Music in the Park:

Children’s dancing spirits were awakened by local Celtic band, Wake the Bard, this past Sunday at La Cañada’s Music in the Park concert.

Many kids — and their parents — found the music too tempting to keep still.

“Those are the official Wake the Bard dancers!” joked guitarist Pat Huckaby of the children dancing at the foot of the stage.

“It seems that our music is a ‘siren song’ for kids because we have a bunch dancing at our feet or the foot of the stage, actually,” added band member Mike Adams.

“I’ve never seen them so excited at a concert before,” said Shannon Lee of La Cañada Flintridge, who attended with her two children, Chris, 3, and Erick, 4. “They usually just sit still during Music in the Park shows, but they seem pretty natural doing the jig!”

Though the music was generally unfamiliar to most of the audience, “many have heard Irish tunes in movies like ‘Titanic,’ so hearing us play can bring back some familiar references without listeners even realizing it,” Adams tells the Valley Sun. Wake the Bard, which features Adams, Huckaby, Sandy Huckaby, and Stephanie Adams, played many traditional Irish songs, including “Kilarney Boys of Pleasure” and “Morrison’s Jig.”

Montrose resident Rebecca Fishman said she attends “almost every” Music in the Park concert, but it was the first time she’d heard a band focusing on Celtic songs at the venue. I like it a lot,” she said. “The instruments are so different, but the music is really entertaining. The kids seem to like it!”

While some were experiencing traditional Irish music for the first time, others, like Kyle Brennan, have a deep connection to Celtic music. “My grandparents were Irish, so I feel really in touch with my heritage when I listen to it.” When asked if he often listened to Celtic music, he replied, “Oh yeah, all the time. My wife and I hired an Irish band for our wedding.”

This Sunday evening the concert series will feature Misplaced Priorities, a La Cañada-based classic rock cover band featuring Tom Reynolds, Mandy Boesche, Jeanne Nortao, Frank Dvoracek, Steve Stathatos, Rich Myers and Craig Windsor. “Our style is tempo songs that everyone knows the words to and can sing along with,” said Reynolds.

This is the band’s seventh time performing at Music in the Park and “it is our favorite gig by far,” Reynolds said.

There will also be a classic car show before the concert. Admission to both events is free.