The ninth annual Maine Celtic Celebration is now behind us and it's safe to say that the weekend was a great success, despite the soggy Saturday! The music was top notch; the games were fun; the cheese rolled perfectly; the donations were generous; and even the dogs were well behaved! On behalf of the volunteer Board of Directors, I'd like to express our sincere thanks to all those who contributed to that success.

I'll start with the local media, which did such a fantastic job publicizing the event. The Republican Journal again did outstanding work producing and distributing our program this year, with lots of great details about all the weekend events. Thanks to PenBayPilot.com for their work before and especially during the Celebration. It was such fun to see events posted online in real time. WERU Community Radio's Matt Murphy, station manager and Celtic music lover, once again did a fantastic job as emcee of our Main Stage. The Bangor Daily News, WABI TV, WVII TV, VStv, and The Free Press also helped get the word out.

Next up for recognition is the City of Belfast for providing such a perfect Celebration site and presenting the fireworks display. It was great to see the finishing touches on the Harbor Walk. The ripening blueberries along the walk were an especially tasty treat.

Then there are the many local businesses and organizations who supported the Celebration with sponsorship donations or goods and services, ranging from water for the 5K race, prizes for kids' games, rooms for musicians, a mini-truck to haul supplies around the site, folding chairs and cabers to toss in the Highland Games. It really was a community effort from that perspective, with too many contributors to list individually. Be assured that we appreciate each and every donation.

Volunteers are another group the Celebration could not do without. We are so grateful to the many folks who came forward to help out before, during and after the weekend of the Celebration. We depend on you for everything from setting up stages and tents, collecting donations and hauling trash, to running kids' game and other events.

Our deep appreciation also goes to all the musicians who came from near and far to share their talents and love for Celtic music and dance with us. Our Celebration has gained the reputation as a highlight of traditional Celtic music in the entire U.S. Thanks as well to the vendors who added to the festivities with everything from kilts to barbecue.

Finally, our loudest and clearest vote of thanks goes to those of you who came to enjoy the Celebration and showed your support with generous donations. We especially salute those intrepid folks who bundled up and stayed with us through the showery Saturday afternoon. Thanks to you, we are already planning next year's festivities!

Bob MacGregor is president of the Maine Celtic Celebration Board of Directors based in Belfast