19th Annual Malad Valley Welsh Festival

Celebrating the Welsh heritage of the Malad Valley, events on Friday and Saturday include Dr. Ron Dennis, retired BYU professor and the foremost expert on the Welsh emigration to the Western United States; Lucie Thomas Washburn, who has presented at many Welsh Festivals, helping educate Festival attendees about the culture and traditions of Wales. There will be displays of Youth art, depicting scenes of Wales; a Youth and Adult Poetry contest which culminates in the Chairing of the Bard, the winner of the adult Poetry; Adult fiction competition; Welsh cultural, history and family history displays of 30+ Welsh pioneer families that settled in the Malad Valley; A Walk Through Wales, a photographic journey featuring castles, landscapes and other features of Wales; Welsh heritage games, kids activities, wagon tours of historic sites in Malad City; a quilt show; bake sale; tour of Malad Valley Heritage Square; Malad Presbyterian Church tour; and food and craft vendors! Music at the outdoor amphitheater will include Finch and the Magpies, Ken Currier, The Idaho Rovers, Bards and Nobles, harpists, and The Haywire Ranch String Band “Radio Broadcast from the Pioneer Trail”.

On Sunday, June 29, Dr. Gordon Simpson, now of Blackfoot, will present on growing up in Malad during the 1940s and 1950s. Dr. Simpson grew up in Malad when his father was the Superintendent of Schools and his mother taught 4th grade. He practiced dentistry in Blackfoot until he retired.

This event is free to the public.