McMinnville Community Advantage Magazine October 2022

PO 672 · Aurora,

ADMINISTRATION503.825.2111

Matthew Nelson, Publisher

Catrina Nelson, CFO

Tara Weidman, Executive Assistant

Donovan Darling, Content Manager

PRODUCTION

Jeremy Okai Davis, Art Director

Stacy Benner, Sr. Graphic Designer

Holly Darling, Sr. Graphic Designer

Shawn Schmidt, Sr. Graphic Designer

Hilary Berg, Sr. Graphic Designer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Tyler Francke Dennis McNabb

David Bates Robert Matsumura

Patti Jo Brooks Olive Gallagher

Angie Helvey Sherry Dorn

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Carly Carpenter Kara Langley

Laurel Bice Hayley Starkey

Malaina Kinne Angie Helvey

Brittney Waterman Henry Schifter

Andrew Sambuceto

ADVERTISING SPECIALISTS

Don Ormsby Bill Kistler

Stephanie Baker Jim Belan

Peggy Jacobs David Long

Chris O’Brien John Zobrist

Brad Marti Shelley Zeman

Tina Toney Darren Dwyer 503.825.2111

COVER KARA

Come See Us Again For the First Time!

By Dennis McNabb, Contributing Writer Photos by Kara Langley

The name Chevrolet is one familiar to us all. It’s as recognizable and American as grandma’s apple pie. It evokes in us a sense of pride and represents the very best of what the American auto industry is capable of producing. Corvette, Camaro, Malibu, Trailblazer, Silverado: all classics and yet all still extraordinarily popular today.

As tastes vehiclesmosttoleadinghasevolved,technologiesandhaveChevyevolved,oftenthechargepresentthecuttingedgeonthe

than completelyChevrolet2019,ownershipinChevroletArmstrong&SubaruMcMinnville!UndernewsinceArmstronghasreorganized

their entire operation. General Manager / partner Jack Roberts, whom I had the pleasure of speaking with, encourages customers to drop by and see firsthand the numerous enhancements they’ve made; it’s a whole new experience. This is a top notch dealership providing the finest service available in the industry, which is why Jack and his team would like to invite you in “again for the firstWhethertime.” you are in the market for something new or pre-owned (they have over 300 pre-owned vehicles available for purchase on site!),

community. Of course, they do enjoy selling vehicles too, but their focus is on making their dealership feel like a second home. Sit down, have a cup of coffee, and relax. Buy or don’t buy, you should always feel comfortable visiting. They promise complete transparency in every deal made, and because they are non-commissioned, there is never any pressure to buy.

market. With their new line of all-electric vehicles, that charge continues, and there is no better place to purchase a new EV

Armstrong Chevrolet & Subaru is located at 1315 NE 3rd Street in McMinnville. Give them a call at (503) 472-0383, or check out their websites, armstrongchevy.com and armstrongsubaru.com. and his team invite you in

you’re getting your vehicle serviced, or you’re just coming down to peruse the lot, Armstrong Chevrolet &withtomorenothingteambasedcommissiontheirGenuinely,openyouwelcomesSubaruwitharms.non-saleslovesthaninteractthelocal

Perhaps most importantly, the team at Armstrong is highly invested in the local community. Since taking over in 2019, they have laser-focused their energy on giving back to those who have given so much to them. Multiple donations and fundraising campaigns have been established to help local schools, clubs, and organizations who are in need. Not content to simply provide the best service in the business, they seek to be goodwill ambassadors for the entire community.

Come down and reconnect with the “heartbeat of America.” Enjoy a cup of coffee. Chat with a friend. Perhaps buy a new or pre-owned vehicle. You are always welcome at Armstrong Chevrolet & Subaru.

Pie Fixes Everything

By Angie Helvey, Contributing Writer | Photos By Blue Raeven Pies

For many who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, summer berry picking brings back childhood memories of sweet berries, stained fingers, and grandma’s homemade pie. Katie Sauers of Blue Raeven Pies recalls picking blueberries since she was three years old.

“Grandpa got a five-gallon bucket and put a board on top of it, put me under the berries and said, ‘Pick here until the bucket’s full.’” She chuckles at theKatie’smemory.maternal grandfather Marvin DeRaeve and his wife Patty were the original farmers who began cultivating blueberries in 1987. Over 15 years later, Katie’s parents Ron and Jamie Lewis bought the farm and began growing a variety of berries before opening the

Blue Raeven Farmstand in Amity in 2007. It was initially just a location to sell their fruit, but with the help and imagination of Katie’s paternal grandmother Jackie Radie, and a friend who shared an old family recipe for pie crust, they started a commercial bakery and Blue Raeven Pies was born. In this family-run operation, Katie works with her parents and her brother, Kolby Lewis, who manages the farm.

Although Blue Raeven now produces 1,000 pies per day in their McMinnville production building, every single pie is handcrafted.

“We strive for quality over quantity. All the berries we grow and all the pies we make, it’s about getting the best quality to our customers,” Katie emphasizes. “We want the whole, fresh, rich berries that

we hand-select. We do our crimping by hand and use very minimal equipment in our pie plant.”

Blue Raeven has an impressive assortment of pie flavors with different combinations of fruit, as well as cream pies and seasonal pies. Katie explains how they developed the “Final 18.”

“The flavors originated with customers coming in and saying ‘Could you make me a peach raspberry pie?’ or, ‘I’d love to try a cherry rhubarb pie.’ We wanted to give our customers the option to taste any flavor we could make. The most popular

ones made it to our final menu.”

Marionberry pie is their bestseller, but customers also love the berry combination pies.

“I love the Bumbleberry–it’s my favorite,” Katie says. “It’s a combination of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, and rhubarb. The rhubarb gives it that little bit of tart. We have pies with three, four, and five different berries, and every berry comes straight from our family farm.”

Blue Raeven uses minimal ingredients in their pie fillings. With the older vines and berry plants, there’s tons of sweet, natural flavor so they don’t add much sugar. The filling recipe is very basic to showcase the taste of the berries. But what about that flaky, tender, slightly buttery crust that melts in your mouth?

“The crust recipe is definitely our secret,” says Katie, “and that keeps everyone coming back.” They also offer a small selection of savory pies with the same delicious crust available at theBluefarmstand.Raeven Pies landed their first wholesale account in 2013, and you can now find them at Market of Choice, Zupan’s, Harvest Fresh, and various spots in Oregon. Check their website for a complete list.

Katie and her family appreciate being part of the

works hard on the family farm to make sure they are producing the highest quality fruit for their customers without fail.“We have so much fun running the business together,” says Katie. “I get to work with my brother every day, and my mom and dad. We have three little ones that are now our fourth generation.”

The Blue Raeven Farmstand in Amity is a tasty destination spot, offering a daily assortment of freshly baked cookies, muffins, hand pies, and other treats. The family partners with other local small businesses to showcase their artisan products at the Farmstand, including local wines, jams and jellies, teas, syrups, salsas, and more.

Visit the Blue Raeven Farmstand for a fresh berry milkshake or build your own sandwich on freshly baked quick bread. Don’t forget to grab a pie or two to take home. After all, as the Blue Raeven family philosophy says, “Pie Fixes Everything.”

CARVE THE PERFECT PUMPKIN

Believe it or not, everyone can be an artist when it comes to pumpkin carving, but it is harder than it looks. Follow the following eleven tips, and your gourds will look and smell good the entire trick-or-treating season. Get carving!

 Start with the right pumpkin. Choose one that’s fresh, with a sturdy stem, no bruises, and a flat bottom so it won’t roll while you carve.

 Cut from the bottom, not the top.

Cutting your “lid” from the bottom of the pumpkin helps prevent the sides from caving in later.

 If you carve from the top, cut lid on an angle. This way it won’t drop inside the pumpkin when you replace it, like it would with a straight up-and-down cut. A boning knife should work well for this.

 Scoop out all the pulp (and then some).

You can buy a special “claw” for pumpkin gutting, but an ice cream scoop will do just fine. Thin the inner wall of the “face” area to 1¼-inch thick, so it will be easier to pierce the shell.

 Sketch your design to size on paper first.

Tape it to the front of your pumpkin. Using a fork or pencil, poke holes along the lines you want to carve.

 Try holding the pumpkin in your lap.

It’s easier to create features when the face is gazing up at you. It is suggested to use a serrated kitchen knife or an X-Acto knife.

 Start by making simple rough cuts.

If you get the big pieces of pumpkin out of the way first, you can go back and clean up the edges of your design later.

 Use your scraps creatively.

Make a tongue, pipe, or hair accessories out of discarded pieces of pumpkin shell, for example.

 Keep your pumpkin fresh.

Spread petroleum jelly on the cut edges to seal in moisture. If your pumpkin still shrivels a few days later, revive it with a facedown soak in cold water for up to eight hours.

 Create a chimney.

First, leave the lid on for a few minutes while the candle burns. Cut a small hole where the pumpkin has blackened up top. Or, save yourself the stress and opt for a battery-operated votive.

Sprinkle cinnamon inside.

That way, when you light the candle, your jack-o’-lantern will smell like a pumpkin pie. Yum.

The Tale of Stingy Jack

Exploring the myth behind Halloween’s pumpkin pastime

By Krysta M. Nelson, Contributing Writer

Oh autumn, what a wonderful time of year! A time to break out all my favorite sweaters just as the leaves are turning into vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red. And best of all, the arrival of Halloween, my favorite holiday. My nickname as a kid was Little Miss Mess Maker, as carving pumpkins has always been my favorite Halloween activity–one time I even recreated a horror movie with gourd guts. While carving pumpkins is extremely popular, most people don’t know the myth behind the mess and tradition.

Long ago in a small Irish town, a drunkard named Stingy Jack earned his moniker after tricking the Devil himself. Jack was notorious in his little town, and Satan had heard of his mischievous deeds. Jack may have been known for being a drunken scoundrel—scuttered and bollocksed—but he was also a clever lad, so he convinced the Devil to take him to his favorite pub as a last request and to pay for the bill. When the tab came due, Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin so Jack could pay for the drinks, then they could leave for theTheunderworld.Devilwas fooled. And instead of paying up, Jack dropped the coin into his pocket alongside a silver crucifix, trapping the fiery foe in the form of a coin. The Devil begged Stingy Jack to

release him. And so Jack released him, but only on the condition that the Devil would not bother him for another year, and should Jack die, Satan could not claim his soul.

True to his word, the Devil didn’t return for a whole year. When the Devil finally reappeared to claim his soul, Jack tricked the Devil to climb a fruit tree and pick him a last meal to eat before traveling to Hell. Once the Devil reached the top of the tree, Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree trunk, trapping the Devil high among the branches. Again, Satan begged Jack for freedom, but this time, Jack made the Devil promise to not bother him for another 10 years. Of course, the Devil agreed to his terms and was freed.

Jack died soon thereafter. Because of his mischief and sins, he was denied entrance to Heaven. Upset by the trickery and scheming, and true to his word of not claiming his soul, Satan denied Jack entrance into Hell, too. As a parting gift, the Devil gifted Jack a lump of burning coal to light his way

and sent him off into the night. Jack placed the burning coal in a hollowed out turnip, and he has roamed the earth ever since. The Irish began calling this eerie creature “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack O’Lantern” for short.

In Ireland and Scotland, people began carving their own unique versions of jack-o’-lanterns, cutting terrifying faces into turnips, potatoes,

beets, or rutabagas, and lighting and displaying them near doors or windows to frighten away Stingy Jack and other evil spirits. In the mid-1800s, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the jack-o’-lantern tradition with them when they moved to the U.S. And they soon found that pumpkins, a large fruit native to America, made for perfect jack-o’-lanterns.Sincethen,there have been many attempts in popular culture to revive this long-forgotten tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns from turnips. In 2015, due to a severe pumpkin shortage caused by severe rain, the charity English Heritage called for Brits to rekindle their love for turnip carving and return to the original tradition of turnip jack-o’lanterns. English Heritage even went so far as to install many ghoulish turnip jack-o’-lanterns at Dover Castle to inspire others to do the same. Whether carving trunips will become popular again is still unknown.

In Ireland and Scotland, people began carving their own unique versions of jacko’-lanterns, cutting terrifying faces into turnips, potatoes, beets, or rutabagas, and lighting and displaying them near doors or windows to frighten away Stingy Jack and other evil spirits.

There are, however, many benefits to turnip carving over pumpkin carving. There’s no stringy pumpkin mess or seeds to clean out. Turnips are quite small and portable, so they can actually be hung like little lanterns. Also, turnips are cheap! So you can afford to make dozens and dozens if you’re so inclined. If they’re careful with a knife, older kids can carve a turnip by themselves because they’re so much simpler and smaller. The red-white color and eerie roots are scarier than pumpkins. After you scoop out the insides of the turnip, you can make mashed turnips. Yum! And because they’re available year round, you can carve turnips for more than just jack-o’-lanterns — votive holders, artwork or whatever you want.

So, there you have it. I love it when holidays and their fun-filled activities have such a rich history as Halloween and the Stingy Jack origin of pumpkin carving. And the fact that the history is also a ghost story is even more fun! Whether you choose to carve a pumpkin or turnip, I hope you and yours have a safe, fun, messy, and memorable holiday.

Elmer’s Flag & Banner was started by Elmer Reider in 1963. A former car salesman, Elmer learned about a new kind of business when his car lot was visited by a man whose trade was decorating dealerships with flags, signs and colorful banners. “The story goes that there was a guy who was coming around doing decorations for the car lot,” explains Dave Anchel, president of Elmer’s. “Elmer asked him if he was making any money and the guy said, ‘Better than you!’” Elmer believed it, so he left auto sales for the car lot decorating business. The store prospered, thanks to his talent for spotting niche business opportunities, like flags and banners, and his commitment to building customer loyalty with quality products and honest service. Today, Elmer’s is Portland’s largest flag, banner and kite store, with 4,000 square feet of products, everything from weathervanes to windsocks.

Anchel grew up in rural northeast Pennsylvania, where he spent 22 years in the family business, learning how to run a successful small company. In their search for a business to purchase, Anchel and his wife visited Portland and fell in love. “We came to Portland, had some really good chocolate and said to each other, ‘We could live here,’” he recalls.

Variety is the spice of life and it’s also what you’ll find at Elmer’s. Anchel estimates the store offers some 8,000 different products, about 1,200 of which are available online. Elmer’s also makes its

own custom flags and banners, by hand and in-house. They make both high-quality, digitally designed flags and banners, and are one of the only companies in the United States that still does appliqué - the time-honored tradition of sewing one piece of fabric onto another - just like Betsy Ross.

“We make those by hand, upstairs in our sewing shop, and they look gorgeous,” Anchel explains. “It’s for when people want an heirloom qual ity flag, like of their family crest, or when a high school wins a wantspionshipchamandtohoist a banner to sells,manufactures,Elmer’sceiling.”gymnasiumtheiralsoinstallsand

services custom poles, including two of the tallest in the state of Oregon, measuring 120 feet. “They’re monsters,” Anchel says with a laugh.

Elmer’s selection of kites, flags, banners, weather vanes, wind spin ners and other wind toys will amaze you. Looking to spruce up your home’s exterior? Stop into the retail store at 1332 NE Broadway in Portland, Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Or visit their website, elmersflag.com anytime.

by David Bates, Contributing Writer approaching cancer withcourage.

Caitlin Sticka was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 when she was only 30 years old. She says she was blessed with having a wonderful support system of family and friends. “When I was recovering from one of my surgeries,” Caitlin recalls, “I was laying in bed and the thought came to me that I wanted to give back and to provide support for other women in my community who were going through something similar.”

That is how With Courage was born. Initially, the program was launched in 2016 under the umbrella of Hope on the Hill, working out of the Church on the Hill in McMinnville. “They were wonderful and allowed With Courage to grow, and eventually we decided to step out on our own,” she says. The group became a 501c3 this

Asyear.atwo-time

survivor herself, Caitlin knows that being in the company of others who have been through the experience is so important. The primary goal of With Courage is to provide a strong network of support to women and families affected by breast cancer. If you’re local to Yamhill County and are newly diagnosed, currently

undergoing treatment, or you’ve come through as a survivor, her group is here to support

Thereyou.are multiple ways that With Courage lends its support, such as providing care packages with useful and comforting items for patients in active treatment. They also have a private Facebook support group, which is monitored by Caitlin and others from the organization. “This support is for our clients who are in any stage of their diagnosis or survivorship,” she says. “We know that the ‘after’ of cancer can be harder than the actual treatment.”

Normally they hold monthly in-person support meetings, but those remain on hold due to the pandemic, and will resume when it is safe to do so. Additionally, they strive to provide financial assistance opportunities for women in active treatment, paid directly to providers and companies for medical services. Since

their founding, they have delivered 50 care packages to patients in active treatment and given more than $30,000 in financial help and support to more than 150Thefamilies.teamat With Courage pride themselves on holding unique and interesting fundraisers, and there was never a better time for creative fundraising than in 2020. “We had to postpone a few of our favorite events due to Covid, but we’re looking forward to hosting our 8th Annual Pink Ribbon Event on Oct. 1st. It will be much different this year but we are working hard to come up with something unique and fun!”

Those who are hesitant to reach out are encouraged to take a look at the With Courage Facebook page and read testimonials from some of the women who have been helped. “We know everyone has different comfort levels, and we hope that people feel safe and welcome in our group,” Caitlin says.

With Courage is located in the Cozine House in downtown McMinnville, at 105 NE Third Street, Ste B. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 2pm. Visit their website at www.withcourage.org, or call 503-02183703 for more information.

Elmer’s Flag & Banner was started by Elmer Reider in 1963. A former car salesman, Elmer learned about a new kind of business when his car lot was visited by a man whose trade was decorating dealerships with flags, signs and colorful banners. “The story goes that there was a guy who was coming around doing decorations for the car lot,” explains Dave Anchel, president of Elmer’s. “Elmer asked him if he was making any money and the guy said, ‘Better than you!’” Elmer believed it, so he left auto sales for the car lot decorating business. The store prospered, thanks to his talent for spotting niche business opportunities, like flags and banners, and his commitment to building customer loyalty with quality products and honest service. Today, Elmer’s is Portland’s largest flag, banner and kite store, with 4,000 square feet of products, everything from weathervanes to windsocks.

Anchel grew up in rural northeast Pennsylvania, where he spent 22 years in the family business, learning how to run a successful small company. In their search for a business to purchase, Anchel and his wife visited Portland and fell in love. “We came to Portland, had some really good chocolate and said to each other, ‘We could live here,’” he recalls.

Variety is the spice of life and it’s also what you’ll find at Elmer’s. Anchel estimates the store offers some 8,000 different products, about 1,200 of which are available online. Elmer’s also makes its

own custom flags and banners, by hand and in-house. They make both high-quality, digitally designed flags and banners, and are one of the only companies in the United States that still does appliqué - the time-honored tradition of sewing one piece of fabric onto another - just like Betsy Ross.

“We make those by hand, upstairs in our sewing shop, and they look gorgeous,” Anchel explains. “It’s for when people want an heirloom qual ity flag, like of their family crest, or when a high school wins a wantspionshipchamandtohoist a banner to sells,manufactures,Elmer’sceiling.”gymnasiumtheiralsoinstallsand

services custom poles, including two of the tallest in the state of Oregon, measuring 120 feet. “They’re monsters,” Anchel says with a laugh.

Elmer’s selection of kites, flags, banners, weather vanes, wind spin ners and other wind toys will amaze you. Looking to spruce up your home’s exterior? Stop into the retail store at 1332 NE Broadway in Portland, Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Or visit their website, elmersflag.com anytime.

By Donovan Darling, Staff Writer

AtheDDA ms FA mily (1991)

is based on the 1964 TV show!

Starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci, the movie follows a gloomy but loving family of outcasts who live in a gothic mansion on the hill. Full of the macabre, cartoony violence, and biting social commentary, the jokes and goofs land like punches in this otherworldly romp. Rated PG-13.

CA s P er (1995)

“Who says there’s no such thing as ghosts?” In this dark Jamestherapistafterlifedramedy,fantasyDr.Harvey (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) move into a haunted mansion to exorcize ghosts for a greedy inheritor bent on finding treasure. It’s silly and slapstick, yet serious and contemplative–after all, you can’t have ghosts without death. Good for kiddos 6+. Rated PG.

Stream these movies where available, or rent from your local movie store, library, or rental kiosk.

h o CU s Po CU s (1993)

“Oh, look. Another glorious morning. Makes me sick!”

One of my favorite Halloween movies, it’s the story of three witches burned at the stake who return to terrorize the children of Salem, Mass. With a killer cast including Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Thora Birch, it’s whacky, spooky, and actionpacked. Rated PG, but with strong language and mature themes it’s more like PG-13.

ghostb U sters (1984)

“Who you gonna call?” There’s nothing like it, pure and simple. A supernatural comedy starring a legendary cast, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold SigourneyRamis,Weaver, and more. Parapsychologists turn ghost hunters in New York City and end up saving the world. There’s ghosts, marshmallow giants, and so much nostalgia. Rated PG, but with strong language and mature themes it’s more like PG-13.

“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.” I binged all 7 of these movies last year, and they are equal parts horror and camp. They’re so bad that they’re good, you know? Imaginative, terrifying, funny, and always graphically violent, Robert Englund haunts my nightmares indefinitely! Adults only.

“killed” since released. Like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s other movies, this plays on genre tropes and makes for geniuslevel comedy. Ultra violence and profuse profanity really make this a dirty pleasure movie. Adults only. Rated R.

Rated R. AUN o F the D e AD moviemovies,comedyfewOne“Winchester?”oftheveryhorrorzombiethishas

“Smell that air, darkfavorites,AnotherLikeFester!atomb.”ofmythiscomedy

In-Store Orders Only

CHICKEN

ANY FAMILY SIZED STUFFED PIZZA Only

Halloween Popcorn Balls

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

1 tsp vanilla

4-5 cups mini marshmallows

3/4 cup Reeses pieces

3/4 cup candy corn

3/4 cup white chocolate pretzels (chopped)

DIRECTIONS

Pop your popcorn and put in a large bowl. In a large pan over medium high heat, melt your butter. Add in your vanilla and marshmallows, stirring constantly until melted and creamy.

Pour the marshmallow mixture over your popcorn and stir until popcorn is fully Allowcoated.toset

for a couple minutes, then stir in half the Reese’s pieces and candy corn.

Separate your popcorn into 10 sections.

Press in the white chocolate pretzels (they’ll melt if they go in sooner) into each section.

Shape popcorn into balls. If the mixture is sticking to your hands, spray them with nonstick spray as needed.

Press additional candies onto the outside of the popcorn balls.

Place balls on parchment paper and allow to set for about an hour.

C Celebrating

C elti C H Ceritage

By David Bates, Contributing Writer | Photos Provided By Celtic Heritage Alliance

Wait, a Scottish Festival in HowMcMinnville?didthathappen, you might ask?

It happened a few years ago when the group that hosted a similar event on the Oregon coast folded, and thanks to social connections it was transplanted to McMinnville in 2018 and launched on the campus of Linfield University. Organizer and board member at-large Tony Shouldis recalls a scene that was thick with kilts, bagpipes, and athletes throwing rocks like they were pieces of gravel and realizing they had something special.

“We were walking around just looking at what was going on at the festival and we were like, holy cow, we did it!” he said. “We made this work.”

If you’ve missed it, don’t feel bad.

The festival has been here only a few years, one of which was canceled due to COVID. Also, organizers have moved the event around a bit, both geographically and on the calendar. But they’ve settled at the Yamhill County Fairgrounds in McMinnville, and the kilts, clans, music, food, and much more return this fall, Oct. 1st2nd, for a fun event that brings people together and celebrates Celtic culture andTheheritage.festival is unique in that it literally brings strangers together, helping people determine if their family tree is already connected to an existing clan that originated from any of the seven Celtic Nations, including Brittany, Cornwall,

Galicia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. The Yamhill County Genealogical Society (not to mention a lot of clans) will have booths to help people look up their family history. A single clan, such as MacGregor, Donald, or Stewart, can have literally hundreds of surnames associated with it–if you know how to look.

“These days, people are searching for where they belong,” Shouldis said. “This is one way of helping people connect.”

One of the most popular attractions are the Highland Games, an event that

draws throw,cabertoaroundathletesprofessionalfromtheregioncompeteinthetoss,hammerandstoneput,

all sports that have literally become emblematic of Scotland. It’s crazy fun, with both men and women competing to see who can throw a 21-pound stone theAlongfarthest.with a Highland Dance Competition, there will be dozens of booths featuring Celtic-themed art, crafts, fashion and food, a beer garden and whiskey tastings. And this year’s headliner act will be featured both nights: The Wicked Tinkers.“They’re a great Celtic band with drums and bagpipes and they’re really high-energy,” Shouldis said. “They’re going to put on a great show.”

For more information about this year’s event or the Celtic Heritage Alliance, to buy tickets or to find out how you can get involved, visit groupmac-scottish-festival/,celticheritage.org/orfindtheonFacebookorInstagram.