| So--you've walked in the Gate and what do you see? Tents, pavilions, booths, flying poles, men in kilts, flags, swords…the list goes on. What do you hear? You probably heard the Pipes out in the lot! Past that, you may hear dogs, sheep, and maybe some Highland cattle. The ring of swords, or the Blacksmith's anvil; perhaps the pop of a blackpowder pistol. Here, in one place, you will find the Scottish Heritage. Clans are here to share their history, their place in Scotland's history, and to tell you of Your heritage, if you have any Scottish roots, or are just curious. Vendors are here, some fairly normal for any festival; but others provide books, tapes, art, jewelry, clothing, all kinds of Scot-oriented stuff you can only find at a Scottish Festival. You will often find some aspect of Scottish ranching, be in thru' Sheep dog demonstrations, or perhaps some Ayrshire cattle. You may see dogs {other than sheep-herders) in contests, or just accompanying their people, a walking, tail-wagging story of Gaelic Heritage. The athletic contests are usually the heart of a ScotFest. There are many levels of competition among the men and women athletes; Novice and Professional are pretty common, but a Festival may have First-timers, Beginners, and a Senior level, too. The relative strangeness of the events is a draw; the Caber toss (throwing the phone-pole) the Weight over the Bar, the Sheaf-toss, these are not seen outside of Extreme Heavy Athletics on ESPN. But I would give you this one observation. While the athletes are competing against each other, the Principal competition is against the Equipment! Listen and Watch, and you will see the athletes coaching each other, or giving little hints to each other on how to improve his/her performance. I do not think you will find this kind of sportsmanship anywhere else. Music and Dancing are part of most festivals. Besides Pipers, you will find Drummers, after which you may find harps and tin whistles, fiddles, and even a psaltery {David may have played a psaltery for King Saul, according to some Bible Scholars}. Now--as to the Bagpipes. One, the Scots did Not invent the bagpipes. They and the Irish have merely taken the instrument to its highest forms. Two, you will seldom hear anyone, who's been around them for long, call them anything but The Pipes {capitalization is inferred by the tone of voice}. Most musicians may also be involved in competition. Pipers and Drummers are in two basic competitions--Individual and Band. Band competition is fairly easy to spot, and you can get out of the way fairly easy. But Individual competition is scattered all over the place, and if you see a Piper alone, yet playing and tuning for all he/she is worth, don't bother them! They are gearing up, in every sense, for their turn in the contests. Usually, individual Pipers and Drummers wear a large number-card on their Kilt, and this helps warn you of someone who is very pre-occupied. The other clue to an individual competition is the Judge, a person who is armed with a clipboard, and often a table. If you see a person playing in front of another with a clipboard, stay a good 30 feet away--you don't want to mess up the musician's concentration. He/She is working on points for Regional, National, and even World standing. Dancers compete in similar veins. Some dances are strictly individual, while others are a group thing. These contests are most often in a single area, and are fairly easy to spot. The fact that a single Piper is playing the same tune, over and over again, is also a clue. Other Dancers are here for a chance to demonstrate group dances, and have fun with it. You may be invited to join in. Do so, if you'd like, for no one will criticize a good effort. I think this epitomizes a Scottish Festival. There are serious things that go on, and there is business to conduct. But the crux of any Festival is Fun, and a chance to share. Some are smaller, and you can feel more intimate with what's going on. Some are very large, World-class in fact, and can be a little overwhelming. But the thing is the People who are making the Festival go. Clan reps or merchants, Re-enactors or Athletes, Pipers or tin whistlers, they are here because they Love it, and want to share it with you! |
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