Follow Up on the Highland Games

The events on Saturday wee wonderful.   I ended up sun burned even though the day started out a bit over cast.  We have June gloom in southern California and it was in full swing that morning.

The venue that is utilized is very good for this type of event.  Things can be spread out and not conflict one with another though things are not so far off that you have to climb a hill and go around a bend.
Sadly, this does not help the sheep dog demos.  This were in a small pen near the children's area and seating was no existent and shade just as much so.   Also because of such a small space provided that can do no more then a bit of demos, and not some real competition that has the dogs darting out of the bushes with the lost sheep running as fast as they can to get away.  Still good, but what can you do with a small area.

They call the long walk that has the clan tents up and down it the "Clan Mile".  That would not be much of an exaggeration.  They provide a ton of space and it goes on for quite some distance.  All the clans were well represented and we had our moment of the clan roll call.  One clan appeared to be having their AGM (Annual General Meeting) and sadly did not have much humph when called.  Probably many were off at the tons of other activities.




Pixar and Disney were very much in marketing mode.  They had loads of Banners for the upcoming Brave Movie in the main arena, and several locations around the fair grounds.   They even were cross promoting with the archery going on.  I'm hoping we can win the tickets to the advanced screening of Brave.
They even had a booth with a boat load of posters and other handouts......  what girl with a bit of Scottish/Irish blood in her does not want to have red hair and be a pro at archery?

My daughter tried her hand at archery for the first time.  The quality of the bow makes all the difference.  The first time we got a poor quality bow that was not really the right size.  It was much easier in the afternoon with a slightly bigger bow.  She even hit the targets.

I now know why King Edward "Long shanks" of England incorporated Welsh long bowman into his army. 


My wife commented that if she had to live by hunting she would likely starve.   It's not as easy as it seems.  But the food offering were quite good.  Tons of fish and chips, meat pies and banger and onions.

One of the many highlights of the day was the Farmer's Walk held just before the closing ceremonies and massing of the bands in the main arena.   Basically the guys carry 150 lbs in each hand and try to go as far as they can.  There is a distance of 100 feet marked out and they turn around at the end and come back.   A world record 500 feet was achieved Brian Crilly setting world record in Farmers Walk

The previous world record holder. Tried his hand at the event and did a very noteworthy 400 feet.  The master class and guys under 300 lbs care a lesser 225 lbs worth of weights.  Not any less of a feat.

Real Men wear kilts.  Don't let any one tell you otherwise.


So all and all it was a wonderful time at Scots Fest 2012.  The 21 cabers tossed at once was a bit strange but, why would it not be?

So make an effort to attend your local Scottish Festival and Highland Games.  It will be well worth your time - even if you do decide to not try the haggis.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Scottish Festival and Highland Games

This weekend is the annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games at the local Orange County Fair grounds.

This event is in it's 80th year or so and has been renamed SCOTS FEST - A Scottish Festival of Celtic Entertainment and Food to more properly reflect what it truly has become.
It's two days of true Scottish culture with all the fine points one would expect.  Highland dancing, Pipe band competition, athletics (Caber toss, hammer throw, weight for height etc), Clan Societies, and plenty of food, drinks and entertainment (Bad Haggis, Sligo Rags, Highland Way and Tempest) of all sorts.








This event has become a family tradition with us.  We head there every memorial day weekend to get our slice of highland culture.

It's a great opportunity to see all our old friends from our Clan Society (http://macdougall.org).  This is one of the best places to find your Scottish roots.  Most if not all of the clan tents have some type of listing of the Septs (family names) associated to the clan.  Many also have some fairly comprehensive books on Scottish surnames that can also be helpful in locating at least some connection.  There are so many people with a vast array of knowledge that your bound to find something out if you try hard enough.  Granted that every clan had their fair share of Smiths since they all had black smiths and the like in the local village.






Though my wife and daughter do not get to excited about the athletics I do like to try and see a few guys try and toss the caber.  Unfortunately, we generally have to split up to pull this off.  Way too many things going on.

Caber Toss

Caber, in Gaelic, means simply pole or rafter. Unlike the standardized instruments common to modern track and field events, it has no fixed weight or dimensions. Contestants on a particular day all have to try with the log at hand. In the event no one is able to turn it (end over end) successfully, it is common practice to saw a piece off until someone is able to turn it. It should be noted that the goal of the effort is not distance, but to toss the log end-over-end so that it lands in a straight line from the tosser. Points are deducted according to the number of degrees off from the ideal 12 o'clock mark. The greater handicap in this event isn't the weight of the caber, but its length. 

Scotsfest section on athletics 

Some times everyone has trouble getting the caber to turn.  Other times a couple of guys are able to turn the caber.  It is always fun and can be potentially risky depending where you position yourself to watch.  Some guys due to the size of the caber have a real hard time getting it to balance properly so that can begin their attempted at turning it.  This has involved stepping backwards and the like. Thus the risk if the person has to drop the caber; not fun to be hit by a telephone pole.

Other events that are fun to watch is the Highland Dancing.  It is just amazing what those girls can do.

And the pile of Celtic apparel and clothing you see people wearing and that is available to buy.

Back in the day just before I got married I went and purchased a kilt package from a vendor at the fair.  Unfortunately, I had problems with the vendor fulfilling my order and had to take them to small claims court.  They thankfully do not exist anymore and are not at the fair any longer.  It sure was a deal but, it was a pain when I had to go and acquire varies pieces to have a complete outfit for my wedding reception.

I do get a kick out of the many t-shirts that are available to specify and answer the ultimate question - WHAT DO YOU WEAR UNDER THAT KILT?

In a book I have entitled - So you are going to wear the kilt: Revised 3rd edition by J. Charles Thompson  there is a section that discusses how to handle those questions.  You won't get much of that at Scotsfest.  Since many a person at the fair is wearing a kilt no one asks.  In reality it is when your the only wearing the kilt that you have a higher chance of getting asked.

So how do you respond?  Since it referencing such a private affair and parts that people don't like to talk about it can become hard. He says to use something along the lines of "The plumbing is all in working order, do you need a demonstration?", or "My shoes".   Basically something simple to put them off.  You have to keep up the mystic of the whole affair.  In the past people wore nothing underneath the kilt.  Now a days you find all kinds of athletic shorts and other types of undergarments.  I think I even read that they changed policy for the dragoons guards and other highland regiments in regards to the lack of clothing under the kilt.  It is now considered tacky to not use anything under your kilt.  But if you really tell someone what is down there the mystery goes away.   A shirt with some ideas for responding presents some seedy ideas.  A few of the cleaner ones are - Fine set of accessories, socks and shoes, etc.  To see all the saying and the actual shirt click here  or click here Your sure to get a laugh even if you are considered a bit of a prude.  Below are a few other choices naturally cleaner then some of the above options.





  

So as we celebrate our Scottish heritage take the chance to get your kilt out and wear it.  Listen to some great bagpipe music and enjoy some Haggis if that is to your liking.

If you think you might be related to some famous Scotsman or other British isles royalty then you should check out my post entitled - Are you Related to someone Famous?

Buaidh -  NO - Bas

  

To Haggis or not to Haggis

Well over the memorial day weekend we attended the local Highland Games and Festival at the county fair grounds.  It's been call Scots Fest for sometime now.

We have an annual tradition to attend and always have a good time.
This year as I took too long to get back from the Clan tent my step-mother (a very southern lady) decided to buy some Haggis while watching a band called "Ploughboy".
We'd heard that Haggis is basically just a bunch of oatmeal and chitlets (innards) cooked in a sheep's stomach.  She had something similar as a child so she took the plunge this year.

I'll say I was not overly impressed when I tried it.  Little bit of a nutty flavor, though not down right bad.  I enjoyed the Bangers and Onions and the Fish and Chips much better.  No one tried the meat pies or sausage rolls this year.

I'm including a copy of a recipe I found out there in cyber space so people can know what is included in Haggis

• 1 sheep's lung (illegal in the U.S.; may be omitted if not available)
• 1 sheep's stomach
• 1 sheep heart
• 1 sheep liver
• 1/2 lb fresh suet (kidney leaf fat is preferred)
• 3/4 cup oatmeal (the ground type, NOT the Quaker Oats type!)
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup stock

Wash lungs and stomach well, rub with salt and rinse. Remove membranes and excess fat. Soak in cold salted water for several hours. Turn stomach inside out for stuffing.

Cover heart and liver with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Chop heart and coarsely grate liver. Toast oatmeal in a skillet on top of the stove, stirring frequently, until golden. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Loosely pack mixture into stomach, about two-thirds full. Remember, oatmeal expands in cooking.

Press any air out of stomach and truss securely. Put into boiling water to cover. Simmer for 3 hours, uncovered, adding more water as needed to maintain water level. Prick stomach several times with a sharp needle when it begins to swell; this keeps the bag from bursting. Place on a hot platter, removing trussing strings. Serve with a spoon. Ceremoniously served with "neeps, tatties and nips" -- mashed turnips, mashed potatoes, nips of whiskey.

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/scottish/haggis.html

or just buy a can here to save all the effort

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We Took in the band "Bad Haggis" while having lunch.  We've enjoyed them in the past, and at one point they even had a Brazilian doing some of their vocals and percussion.
Who can go wrong with a little rock, and bagpipes on overdrive?



I also finally picked up a copy of the CD "Sons of Somerled" by Steve McDonald.  Since my Clan (MacDougall) comes from the senior surviving line of Somerled (Via his second wife) I felt I needed to get a copy of the disc.  On top of that our fairy princess won a signed copy of another disc by the same musician. His music is worth checking out!


We even got to check out a small Norse encampment setup.  Nice people even showed us some weaving.  They could have done a lot more with it though.  That's what you get when use volunteers.




Buaidh - NO - Bas

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