Fortunate Stranger's At Brewery Arts Center's Celtic Series

Event Date: 
February 11, 2017 - 7:00pm

Fortunate Strangers, a West Coast band featuring Scottish and Irish songs, will perform at Carson City’s Brewery Arts Center on Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Featuring humorous and serious songs of love, loss, adventure, and yearning, their performance will provide a refreshing, pre-Valentine’s Day fare.

The band combines the experience of three performers from the San Francisco Bay Area and the High Sierra. Celia Ramsay’s haunting voice and extensive experience in Scottish folk music, combined with Joe and Kathy Bly's long history in Irish music, blend to create a Celtic musical experience that is both expansive and focused. True to the Celtic tradition, their songs range from lush and full to haunting and angular.

Fortunate Strangers derived their name from an unlikely meeting. In 2010, Berkeley resident, Celia Ramsay, and her husband were touring the town of Dingle in the far southwestern corner of Ireland. They decided to visit O’Flaherty’s pub, known for its traditional music sessions, and on entering the pub, Celia spied familiar faces in the smoky gloom.

She wasn’t sure how she knew these people, but she headed over to figure it out. Meanwhile, from his seat across the room, Joseph and Kathy Bly, of Gardnerville, were just settling in with a pint of Guinness, resting on a 110–mile hike around the Dingle peninsula. Joe whispered to Kathy that he was sure he knew the woman who had just walked in.

After a bit of conversation, they all put it together: Joe, Kathy, and Celia were all denizens of Lark Music Camp, an annual musical gathering held in Mendocino, California. Over a couple more of pints of beer, Kathy and Joe explained that they were taking a brief break from hiking the Dingle Way, and a chance for a rest and a pint is what brought them into O’Flaherty’s. It was a fortunate, small–world meeting of folks who didn’t know each other, but who soon after became fast friends.

Northern Nevadans may recognize Kathy and Joe from the Carson Valley–based Celtic group, Cíana. Celia was a founding member of the group, Glamourie, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Banding together as Fortunate Strangers, they pride themselves on presenting a varied program; mood, tempo, key and origin are all considered carefully. They always include a song or two that the audience can sing along with and

Top Stories

... or see all stories

Clear Creek Bowmen annual Turkey Shoot is this Sunday, Nov. 3 at the Carson City Archery Range, just East of Eagle Valley Golf Course. The event is open to the public.

The Capital City Arts Initiative presents "Ships of Nevada" by Wayne Scarpaci, an exhibition with paintings of USS ships, all related to Nevada.

Douglas County invites residents to an educational flood awareness workshop to discuss flood preparedness and current flood control projects.

The Nevada Treasury has announced the start of the open enrollment period for the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program, beginning Nov. 1, 2024 and concluding on April 15, 2025. The structured savings plan program allows Nevada families to explore payment options for college tuition and allows students to secure the price of in-state tuition early.

The next Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Bob Crowell Board Room of the Community Center located at 851 E. William St.

Hello fellow anglers. We have some good news and maybe some sad news. Unfortunately, it is that time of year when we turn our clocks back this weekend.

The Navy JROTC cadets from Carson High School recently embarked on an unforgettable trip to San Francisco to participate in the city's Fleet Week celebration. The annual event provides an opportunity for the public to interact with the men and women of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, and this year, the Carson cadets were front and center.

Carson City Fire Department and sheriff's deputies were called Friday morning to a crash involving multiple vehicles in the area of South Stewart and East Fifth Street.

While all the Catmandu cats are special, today’s cat of the week is magnificent. Jack Sparrow is a truly stunning cat. He is a big, long-haired blue Manx with an incredible personality that is as perfect as he is.

Join Artsy Fartsy Art Gallery in Carson City on Saturday, Nov. 2 as we celebrate the newest pieces by local artist Jason Clark. Jason's acrylic pours are like no other, drop by and see the entire collection for yourself.

Wanting to share my 2024 Jack-o-Lantern display! 23 pumpkins on my front steps alone! Home grown at this very address and carved as part of a yearly tradition going on 3 years straight now! Takes me 2-3 days to hollow out and carve every single pumpkin but the end result is worth the effort!

The Carson Aquatic Facility will be closed on Tuesday, November 5, for Election Day to limit any overcrowding and overparking on the west side of Mills Park.

Legendary Ranconteur Ray Bonneville will make a rare northern Nevada appearance for the acclaimed Roots Music Masters Series in Silver City. The Silver City Preservation Society, Evangeline Presents and Yellow Truck Productions are bringing Juno award winning Americana/blues artist Ray Bonneville to town for a show on Friday, November 15.

The Douglas County School Board has made a number of headlines both regionally and nationally since the 2022 election leading to a new majority taking hold.

In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, and with special thanks to ARMAC CONSTRUCTION, Friends To All participated in the 2024 Nevada Day Parade!

View of Carson Day Balloons from C Hill.

View of Carson Day Balloons from C Hill.

Trick or Treat Downtown at participating businesses!

Member businesses in the Downtown Business Association are hosting their annual Candy Crawl on October 31st. This event is FREE and gives families a safe, fun and centrally-located option for Trick or Treating.

Meet Whitney, a one-year-old pit bull/mastiff mix with a heart as big as her curiosity! This sweet girl found her way to us in October after an adventurous stint of jumping her home's four-foot fence and greeting passersby with enthusiasm. Whitney's full of energy and love, and she's on the lookout for a forever home that can offer her the focus and dedication she needs to blossom.

Travel North Tahoe Nevada partnered with Tahoe-based nonprofit Clean Up The Lake for an extensive cleanup of Marlette Lake last week.

A wintry weather system will bring mountain snow and valley rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning but should clear out in time for Halloween trick or treating in the lower valleys. A second system is expected to bring more mountain snow and valley rain or valley snow chances Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

For 18 years, the Nevada State Museum in Carson City has hosted the annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration in recognition of Latin culture and its contributions to the Silver State.

Carson High School Career and Technical Education HOSA – Future Health Professionals – had several students participate in a full-scale drill with the Carson City Fire Department and the Carson City Sheriff’s Office before the Nevada Day Parade last week. The training exercise simulated a vehicle ramming after a driver experienced a medical event, which rendered them unconscious.

The four men who filed a lawsuit against the Douglas County School District and four of its trustees over a lack of fulfilling public records requests they filed are now entitled to recover expenses and attorney's fees. This is according to Judge Thomas Gregory of the Ninth Judicial District Court of Nevada.

Using seldom seen photos and extensive research, local historians David & Gayle Woodruff reflect back on the deep and rich history of the Carson Valley, including the important roles played by the Minden Flour Milling Company and its magnificent buildings, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, Genoa, the California Trail and more in creating one of the most historic areas in Nevada.

Regional entertainer Darin Talbot, aka "Mr. Tahoe" and "Tahoe’s Jimmy Buffett" brings his unique tribute performance show called, "Becoming Buffet: to Nashville Social Club in Carson City on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30pm.

Three community nonprofit organizations — Eddy House, Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada and Reno Housing Authority have each been awarded $100,000 grants through the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Greater Nevada Credit Union sponsored these northern Nevada nonprofits in applying for the grants offered through the FHLBank San Francisco’s Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development Program, which provides funding for initiatives that help create a more equitable future for underserved people and communities.

Casinos in Carson City, Carson Valley and south shore Lake Tahoe report gaming revenue decreases in September while Reno saw a double-digit increase, according to the latest figures from the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Carson High School is proud to spotlight one of its brightest and most accomplished students, Anne Davis. Anne’s presence at CHS has been nothing short of remarkable, as she has consistently demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership and service throughout her high school career.

A man was arrested Monday for suspicion of domestic battery, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.

Here are the recent births that occurred at Carson Tahoe Hospital between Oct. 19 - 25, 2024.