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The Highland Games of the Southeast –
2006
Interviewed by Frank R. Shaw, FSA Scot, Atlanta, GA, USA Email:
jurascot@earthlink.net
 Introduction:
One of the great things about this non-paying job is the books
you review and the people you interview.
TATTOO
is no exception. The folks at Caberdancer Graphic Design, Inc.
are to be warmly congratulated for the first class job they did
on their first TATTOO
attempt. If I were speaking to a crowd of Scots right now, I
would ask for a great round of applause for
TATTOO!
Here is a wee interview with the editor of
TATTOO,
Tom Freeman, a gentleman you all need to meet. Our own Beth Gay,
as well known as anyone in the Scottish Community, is Associate
Editor of this magazine.
Q: How
did you and the folks at Caberdancer come up with the idea of
publishing TATTOO, Presenting The Highland Games of the
Southeastern US 2006?
A.
Caberdancer president, Ron
Wright, came up with the idea while doing some intensive research
into the subtleties of single malt one afternoon on the porch.
We had received lots of calls at the office asking for
information about upcoming games in our area. It seemed a
logical assumption that there was a need for a publication of
that sort.
Q:
Since this is a new concept concerning Highland and Scottish
games (I do not believe I have ever seen this type publication
before), how long did it take you and your staff from the initial
concept to publication, including selling the ads, etc.?
A:
Nine months of planning and six weeks of intensive effort (The
editorial staff is still recovering at an undisclosed
location!).
We
wanted to offer readers in the Scottish community a one-stop
information source that would tell them all they needed to know
about Games in the Southeast.
Q:
TATTOO has a variety of items other than the game dates and the
various ads for the games. I do not recall this concept before -
mixing games information with Scottish articles by different
writers - so, I'm interested in how this idea emerged for
TATTOO. Can you tell us about this segment of TATTOO?
A: Bethie
suggested we add editorial content that would be both
entertaining and informative about Scottish culture for those
who were new to the Highland games and those who were just
beginning to learn about their Scottish heritage. Being a
perceptive editor I was quick to usurp the cleverness of my
staff. TATTOO was extremely fortunate to enjoy editorial
contributions from highly respected and knowledgeable individuals
from the Scottish-American community.
Q:
Will there be future issues of TATTOO? If so, will you seek to
enlarge the scope of the magazine itself and include other games
than those in the Southeastern part of the country? Do you
envision your publication
eventually becoming a national publication including all of the
games in America? What about games in Scotland? Will they find
their way into future editions?
A: The
present plan is to release a new issue of TATTOO yearly. We hope
to include more games from the Southeast as well as coverage of
games from such exotic lands as California, Arizona and
Colorado! Perhaps, we will have games from Michigan and New
Jersey! We also plan to include a feature about "A Day at a
Modern Scottish Games" and perhaps coverage of Games in Canada as
well. With luck and the support of our readers and contributors,
it's not too big a stretch of the imagination to see TATTOO
becoming an international guide to the Highland Games.
 Q:
Please tell our readers how to secure a copy of this publication
and how much it is, including postage? Will they be sold at
Highland Games?
A:
Copies are available from
Caberdancer Graphic Design, Inc., at: 909 West Main Street,
Walhalla, SC 29691. Call
864-718-8102 or email
sales@caberdancer.com. Copies will also be available at
Highland Games where Caberdancer - alias "The Mighty Clan
MacBubba
Society, International" - appears. You also may send a check for
$15.00 plus Priority Mail $4.10 - $19.10 total. (Up to four
copies will mail for $4.10 PM.) Negotiations are under way to
make the publication available from national booksellers.
Q:
Would you tell us a little something about your company and your
staff? Where is Walhalla, SC?
A:
Walhalla
is a small town located in the northwestern corner of South
Carolina at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Caberdancer
is a graphic design company founded in 2001 by Ronald A.
Wright, Rebecca
Prather
and Thomas R. Freeman, Jr. We have recently been fortunate to
enjoy the talents of Beth Gay, editor of The Family Tree. Ron
juggles the books, Becky sells ice to Eskimos and I doodle. Beth
can type. Though, in a small company, everybody wears many
Balmorals.
Caberdancer
began as a general services design company focused mainly on
industrial applications. Since vending at our first Scottish
games, Charleston, SC in 2001, however, we have found more and
more of our business to be focused on the Celtic community.
Our corporate
philosophy is, "To provide unique design and production services
to the Scottish - American community and to include in the
process as much fun as possible."
Q:
Thanks, Tom, for this interview. Is there a closing word you
would like to share with our readers?
A:
We'd like to thank everyone for
their generous support. If anyone has suggestions for making
TATTOO a better publication, we welcome their input. We all work
hard enough so everyone treat yourselves to a Highland
games...soon and often. In the meantime, here's to keeping your
kilt
dry, your whistle wet and your haggis out of the fire!
(FRS: 3-29-06) |
