Presiding over the 2024 Malad Valley Welsh Festival will be Blaine Scott, the 2023 Bard of the Welsh Festival.  Blaine grew up in Pleasantview and now lives in Layton, Utah.  Blaine’s mother, Patsy, was a well-known local poet; the Patsy Price Scott Poetry Prize is awarded in her honor at the Welsh Festival. Blaine helped compile his mother’s extensive collection of poems about growing up in Oneida County into a book. Blaine’s winning poem was about traveling in Wales and learning about his Welsh roots.

Blaine will preside over this year’s Festival while sitting in the official Malad Valley Bard’s Chair. He will preside at the Opening Ceremonies at 9:15 on both Friday, June 28, and Saturday, June 29.  After the Bard is led in by the Knight of the Festival at the Opening Ceremony, the Malad Valley Men’s Welsh Chorus will welcome everyone to the Festival with Malad’s rendition of “We’ll Keep a Welcome in the Valley” and the Welsh National Anthem. Lucie Thomas Washburn will introduce the theme of this year’s Festival:  Dragons.  

As Bard, Blaine will crown the top youth winner for each grade at the conclusion of the Youth Poetry Reading/Competition. Over 100 youth poet semi-finalists have been invited to read or recite their original poems at the Festival on Friday, June 28, at 1:00.

Blaine will relinquish the Bard’s Chair to the 2024 Bard of Welsh Festival at the Finale program on Saturday, June 29, at 2:30.  A new event at this Festival will be the Bard’s Circle, comprised of all past Festival Bards.  They have all been invited to read a short poem related to the Dragon theme. All adults who have submitted poems for competition are invited to come to read or recite their poems at the Festival prior to the naming of the 2024 Bard of the Welsh Festival and the winner of the Patsy Price Scott Prize.

Everyone is invited to the 2024 Malad Valley Welsh Festival, whether you are Welsh or not! Admission to the Festival is free although some events charge a small fee.  For the entire schedule, see www.welshfestival.com.

The 18th annual Malad Valley Welsh Festival is partially funded by the Idaho Humanities Council, Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Bistline Foundation, the Idaho Blue Cross Foundation, the Malad Valley Welsh Society, and many businesses, individuals, and organizations in Oneida County.