Tartan Day Activities in North Carolina.
Raleigh, NC
Submitted by Judi Lloyd, NC Tartan Day Coordinator
With assistance from the Scottish Cultural
Organization of the Triangle (SCOT), Tartan Day Coordinator for
NC, Judi Lloyd, kicked off the Tartan Day awareness activities
with a booth donated by the NC Renaissance Faire at the NC State
Fairgrounds on the weekends of March 27th and April 3rd.
The event consisted of a booth set up and attended by clan and
association members in the area who answered questions about
Tartan Day, looked up Faire guests' names for a possible link to
Scotland, filled out inquiry cards for clans and associations,
handed out brochures on the various celtic events and Highland
Games within a 2 to 3 hour driving distance, and made people aware
of the contributions that Scots and people of Scottish ancestry
have made to the United States.
Each of the days there was a presentation or
entertainment on a nearby stage starting off on the first weekend
with piping by Yance Covington of Carrboro, NC, then Highland
Dancing by dancers Sandy Kennedy, Katie McDaniel, Ania Oddone,
Helen Oddone, Andrea McKinley, Allison McKinley, and emcee, Eugene
Oddone. The second weekend there was a presentation of the
Declaration of Arbroath done in a tableau format with Robert the
Bruce portrayed by Tim Orr, Gilbert Hay by Larry Haynes, Vice
President of Clan Hay American Branch, Jamie Douglas by David
Warren of the Scottish District Families Association, narrator
Robert Morrison Southeastern Regional Seneschal of Clan Morrison,
and Bernard de Lenten, abbot of Arbroath who presented the
Declaration to the cast and audience by a Franciscan Papal Knight,
the Very Reverend David Brooks. The final weekend's entertainment
was 8 members of the NC State Pipe Band, which, of course, drew a
big crowd.
Clans and Association members participating in the
4 day event other than those mentioned above were Mike, Nancy, and
Oleg Dismukes of Clan Scott where Michael is the Clan Commissioner
for NC, Michelle Mosco and Lynda Pletcher of the Scottish District
Families Association, Chris Hellard, NC convener for Clan
MacAlpine who brought a helper from Clan MacThomas.
Durham, NC
April 2nd in Durham, NC SCOT sponsored a
Tartan Day Ceilidh. The entertainment was mostly audience
generated and included an explanation of Tartan Day, how and why
it was started, reading of a letter from President Bush, hammer
dulcimer playing, poems, singing (both solo and audience
participation), learning country dancing, a comedy pirate skit
that should be on tour, highland dancing which included some
people who probably had not done the fling in many, many years,
and Cape Breton step dancing. It was definitely an event worth
repeating in the coming years.
Greensboro, NC
Also on April 2nd in Greensboro, NC the
Greensboro, NC Country Dancers held a dinner where President
Bush's letter was again read, and a history of Tartan Day and the
meaning of the date was done.
Mecklenberg County, NC
Submitted by Keets Taylor
And on April 6th, Jim Puckett, assisted
by piper, Tim Hord, introduced a proclamation declaring April
6th as Tartan Day and April as Scottish Heritage month in
Mecklenberg County.
Rocky
Mount/Wilson, NC
Submitted by Julia Mullikin Batchelor, Founding
President, Down East Scottish Society, Inc
To kick off
Tartan Day this year, the Down East Scottish Society, Inc.
initiated a request to the Office of North Carolina Governor Mike
Easley for the Proclamation of April, 2004 as Scots/Irish Heritage
Month. Our request has been honored and the Proclamation was
secured. The articles of Proclamation can be viewed on the State
of North Carolina website under the Governor's section titled
"Proclamations".
To celebrate Tartan Day, on April 6th, we donned our tartans and
held a Society Member's dinner at Parker's in Wilson, NC. On
April 20th, to continue our celebration, we will be donating a
Carolina Tartan Flag to the Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky
Mount, NC.
Le durachdan!
Julia Mullikin Batchelor
Scottish Tartans Museum, Franklin, NC
Submitted by Matt Newsome,
At 11:30 our museum's Scottish color
guard posted colors across the street from the Scottish Tartans
Museum. After the short ceremony, local representatives of
different Scottish clans and families stepped forward to proclaim
their clan. Some carried tartan banners. A short welcome was
given by Clair Suminksi, president of the Friends of the Scottish
Tartans Museum, who gave a brief history of Tartan Day. Hal
Chapman, coordinator for the annual Taste of Scotland Festival
then spoke about our festival (this June 11-12) and invited
everyone to return that weekend.
After the ceremony, the group
proceeded to the Scottish Tartans Museum where members of the
Friends had prepared a light soup, with scones, shortbread, and
Scotch eggs as appetizers. The museum was open free of charge all
day, and tour guides were on hand to answer questions on tartan,
the kilt, and Scottish history in general.
Waxhaw, NC
Submitted by
Scotty Gallamore
Luncheon for the
Scottish Society of the Waxhaws was held on April 6 at Bridge &
Rail Restaurant in Waxhaw, NC. Speeches included the history of
Tartan Day (by Dana Banta, chieftainof the Society), the history
of the Declaration of Arbroath (Scotty Gallamore), a review of
current Scottish activities coming up in the area (Lisa Stewart,
past chieftain). The restaurant was decorated with pictures from
past Scottish games and a large blue and white banner across the
outside of the restaurant proclaiming "National Tartan Day - April
6".
Judi Lloyd
NC Tartan Day Coordinator
