File photo A participant in the Hammer Throw competition winds up to let his hammer fly during the second annual West Virginia Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival and Highland Games at 4-H Camp Pioneer in Beverly last summer.

BEVERLY — The grounds of 4-H Camp Pioneer will come to life this weekend when the West Virginia Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival and Highland Games returns for a third consecutive year.

Before Saturday’s full slate of activities gets underway, a party is planned for Friday evening beginning at 6 p.m. featuring music, food, and drinks. Gates will open for the Festival at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

“The vendors market and games will start just after 9 a.m. on Saturday,” said Festival President Tim Ferguson. “The Clan Village will be open for people to visit and we will have performances on the stages at that time and they will run throughout the day. In order for people to see all of their favorite performers, we are doing two shows during the day on Saturday.”

After two straight successful years of hosting the Festival at Camp Pioneer, Ferguson is hoping for an even bigger and better turnout in 2025.

“The first year was a surprise when we had over 1,700 people come out for the Festival,” Ferguson said. “We had no clue what to expect that first year so we were very pleased with that. Then last year we easily beat that with over 2,700 people coming out. We’d like to double that this year and have close to 5,000 come out. And I think that is possible, I really do, especially if the weather cooperates.”

As in the past, this year’s event will feature Celtic traditions that will come to life through music, dance and exciting competitions. The weekend will be filled with cultural celebrations, delicious food and family-friendly activities.

Some of the Festival’s activities will include a clan village, kilted 5K run, Highland games, Highland dancers, Celtic merchandise, live entertainment, and traditional Celtic food and drinks.

“We will have more larger tents at this year’s event where people can sit in the shade and watch some of the games and stages,” Ferguson said. “People can also bring their own canopy they can put up a s long as it is not obstructing anyone else.”

The Highland Games will feature events including Saber Toss, Open/Braemer Stones, Weights for Distance, Scottish Hammers, Sheaf Toss, Weight for Height, A Tug of War and West Virginia’s Strongest Stone Lifter are included in the Festival’s Sporting Events.

“The Stones competition is open to everyone,” Ferguson said. “And the champion in that competition has the opportunity to go to the national event in California. So the winners will get trophies, cash prizes, and a trip to California to compete if they wish. To me, that’s a pretty big deal.”

The Live entertainers performing will include Kinnfolk, Poehemia, Kilmaine Saints and Waking Finnegan. Starfire Entertainment will also be on hand to perform.

“This will be Waking Finnegan’s first-ever trip to West Virginia,” said Ferguson. “They are quite popular and have a big following of fans in the Celtic rock music world. Kinnfolk has become a local favorite and we have had a lot of requests for them to come back. Starfire Entertainment does a variety of acrobatics, they do flaming and glow in the dark hula hoops. They juggle, they ride unicycles, and do amazing things with hula hoops.”

Some of the food vendors already signed on include Elkins Bank Association, Mona’s Eggrolls, Bud’s Freeze-Fried Candies, Beander’s, Biselli Foods, and the Randolph County 4-H. Craft vendors featured include Jennifer Mackenroth Jewelry, Green Cap Forge, Petals ect., The Glitter Goth, Oso Metalworks, Pawky Scottish Tees and more.

A host of activities are planned including Face Painting, Arts and Crafts, Highland Dance Lessons and more. The West Virginia Highland Dancers and Lincoln County Cloggers will perform during the Festival.

There will also be more than 30 clan tents set up at this year’s Festival. There were 14 the first year of the event and 18 a year ago. Horses, Border Collies, HighLand Cows, and sheep will be among the Celtic animals onsite Saturday.

For more information about this year’s event, visit the Festival’s Facebook page or go to www.celticfestandgames.com.