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Festival to thrill and entertain
Published June 19, 2009
Enjoy yourself.
That's the message being sent out by those involved in the North Alabama Scottish Festival set for Saturday at Goose Pond Colony in Scottsboro.
Scots, according to the Tennessee Valley Scottish Society, are friendly people. Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to meet and chat with many folks at the various clan tents that will be set up on the grounds. Along the way each person is likely to learn something new about Scotland, its people and the influence immigrants from the country have made in the United States.
Vendors at the festival will offer a variety of unique and different merchandise to offer while the "Clan McBubba" tent will provide a chance to peruse many interesting items, not all traditional Scottish in nature, for sale. Food vendors will offer different types of food items from Scottish fare to the more traditional American.
The Festival will honor the Clan MacKenzie Society in the Americas. As descendants of the MacKenzie family in Scotland the Society is dedicated to continuing Scottish traditions.
Incoming Clan MacKenzie president Gene MacKenzie and his wife, Annette, will be honored guests at the event.
Among the activities children will enjoy in the kid's activity area are the caber toss and haggis hurl. There will also be face painting, coloring activities and plenty of organized games to occupy a child's interest for hours of entertainment.
Scottish athletes will perform feats of strength and stamina during competitions associated with the festival in the Highland Games. The games, a mini olympic-style competition, features a hammer throw using a 22-pound blacksmith's hammer, the caber toss, sheaf toss and the weight toss.
Each is unique in its own way.
The weight toss involves athletes using a grip with a short chain attached to either a 28 or 56 pound stone. The objective is to toss the stone over a horizontal bar raised between two standards. Athletes have three opportunities to clear the bar at each height before it is raised. The event concludes when only one competitor remains in the event.
But the festival goes far beyond athletics. It includes bagpipe band and individual competitions, entertainment, sheep and duck herding demonstrations featuring the always popular border collie, dancing and much more. The piping competition is sanctioned by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.
A pet parade, sponsored by TVSS and Critter Care, is sure to be a crowd favorite. Visitors are invited to bring the family dog and enter him or her in the competition. Prizes will be awarded in seven categories and participants are encouraged to dress their pet for success. Some entries at past events have even included cats, llamas, lambs and calves.
Registration for the parade begins at 11 a.m. Pets must be on leashes and owners must provide proof of vaccination.
Gates open at 9 a.m. with events and entertainment beginning prior to the opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. The opening ceremony includes a parade of bagpipers and clans presenting a colorful display for those in attendance.
Entertainment will take place in the amphitheater throughout the day with popular muscians like Colin Grant-Adams, Flora McDonald Gammon and SlipJig. A variety of music such as fiddling, harp circles and celtic bands add to the ever popular piping and drumming.
The event is being hosted by the Tennessee Valley Scottish Society, a non-profit educational association. Highlands Medical Center is the presenting sponsor. The Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is also sponsoring the festival. The athletic games are sponsored by High Country Toyota.
Closing ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. when the pipe bands mass, march and play together. The thunderous highlight is a rendition of Amazing Grace. The festivities should be complete by 6 p.m.
Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12. There is no admission charged for children under 6.
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