mesa legend - NEWS - Gathering of the Clans: Food, fun highlight Scottish games

March 7, 2006
NEWS
Gathering of the Clans
Food, fun highlight Scottish games

Craig Dater
Mesa Legend

One of the rare opportunities to wear a kilt in public presented itself on Feb. 25 and 26 as MCC hosted the 42nd Annual Arizona Scottish Gathering and Highland Games.
Entertainment included live music, traditional dancing, bagpipe performances, and reenactment groups.
A highlight of the festival was the athletic competition. Men and women competed in events such as the hammer throw, stone put, and caber toss.
A caber is a giant, telephone pole-sized log that is tossed end over end.
“The reason they started throwing stones, hammers, and cabers was because there was a time when the English would not allow the Scottish to have weapons because they didn’t want to be attacked,” explained attendee Stu McCallum. “So the Scottish had to come up with games during their festivals that didn’t involve weapons.”
McCallum, who has attended Highland Games in Ohio and Arizona, said the gathering in Ohio is much larger, but the one here at MCC is “very well done.”
While many men did sport their kilts, McCallum doesn’t wear one.
“My legs don’t warrant it,” McCallum said.
In addition to the performance events, there were over forty vendor booths selling Scottish merchandise and food. One could purchase anything from battered fish to a battle ax.
A five-foot long sword could be had for the reasonable price $189.
Kilts were available in a wide variety of patterns from the traditional plaid design to camouflage.
Of course no Scottish festival would be complete without bagpipes. There is some contention, however, over the origin of the unique instrument.
“There is a bit of an argument over who started them first,” McCallum explained. “The Irish say they did and the Scottish say they did. If the Irish did start them, the Scottish, of course, perfected them.”
McCallum said that there are some Irish folk interspersed among the Scots at these gatherings.
“We put up with ‘em,” McCallum joked.
Many people have a certain amount of confusion over which traditions are Scottish and which are Irish.
“I think in this country maybe they do because you have St. Patrick’s Day with the drinking and all that,” McCallum said. “But the Scottish are more known for their inventions, their colleges, their writers . . . and scotch.”
Another yearly fixture at the festival is the British car display. MGs, Jaguars, London taxis, Cobras and other cars attract auto enthusiasts.
Although the weather was clear during the two day fair. McCallum did have complaint.
“They didn’t advertise it (very well) this year. Also, what they need to do is, somewhere in the newspaper print the times of each event.”
Information about this annual event can be found at arizonascots.com.