee Catholic Home, 2462 N., Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI
Genealogy 101: Tracing Your Welsh Roots
April 7
Learn how to research your family tree. Read More »
Register 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm ($12)
Milwaukee Catholic Home, 2462 N. Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI
St David’s Day Luncheon
March 4
Celebrate Wales and Welsh culture with a banquet and entertainment. Read More »
Social 11:30 am, Welcome 12:30 pm, Lunch 1:00 pm ($25)
Panos Banquet Center, 20290 W. Blue Mound Rd., Brookfield, WI
View Photos
Looking Back at the Welsh Club in the 1970s
February 8
This meeting will also include the annual memorial service. Read More »
Register 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm ($12)
Tudor Oaks, S77 W12929 McShane Dr., Muskego, WI
Event Details
Milwaukee Gymanfa Ganu
July 15, 2018 at 2:30 pm
Christ United Methodist Church
5200 S 48th St. Greenfield, WI
Join us for this festival of songs (pronounced ga-MANH-va GAH-nee) that expresses the soul of the Cymry (Welsh people) through the medium they love best—human voices blended in beautiful four-part harmony.
A joint effort between the Welsh Club and the Welsh Gymanfa Ganu Association of Wisconsin (WGGAW), cymanfoedd canu (plural form) are held at various locations in Wisconsin monthly from May to November. Singing is in both English and Cymraeg (Welsh).
This new tradition started in Milwaukee in July 2017, when Music Director Trefor Williams and Organist Steven Jensen brought together a capacity crowd of singers for the first annual Milwaukee Gymanfa Ganu. Going forward from 2018, the Welsh Club will organize the event.
Bring friends and a good singing voice! Enjoy the hwyl (fun and goodwill)! A Welsh tea-time follows the singing. Free-will offering.
Summer Picnic
August 25, 2018 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Naga-Waukee Park
651 Hwy 83, Pavilion #4
Hartland, WI
The Picnic yr Hâf (Summer Picnic) is the start of a new tradition for Club members and friends of the Welsh. This year, we are going to visit our Welsh heartland in Waukesha County and enjoy the conveniently located Naga-Waukee Park. We will meet in Pavilion #4, which has a covered roof, picnic tables, a grill, and restrooms.
The park is easy to find on the west side of Hwy 83 north of Interstate 94. Waukesha Country residents who have a park pass get in for free; otherwise there is a $5.00 per-car entrance fee.
So pack a picnic lunch or food for grilling, bring the family, and join in! There will be games and fun for all ages. DESSERT IS PROVIDED!
Wisconsin Highland Games
Friday, August 31 – Sunday, September 2
Waukesha Expo Center, Waukesha
Friday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Pub Tent open until 10:00 pm)
Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Pub Tent open until 9:00 pm)
www.wisconsinscottish.org
The skirl of the pipes…the mighty strength of the athletes…the leaping grace of the dancers… the Wisconsin Highland Games are back, Labor Day weekend in Waukesha!
More than just Scotland, the Wisconsin Highland Games celebrate all the cultures of the Celtic nations of the British Isles—Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, and more. It’s a weekend of affordable fun for the entire family, with a convenient location right near the interstate, plenty of easy parking, and kids 12 and under get in free.
Explore your family history, hurl a battle axe, check out the kilts, play with the dogs, or have a pint with some authentic Celtic music.
Due to the generous amount of space, the Welsh Club sets up a display that attracts younger visitors. Games and education are the theme with the Welsh dragon playing a prominent role, along with the ever-popular “Who’s Welsh?” and one of our member’s love-spoon carvings.
Show And Tell
Saturday, October 6
Register at 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm
Three Pillars, Dousman
Do you have an item that represents to you a special tie to Wales? Why not bring it to this program and share its importance or significance with the group. We should all be able to learn more about our “Welshness” but in addition, learn more about some attendees who might be “familiar strangers” to you.
2018 Holiday Folk Fair International
Friday, November 16 – Sunday, November 18
Wisconsin State Fair Park, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis, WI
For many years, the Welsh Club has participated in this event, held on the weekend before Thanksgiving. This is a well-attended, multi-cultural event that draws school students, families, scouting, and other groups.
This year, our booth was combined with The Cornish Society of Greater Milwaukee. This year’s theme was “Celebrate!”
We had a colorful booth display with the outside of a Welsh cottage and the Celtic cross, both the creations of Joe Whitmore. Our backdrop was a hand-painted Welsh countryside. Many thanks to Joe and Alice Whitmore and their family for continuing to chair this event each year and set up the booth for all to enjoy. Visitors to the booth asked great questions about our Celtic groups, and some found their roots on the maps we displayed. On Friday, we entertained many school children who came by to have their passports stamped with the Welsh and Cornish words for “celebrate.” A surprising number actually knew where Wales was!
Over the weekend, we visited with families who had more time to spend telling us about their travels to Wales, or asking about the language and culture.
This is always a great event – a wonderful opportunity to teach others about our cultures. And those of us who participate always learn a lot from our visitors.
Left to right: Beryl Sekaran, Sue Stealey, Ann Lemmenes and Eddie Ratajczyk
Bara Brith
Saturday, December 1
Register at 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm
Tudor Oaks, S77 W12929 McShane Dr., Muskego, WI
Welsh cakes and bara brith are proud parts of our ancestry. Although Welsh cakes are fairly standard, bara brith (literally, “speckled bread”) is not. What do we know about this special bread? Do you have a family recipe? How many versions do we have in our Club alone?
Please bring loaves of your rendition—enough bara brith for 50 samples, please. If you are able, bring 30 copies of your recipe to share with the group. A blind “taste test” vote will determine whose bara brith is the best!
Looking Back to the Seventies
Saturday, February 3
Enjoy a look back at the Club’s history in the 1970’s. A few members who were part of the Club in the 70s will share some of their memories. This is also a great opportunity to inspect a decade of Club memorabilia. Even if you weren’t around then, you might be surprised how many names you recognize and how those people looked in the 70s. You will also have the opportunity to learn about our proud heritage. Come early to give yourself lots of time to look at all the pictures and historical items.
During the Memorial Service that follows, we will honor one member and three relatives of members who we lost since February of last year.
St. David’s Day Celebration
March 4, 2018 at 11:30 am (social hour); 1:00 pm (lunch)
Panos Banquet Center
20290 W. Blue Mound Rd. Brookfield, WI
St. David’s Day in the USA goes largely unnoticed, unless you happen to be one of the nearly 2 million people of Welsh descent who live in the country. But it does not go unnoticed by the Welsh Club! Enjoy an afternoon of Welsh camaraderie, entertainment, and delicious food to celebrate St. David’s Day.
St. David is the patron saint of Wales, with many miracles ascribed to him, including the resurrection of a dead child and the restoration of sight to a blind man. Another famous miracle is the formation of a hill beneath him as he preached to a large crowd, allowing them to see and hear him more clearly. During this incident, a white dove is said to have landed on his shoulder, and he is often so depicted. Tradition holds that he died on March 1, which is now celebrated as St. David’s Day.
The monastery where he died is said to have been “filled with angels as Christ received his soul.” His last words to his followers were in a sermon he preached on the previous Sunday. The Welsh Life of St. David gives these words as, “Lords, brothers, and sisters, be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed, and do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. And as for me, I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.”
Even today, “Gwnwech y pethau bychain mewn bywyd” (Do the little things in life) is a frequently-used Welsh saying.
For those who think Celtic begins and ends with Irish, enjoy the fun of Welsh aires and jigs played by the Celtic group Bi Dana, a three-piece Celtic music ensemble that plays music from across the Celtic world.
Bi Dana is Andreas Transø, Blaine McQuinn, and Sheila Shigley. Learn more about Bi Dana and follow them on Facebook.
Come and join the festivities on March 4, beginning with a social hour, including Welsh displays and raffle baskets to bid on, followed by lunch and music.
Genealogy 101: Tracing Your Welsh Roots
Saturday, April 7
Register 11:00 am, Program 11:30 am, Lunch 12:30 pm
Milwaukee Catholic Home
2462 N. Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI
You may have some idea of you Welsh connection but you probably have a deeper tie than you know. But how do you find out more? What resources are available to you in the United States? What resources are available in Wales? How can you access them?
The Club is fortunate to have two members who are willing to share their tips and secrets for successfully researching your family tree. In spite of the fact that neither is a professional genealogist, they have years of experience from which you can benefit.
Bring your questions and be prepared to learn more about your history.
Welsh Club of the Milwaukee Area 