Celtic Chaos will celebrate 25 years of musical performance with a show in Qualicum Beach on Nov. 30
The afternoon ceilidh dance at Rotary Hall happens to fall St. Andrew's Day, the patron saint of Scotland.
At first, Celtic Chaos was an instrumental group, according to fiddler Joyce Beaton, but over time the band evolved and added vocals.
"We realized that we've basically been playing together and performing together for more than 25 years, but we thought, why not do something to celebrate that?" she said. "We were just a bunch of people that got together to make music on a regular basis in my house and then that evolved into us being asked to perform at various things."
In a quarter century of performing traditional music, Celtic Chaos played up and down the Island and on the mainland as well.
The time has flown by, Beaton said.
Some highlights include the many Robert Burns dinner events they hosted to fundraise for the BC Cancer Foundation. After Beaton's father died from a brain tumour in 2001, the band held yearly events for more than a decade and raised somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000. The proceeds from the group's first CD Chaos in the Kitchen also went to the BC Cancer Foundation.
Another good memory was when former member Emma Beaton won a Canadian Folk Music Award for young performer of the year for Pretty Young Maid in 2008, an album released with Celtic Chaos.
Cellist Beaton, who has performed across the U.S., will reunite with the band for the 25-year show.
The show also includes the poetry of John Beaton, Dave Barta on accordion and Gordon Lafleur on flute and bodhran.
The band will be without bass player Joe Spinelli, who died in February. The proceeds of the show will go to the BC Cancer Foundation.
A dance caller will travel all the way from Hornby Island, and the event is meant for people who dance, people who have never danced and people who just want to watch others dance, Beaton said.
"This will be a fun event focusing on the good times," she said. "That's what music is all about -- sharing it with other people and people getting together."
The dance goes from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the band hopes to attract families, along with the older crowd, for a multi-age show. Refreshments will be provided.
Tickets are $20 and children are free when accompanied by an adult. Contact CelticChaosTix@gmail.com for tickets.