Local News - April 2003

Kilts, clans and bagpipes mark weekend festival

Flag retirement ceremony planned

10th Annual Loch Norman Games

By JACOB RUDOLPH, Staff Writer

This weekend is the time to discover your Scottish heritage –– whether or not you are Scottish is beside the point.

The 10th annual Loch Norman Highland Games will kick off in a fiery prelude Friday evening at the Rural Hill Farm in Huntersville and will run through Sunday afternoon –– a weekend full of piping, dancing and competition.

The festival, which is expected to bring more than 10,000 visitors to the historic Huntersville farm, will begin Friday night with the torch-lit Call o’ the Clans.

The call is an “expression of the eternal unity of the Scottish clan families,” certain to “reawaken your Celtic soul,” according to event volunteer coordinator Keets Taylor.

“The smell of the burning torches and the sight of kinsmen illuminated in the light of the growing bonfire underline this emotional ceremony,” Taylor said, describing the Call o’ the Clans.

The Scottish festival will get into full swing Saturday morning, as the field of competition opens at 8.

More than 100 clans will man tents, decorated with their family’s lineage and history.

Kilted men, women and children will race, wrestle, throw, lift and carry against one another in traditional highland sporting events, such as the kilted mile and heavy athletics.

Athletes donning plaid will hurl axes during the battle axe competition and showcase their archery skills during the long bow competition.

Throughout the weekend, bagpipes and drums will serenade festival-goers, who can enjoy seminars, workshops, food and displays –– everything Scottish.

Saturday evening will feature Celtic Fire on the Hill, a showcase of “high-energy” Celtic music from internationally recognized groups, such as Gael Warning and Celtic Air.

Sunday will feature more of the same festivities, with a flag retirement ceremony capping the festival before the closing ceremony.

The public is invited to bring American flags in need of proper retirement by the Scottish-American Military Society Post #1775.

“(The flag retirement) is a very moving ceremony,” Taylor said.  “When you see this done, I tell you, it’s breathtaking.”

Rural Hill Farm, located along Neck Road off Beatties Ford Road, was the homestead of Maj. John Davidson, whose family moved to Mecklenburg County in 1760. At one time, the farm covered 5,000 acres.

Today, the farm is home to a 20th-Century antebellum house, a brick well house, an ash house, a smoke house, a granary, two former school houses and a tenant house. The Davidson family burial ground is also located on the property.

The property is owned by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation and is maintained by the Catawba Valley Scottish Society.

Tickets for the festival are $15 for Saturday and $10 for Sunday.  Two-day passes are $20.  For additional information on the Loch Norman Highland Games, call 704-875-3113 or log onto www.lochnorman.org.

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Staff Writer Jacob Rudolph can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jacobrudolph@ltnews.com

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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