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North Alabama Scottish Festival
Thanks to Terry Cochran for this information


12th Annual North Alabama
Scottish Festival & Highland Games
Dublin Park, Madison, Alabama

North Alabama Scottish Festival

North Alabama Scottish FestivalJune 16, 2001, I drove from Atlanta, GA to northern Alabama and it was a beautiful day with the most brilliant blue sky I’ve seen in a while! Now, armed only with internet directions, I ended up seeing a lot of countryside, was directed to the wrong place, and was late, but enjoyed the drive. This area of Alabama is a study in contrasts. It’s farmland, with vegetable farmers parked on the road selling their produce.

Madison is a suburb of Huntsville and found I was in the middle of NASA territory! A rocket loomed up beside the freeway! Marshall Space Flight Center, Space Camp, Rocket Museum and Redstone Arsenal are right by the road!

North Alabama Scottish Festival

Dublin Park is a fine setting for this festival. There’s plenty of shade, a good seat to watch the athletic competitions and performers, and good Southern hospitality! The Honored Clan of these games was one I belong to: Ross. Bob Ross, Southeast Regional Commissioner of Clan Ross USA, was there as were the friendly Ross crowd. Thanks to Dee and everyone for the nice seat and lunch! It was much appreciated.

North Alabama Scottish Festival Bob Ross, Southeast Regional Commissioner of Clan Ross USA

Clan Ross Tent

There were a few clan tents to visit, Wales was represented there, too! They were promoting Wales and the language of the Cymru. Classes to learn the language are in Atlanta. I also found a tent for American Scots to sign up and support full Independence for Scotland! Where else but America for Independence?

Independence for Scotland Glenastar Pipe Band

There was entertainment galore! The Full Moon Ensemble performed with their absolutely beautiful music. Grand Masters Fiddle Champion Daniel Carwile plays fiddle and mandolin for them. The vocals were excellent as always!

The Full Moon Ensemble The Full Moon Ensemble

On hand were the Wild Hares who played Irish music, Flora McDonald Gammon who sang and interviewed a Cherokee Chief of Scots/Indian descent on our similarities and differences, Richard Van Valkenburgh who sang ballads (and he’s a Huntsville native), and a Celtic band that played as well as any professional show I’ve ever seen!

Wales

Of course, there were pipers: The Montgomery, Alabama Pipe Band and the Glenastar Pipe Band. If you speak Gaelic, you know Glenastar means "Space Valley" and is quite appropriate for Huntsville!

The Tennessee Valley Scottish Country Dancers and the Huntsville Highlanders Dancers were on hand to demonstrate all styles. I managed to catch a couple of Irish dancers in motion.

Dancers Wild Hares

The Heavy Athletic events were on a ball field. There were competitions in the Hammer Toss, the Caber Toss, the Sheaf Toss, the Weight Toss for height and for distance (28 & 56 lb) and the Clachneart or "Stone of Strength": more or less a shotput with a stone weighing 16 to 28 lbs. Judging this event was Herman Ibach.

Dogs Jacobites

Scottie Throwing the weight


 

 


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