63rd Annual Games
JULY 12-15
A Special Publication of
Games of the Games Lay of the Land (Games Map inside!)
Scottish Cultural Village Music on the Mountain Great Haggis! Highland Games cuisine
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GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
2018 Highland Games at a glance Number of Scottish clans and societies: More than 100 Number of clan tents: More than 150 Honored clans: Clan Elliott, Clan MacThomas 2018 Chieftans of the Games: Margaret Frances Boswell Elliott, 29th Chief of Clan Elliot and Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, 19th Chief of Clan MacThomas Ambassador of the Games: Tommy Burleson, Avery County native and 1974 NCAA collegiate champion who excelled in basketball at high school, college and professional levels. Clan Tent Award (2017 Games): Clan Gregor (MacGregor) Clan of Excellence (2017 Games): Clan Buchanan Corporate sponsors • The Avery Journal-Times and Mountain Times Publications • Bradley Imports, LLC • Cameron’s British Foods and Imports • Coca-Cola • Duncan Soutar of St. Andrews • Foscoe Rentals • Glenmorangie • Grandfather Mountain • Grandfather Scottish • High Country Adventures • High Country Radio • Highland Heritage, Ltd • Highland Outfitters • Hi Ho Silver Company • House of Gordon • James J. Shaffer Photography • Jerky Outpost • Lees-McRae Summer Theatre • Mookie’s Kettle Korn • New York Caledonian Club • Pack Rats • Pottery by Sonny Fletcher
PHOTO BY THOMAS SHERRILL The row of tents at the 2017 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
• R.E. Piland, Goldsmiths • Savannah Scottish Games • Scotland County, NC Highland Games • Scotland Rising • Scotland Rising/GMHG Tee Shirts • Scots Corner • Scottish Cottage • Scottish Gourmet, USA • Scottish Heritage USA • Thistle School of Scottish Country Dance • WNCW • Wolfstone Kilt Company Nonprofit organizations and services provided: • Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department — shuttle bus service • Watauga County Hunger and Health
Coalition — parking • Avery High School — parking lot • Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute — parking lot • Avery County Rotary Club and Watauga Hunger and Health Coalition — parking, concessions and first aid • Banner Elk Kiwanis — program sales • Linville Volunteer Fire Department — firewood and ice sales • Appalachian State University — track and field equipment Featured highland bagpipe bands in 2018: • Grandfather Mountain Highlanders (host band) • Jamestown Pipes and Drums • The Loch Norman Pipe Band
PHOTO BY JAMES SHAFFER A staple of every annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, the dulcet tones of pipes and drums are seen and heard often throughout the weekend.
• North Carolina State University Pipes and Drums • Blue Ridge Brass and Pipes • Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums Featured musical performers in 2018: • Scottish Octopus • Atlantic North • Ed Miller • Seven Nations • Rathkeltair • Williams Jackson and Grainne Hambly • Alasdair White • Chambless and Muse • Marybeth McQueen • Brothers McLeod • Piper Jones Band
What’s new at the Games? BY CARTER NORTH carter.north@averyjournal.com
The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games are steeped in tradition, but have never been above allowing for improvements. This year the Highland Games will still have its regularly served menu of Scottish favorites, but there will also be healthier food options provided by Newland’s Seasons N.C. Restaurant, which will have its own tent this year. Additionally the Highland Games will be hosting a handful of new musicians and performers, as well as welcoming many in return. New performers include the Scottish rock band Scottish Octopus, professional performer Seamus Kennedy and Atlantic North, a trio made up of faculty and students from East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old Time, Celtic and Country Music Studies program.
FILE PHOTO Capacity crowds attend the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games each second weekend in July.
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
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BY
Ticket, please Everything you need to know about getting into the Games CARL BLANKENSHIP carl.blankenship@averyjournal.com
P
erhaps the hottest ticket in the state during the second weekend in July is tickets to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, where Scottish culture is as thick as the occasional fog that engulfs MacRae Peak on a cool summer morning. Attendees can purchase tickets by mail, phone, using a credit card or by using the order form on the Games’ website by clicking to www.gmhg.org. Tickets for the Games
can also be purchased at Adult Ticket (Without the entrance gate or at the Shuttle Bus Ride): $55 Games’ Linville office. Cash — Four-Day Advance or credit cards are acceptChild Ticket: $30 (Includes ed at the Shuttle office and Bus Rides sales tent. on Friday, Children Saturday younger and Sunday than five from all Click to www.gmhg.org or years old available call (828) 733-1333 for more can attend shuttle information and to order tickets free. locations.) online or over the phone. The Four-Day prices for Advance this year’s tickets and what Child Ticket (without Shuteach package includes are tle Bus Ride): $20 as follows: Shuttle tickets from — Four-Day Advance Avery County High School Adult Ticket: $75 and Linville are $5 per per— Four-Day Advance son. Shuttle tickets from
GET YOUR TICKETS REMOTELY
Caldwell Community and Technical College in Boone are $10 per person. Tickets for the Thursday night Torchlight Opening Ceremony at MacRae Meadows are $15 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets for the Friday night Preliminaries are $20 for adults and $5 for children, while tickets for the Friday Night Concert at MacRae Meadows are $15 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets for the Friday night Scottish Dance Gala at Lees-McRae College are $25 for dancers and $10 for spectators.
PHOTO BY ROB MOORE Visitors enter the field to witness the opening of another annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
On Saturday, adult general admission tickets for the Games are $30 for adults and $5 for children. Ticket cost for the Saturday night concert at MacRae Meadows are $15 for adults and $5 each for children. For Sunday Games activities, tickets are $15 for
adults and $5 for children. The Games is also hosting its second-annual Whiskey Tasting at The Best Western Mountain Lodge in Banner Elk from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. Click to the Games’ website for more information at www.gmhg.org.
Chieftains and Honored Clans of the 2018 Games and founder of Hong Kong.
BY JAMIE SHELL editor@averyjournal.com
CLAN MACTHOMAS
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ach year, it is a great feather in one’s tartan to be tabbed as an honored clan for an iteration of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Many clans have held the distinction with great pride and excellence, and 2018 is no different, as a pair of clans are honored at this year’s Games with the title of “Honored Clan.”
CLAN ELLIOT Margaret Frances Boswell Eliott is the 29th Chief of Clan Elliot and is making a maiden voyage to MacRae Meadows for this year’s Highland Games. “Christopher and I are really looking forward to this wonderful annual event,” Eliott said. “I am so pleased and honored to have been invited.” Eliott is the daughter of Sir Arthur Eliott of Stobs, and inherited a well-organized clan society and nonprofit organization benefiting local communities that dates to its founding in 1972. Margaret has served as chief of the clan for 28 years, and has attended a number of
SUBMITTED PHOTO Margaret Frances Boswell Eliott (Clan Elliot) and Andrew MacThomas of Finegard (Clan MacThomas) are the Chieftains representing the Honored Clans of the 2018 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
North American gatherings. The Elliot clan originally derived from Angus and has always been a tradition in the family and it is scarcely a coincidence that the name should be the same as that of the River Elliot in Angus. The little river runs into the sea near Arbroath and in ancient times was spelled “Elloch” or “Elloth” or “Ellot.” The move from Angus to Liddesdale likely occurred
around the years 1320-1321 when Robert the Bruce needed support to strength his Borderlands after the dispossession of William de Soulis as Lord of Liddesdale. The Ellots of Liddesdale became known as “The best light cavalry” mounted and ready for sudden foray or swift revenge. In 1603, King James VI of Scotland became James I of England and the Eliotts did not find the adjustment
to be easy, as much of their land was made forfeit as punishment for continuing their raiding and reiving. Many Eliotts fled to escape hanging and imprisonment, traversing to Northern Ireland and eventually from there across to a new life in America. Many Eliott descendants became great soldiers, statesmen and diplomats, including a Viceroy of India, Governor General of Canada
Clan MacThomas takes its name from a 15th century Gaelic speaking Highlander, called Tomaidh Mor (“Great Tommy”). All the early chiefs were seated at the Thom, opposite the Spittal fo Glenshee. The Clan was mentioned in the Acts of the Scottish Parliament of 1587 and 1595. When the 4th Chief, Robert MacThomaidh of the Thom was murdered in 1600, the Chiefship passed to his brother, John McComie of Finegand, three miles to the South, which became the seat of the Chiefs. The MacThomases flourished in Glenshee, acquiring much property. Time was spent breeding cattle and fighting off those seeking to rustle them. the 7th Chief, John McComie, and his deeds have passed into the folklore of Perthshire and Angus, with many legends surrounding the Chief’s exploits and heroic actions. The current 19th Chief, Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, is an honored Chieftain at this year’s Games.
MacThomas succeeded Patrick Watt MacThomas, who married a second cousin of Her Majesty the Queen in 1941, which once again officially recognized Patrick Watt MacThomas by the Lyon Court by the historic designation “The MacThomas of Finegand.” Andrew MacThomas of Finegand has been 19th Chief for the past 47 years. Growing up in Edinburgh, he was educated in both England and Scotland. He is retired from his role as Public Affairs Director of Barclays plc, one of the world’s leading financial services companies based in London, where he still live with his Dutch-born wife, Anneke. They have two children: Tom and Amy. Finegand serves as President of the Clan MacThomas Society, Vice-President of the Clan Chattan Association (which includes: Davidson, Farquharson, MacBean, MacGillivray, MacIntosh, MacPhail, MacPherson, MacQueen, Shaw and MacThomas), and, since 2010, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
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Scottish Cultural Village offers educational experience BY CARTER NORTH carter.north@averyjournal.com
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he Scottish Cultural Village at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games will be located at the Chieftain tent this year. The village will offer a fresh and unique educational presentation every 30 minutes led by an expert who is excited to share their knowledge with those eager to learn. The topics chosen are meant to edify onlookers about Scottish culture, providing them with extra background knowledge to enrich the experience of the games. The Scottish Cultural Village will offer onlookers the opportunity to earn a GMHG Ph.D by attending at least five programs put on by the village. Participants will collect an official stamp at each seminar attended. Get five stamps and receive your diploma! The programs scheduled for the weekend inside the Scottish Cultural Village at the Games is as follows.
FRIDAY How to Wear the Kilt,
FILE PHOTO One of the presenters during a seminar in the Scottish Cultural Village at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
Then and Now — Men’s Highlands wear has been shrouded in mystery for too long! Learn the proper way to wear a kilt in modern times, day wear and for formal occasions. We’ll show you how easy it is to fold five yards of wool and look fabulous. Scotch Whisky 101 — What is the difference between single malt and a blend? What is the difference between Scotch whisky and all other whiskies?
Come learn about Scotch whisky production and what makes Scotch Whisky so delicious! Blue Ridge Brass/Pipes & Drums — The group will be the featured performers at a luncheon concert. They will be presented by Ed Miller, premier Scottish Folk Singer. He will introduce the various musical selections with a brief history and explain why the songs are relevant today.
The National Trust of Scotland — The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA helps Scotland’s largest conservation charity care for irreplaceable treasures — from islands like St. Kilda and Iona, to battlefields like Culloden and Bannockburn, to majestic landscapes like Glencoe and Glenfinnan, to gardens like Inverewe, to castles like Craigievar and Fraser and countless others. Learn about these treasures and
DON’T WAIT FOR SATURDAY
Everyday is a
FARMER’S MARKET at Maw’s! Highway 105 South, Foscoe • 828.963.8254 TUESDAY-SUNDAY 9AM-6PM www.facebook.com/mawsproduce Valid July 11-17, 2018. Cannot be combined with any other discounts.
more. Loud and Sharp — Everyone knows the Highland warrior was bold, deadly and awfully prickly, but how much of that is a true reflection of his martial ardor and just what was it that made the Highland warrior someone to be feared? We will attempt to answer that question as well as explore a few myths and view replicas of ancient weapons. The Viking Colonization of Scotland — Viking depredations had been recorded in the British Isles since the late 8th century. Scandinavian settlement on Scotland’s western seaboard may have begun before the turn of the 9th century. Learn of their colonization and conquest. Heavy Athletics — A discussion about each of the seven heavy events presented on the mountain as well as a brief history of each event.
SATURDAY — How to Wear the Kilt, Then and Now A Brief History of Scottish Distilling — An exploration into the roles that culture, conflict,
industry, taxations, and the clergy had on the evolution of Scottish distilling. How did and ancient process for making perfumes developed in Mesopotamia evolve into the modern-day distillation of our beloved Scotch Whisky? How did Henry VIII inadvertently change the course of Whisky history? How did the Scots influence the development of Bourbon, and how does Bourbon continue to influence Scotch Whisky to this day? — Blue Ridge Brass/ Pipes & Drums — The National Trust of Scotland — Loud and Sharp — The Viking Colonization of Scotland Highland Regiments Service in North America — After the final Jacobite rising failed in 1746, the British government was very eager to remove the highland clans that had been fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Minister of War decided the best way to do that was encourage the clans to enlist in the Highland Regiments to go abroad and fight. They first fought the French in the Seven Years War, then the upstart colonists in the Revolution and finally the War of 1812.
SUNDAY — Blue Ridge Brass/ Pipes & Drums — Loud and Sharp — The Viking Colonization of Scotland — Highland Regiments Service in North America
SCOTTISH CULTURAL VILLAGE PRESENTERS Blue Ridge Brass/ Pipes & Drums: Formed in 1985 at the request of the GMHG Board of Directors SEE VILLAGE ON PAGE 5
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FILE PHOTO Blue Ridge Brass / Pipes & Drums are regular performers at the Scottish Cultural Village during the weekend of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
VILLAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
the band’s purpose was to perform the opening ceremonies for the games as well as to provide music for worship services. Currently the band is comprised of 15 brass players, six pipers and three drummers. They have performed at all of the opening ceremonies and worship services at the games since 1986. The band is directed and the music is composed by James Laughridge. Kirstin Bridier: Bridier is the Executive Director of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA. She has extensive experience in fundraising and education at history and art museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isa-
bella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Nantucket Historical Association. Kristin graduated from Smith College and holds a MSc In historic preservation from University of Pennsylvania. Dam Crowell: Crowell has more than 25 years of experience with spirits and is currently the U.S. Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Brand Ambassador. Crowell has worked as a bar tender, bar manager, bar owner, and is now the Brand Ambassador of some of his favorite whiskies. He is a member of the United States Bartenders Guild and of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. He has also been awarded an Excellence in Journalism award from the Omaha Press Club because of his writing on spirits. John Miles: Miles is a former college professor and retired US Marine Officer.
Today Miles delivers lectures on Scottish history, he is a six-time published author in Marine Corps Gazette, the professional journal of the Marine Corps. Lin Robinson, FSA Scot: Robinson is descended from several Scottish Clans. Learning about his family spurred further interest in the history of Scotland, including dress, customs and weaponry of the ancient Highlander. He has published articles in The Highlander magazine. For 14 years, along with his wife, he owned a retail business specializing in the sale of Scottish and Medieval weaponry, armor and accessories called Bold Blades. He is currently writing a book to be released in the fall of 2018 on the Scottish migration to southeastern North Carolina and the immigrants’ participation in the Revolutionary War. Larry Satchwell: Satchwell has partic-
ipated in the Heavy Events since the late 1970s. He retired from throwing in after 30 years of experience. Satchwell is a certified Heavy Events judge and for the past several years it has been his voice announcing from the field informing everyone about what has taken place during the throwing events. He was recently inducted into the Gwinnett County Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame. Virginia Watson: Watson is an awarded costume designer who has created Medieval and Renaissance clothing for more than 30 years. For years she designed and made custom leather boots, handbags and leather clothing at Potomac Leather Co. a company she cofounded with her husband, Bill. After years of experience making cloths Watson found her true calling, making Celtic historical clothing.
GMHG assists local students with scholarships BY THOMAS SHERRILL thomas.sherrill@averyjournal.com
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hile no one can deny the excitement and pageantry of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, few realize the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to bring the Games to life. Without the assistance of a dedicated group of local employees and volunteers, the Games simply could not happen. Among these many unsung heroes of GMHG, a number of Avery County’s youngest citizens are key contributors to helping the Games operate. From
picking up trash around the premises to assisting patrons and guests, students have always been pivotal players in the success of the Games. In return for their dedicated service, many of these young people are duly rewarded with financial assistance when they graduate from high school, allowing them to pursue their goals of higher education. For decades, GMHG has made it a priority to assist high school students in Avery County who work or volunteer with the Games through scholarships. According to GMHG General Manager Tommy Taylor,
hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship aid has been awarded to hundreds of students since the Games began in 1956. Taylor noted that each scholarship recipient falls into one or more of three criteria: students who volunteer and work at the Games, children of Games employees and volunteers, and children who have parents in civic groups that assist with the Games. A group of more than 30 eligible students in 2018 applied for the scholarship, Taylor said. While those attending a major college or university receive a $1,000 scholarship
renewable for four years, for a total value of $4,000, students attending a community college receive a $500 scholarship renewable for four years, for a total value of $2,000. Taylor said that in 2018, they gave out four new $1,000-a-year scholarships and four new $500-a-year scholarships. Including renewable scholarships, the GMHG gives out between $18,000 and $24,000 each year. This year’s recipients from Avery High School, including those who are AHS alums who are still receiving scholarships, are McKenzie H. Brookshire, Mekaylah
A. Brookshire, Bridgette R. Smith, Kaitlyn Sudderth, Tiffany E. Gibbs, Madison LaRae Calloway, Lucas S. Powell, Aubrey Noel Greene, Olivia Blaze Huskins, Joseph Larkin Hawkins, Tyler Mark Beach, Matthew C. Johnson, Madison T. Daniels, Savannah N. Church, Abigail K. Thompson, Carson R. Clark, Hannah E. Daniels, Madison Alexandra Clark, Caitlyn Cheri Frye, Austin Ryan Moore, William Lane Richardson, Jaelyn Denise Johnson, Morgan Faith Vance and Joshua David Cook. Many students who have worked at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
and received scholarships often return to Avery County following school, with a large contingent returning to work and help with the Games they grew to love. “So often, students return to the area to help with the Games and contribute to making them successful,” Taylor explained. “We’ve always viewed the scholarships as a way we can make a tremendous investment in their future. More often than not, those same students return after college and continue to work on the mountain and help invest their time to making the Games the success it is today.”
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Map
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GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
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GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
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GMHG Clan/ Vendor Listings Clan Tent Assignments 2018 8 (Alphabetical) Anderson Armstrong Baird Bell Buchanan Buchanan Burnett Caledonian Soc. Cincinnati Cameron Cameron Campbell Campbell Clanranald Trust Cochrane Colquhoun Davidson Davidson Donald Donald Donnachaidh Donnachaidh Douglas Dunbar Dunbar Elliot Elliot Ewen Fergusson Forbes Forrester Fraser Fraser Galbraith Galbraith GMHG Handicapped Tent GMHG Lost and Found Gordon (USA) Gordon (USA) Graham Grant Gregor/American Society Gregor/American Society Gunn Gunn Guthrie Hamilton Hamilton Hay Hay Henderson Home/Hume Hunter Innes Johnston/e Keith Kennedy Kennedy Kerr Kerr Kincaid Kirkpatrick Lamont
2-63 2-12 1-37 1-36 2-42 2-41 1-46 1-14 1-53 2-58 1-21 2-25 2-19 2-51 2-52 1-06 2-09 1-45 2-48 1-07 2-10 1-73 1-64 2-70 1-35 2-39 2-68 1-03 1-75 1-18 1-11 2-15 1-20 2-24 1-57 2-01 1-31 2-35 2-74 2-78 1-22 2-26 1-49 2-53 2-79 1-47 2-50 1-41 2-44 2-54 2-61 1-02 1-50 2-49 2-55 1-62 2-67 1-44 2-47 1-16 2-05 1-71
Lamont Leslie Leslie Lindsay Logan Losantiville Highlanders MacAlister MacAlpine Macaulay Macaulay MacBean/McBain MacBean/McBain MacBeth MacCallum/Malcolm MacDougall MacDougall MacDuffee MacDuffee MacFarlane MacFarlane Macfie MacInnes MacInnes MacIntyre MacIntyre Mackay Mackay MacKenzie MacKinnon MacKinnon Mackintosh Mackintosh MacLachlan MacLaine of Lochbuie MacLaine of Lochbuie MacLaren MacLaren MacLean MacLean MacLeod (Carolina's) MacLeod (USA) MacMillan MacMillan MacNab Macnachtan Macneil Macneil MacPherson MacPherson MacRae MacRae MacRae (Cocke) MacThomas MacThomas Maxwell Maxwell Moffat Montreat Scottish Society Montreat Scottish Society Morrison
2-79 1-10 2-14 1-56 1-55 1-15 2-60 2-20 1-08 2-11 1-48 2-52 2-46 1-01 1-24 2-28 1-65 2-71 1-70 2-77 2-43 1-60 2-65 1-72 2-80 1-43 2-45 1-28 1-25 2-29 1-52 2-57 1-23 1-51 2-56 1-05 2-08 1-26 2-30 1-04 2-07 1-19 2-23 2-21 1-30 1-09 2-13 1-38 2-40 1-34 2-38 1-33 1-32 2-36 1-66 2-72 2-34 1-69 2-76 1-12
Morrison Munro Munro Murray Murray Napier Pollock Ramsay/Ramsey Rose Ross Ross St. Andrews Soc. of Carolinas St. Andrews Soc. of N.C. St. Andrews Soc. of N.C. St. Andrews Soc. of Savannah Scott Scott Scottish District Families Assoc. Sinclair, USA Skene Skene Society of William Wallace Stewart Sutherland Thompson Wallace Wallace Wardlaw Wardlaw Young Young
2-16 1-68 2-75 1-58 2-62 2-27 2-37 2-06 2-32 1-54 2-59 2-33 1-67 2-73 1-17 1-63 2-69 1-29 1-39 1-59 2-64 2-18 1-40 1-42 2-22 1-13 2-17 1-61 2-66 1-27 2-31
Corporate Sponsors/Exhibitors Council of Scottish Clans Duncan Soutar Duncan Soutar ETSU Glenmorangie Distillery Highland Outfitters Lees McRae Mountain Times Publications National Trust for Scotland Scotland County HG Novel Adventures Scottish Cultural Org. of Triangle Scottish Heritage USA Scottish Heritage USA Scottish Spinning & Weaving Scottish Spinning & Weaving Scottish Tartans Museum Sheep Dog Tent Scottish Tartans Authority Scottish Tartans Authority
X-01 X-10 X-11 X-17 U-3 X-14 X-16 2-01 2-03 X-07 1-73 X-05 2-02 2-04 X-12 X-13 X-04 1-74 X-02 X-03
*Note: Clans are not to cook on the field. Also, front row tents are not allowed to have blinds up that restrict the view of the field.
PHOTO SUBMITTED Haggis is the most famous traditional dish at the Highland Games. Grab a sample at the Scottish Cottage tent.
Get a taste of Scotland at the Games BY CARL BLANKENSHIP carl.blankenship@averyjournal.com
The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games will feature many a delicacy to suit your needs, with any degree of Scottishness you like. You can satisfy your palate with a variety of Scottish and British food that will be on offer, and for the most adventurous and traditionally inclined among the attendants, haggis will be available. Haggis is a traditional and oft-referenced Scottish dish of sheep’s organs minced with a variety of other ingredients which would traditionally be cooked inside the sheep’s stomach. It is Scotland’s national dish. Even Scottish baked goods will be available from the House of Douglas Bakery. For those inclined more toward American cuisine, the options are still plentiful. Barbecue from Newland’s Carolina Barbecue, as well as a variety of other typical fare and snacks from other vending, including ice cream, kettle corn and shaved ice. Additional local organizations will be selling items that include hamburgers and hot dogs throughout the weekend to raise funds for their groups.
WHERE TO EAT Here is the full list of vendors for the events with their corresponding map locations A and Y Concessions, F-2 Avery County Dancers Flavored Ice, C-3 Cameron’s British Foods, Gate 3 Carolina Barbecue, F-3, X-6 House of Douglas Bakery, H-1 Mookie’s Marvelous Kettle Korn, H-3 Ferguson’s Homemade! Ice Cream Shoppe, F-1 Scottish Cottage, C-1 Steel’s concessions, behind review stand Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department, near Grove #1
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Games for all times! Grandfather Mountain Highland Games reacquaints present with past BY JAMIE SHELL editor@averyjournal.com
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or the past 63 years, Grandfather Mountain Highland Games has served as a grand tartan reunion. This year, the tradition is perhaps more steeped than ever. Each second weekend in July (this year from Thursday to Sunday, July 12 to 15), GMHG inundates and educates festivalgoers in traditional Scottish culture, from pipes and drums to haggis and shepherd’s pie. The four-day festival that is the Games has been a destination for competition, entertainment, reunion and celebration of Scottish heritage by thousands who return each year to “America’s Braemar.” This year’s GMHG is no different. Whether it’s the opportunity to try Scottish staple food haggis, or competing in events such as the tossing of the sheaf or The Bear, enjoying the dulcet tones of Celtic music from bands from around the world in one of the two groves at MacRae Meadows, observing Scottish traditions and customs or simply stopping by a clan tent to learn one’s family history or pick up a souvenir for a family member or loved one, Grandfather
Mountain Highland Games leaves an indelible impression as a unique and funfilled weekend. GMHG is a thrilling event where thousands of visitors enjoy a wide range of activities. The musical competitions — fiddles, pipes, drums, harps and more — are a buffet for the ears, while the Games features dancing events that will have the most novice of dancers tapping their feet to the rhythm. Each year, the athletic competitions at GMHG rival any Scottish games in the world. The foot races such as The Bear, in addition to traditional competitions such as caber throwing, hammer, sheaf and weight tossing, not to mention the popular tug of war, attracts fans and clans of all sizes who cheer the competitors to victory and honor the spirit of friendly competition. For many attending the Games, the weekend serves as a family reunion of sorts. The largest single gathering of Scottish clans anywhere in the world, more than 100 in all gather on MacRae Meadows annually for GMHG, as those visiting the Games comprise a population on between 30,000 and 40,000 people. Tickets for GMHG are available upon arrival at
PHOTO BY JAMES SHAFFER The non-stop excitement and charm of the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games may only be topped by its pomp and pageantry, as evidenced here by the marching of the pipes on parade at MacRae Meadows.
the Games, or visitors may purchase them at the GMHG office in downtown Linville. Parking is available at MacRae Meadows until filled on Thursday and Friday, July 12 and 13, while patrons and sponsors only are allowed special parking privileges on the mountain for Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15. Games of-
ficials urge patrons to take advantage of the bus shuttle system, where attendees for a small fee can park in areas including Newland, Linville or the Boone area and get chauffeured to the Games entrance on an individual trip or weekend ticket pass to ride for the entire weekend for a onetime fee. From the torchlight cer-
PHOTO BY HUGH MORTON MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mountain swells to one of the most populated communities in North Carolina each second weekend in July during the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
emony on Thursday night to the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon, GMHG is chock full of events to entertain the entire family. Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is located
off Highway 221, two miles north of Linville and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information on GMHG, click to www. gmhg.org.
Getting to the Games when parking is limited BY CARL BLANKENSHIP carl.blankenship@averyjournal.com
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ith an expected turnout in the tens of thousands, how are you going to park and get to the Highland Games? This guide will outline all the parking and shuttle options provided by the Games.
Parking is limited and varies by event. The Games does not set prices for shuttle service. The prices are set by the providers and all funds from the shuttle service go to the groups providing the service. The following is a detailed summary of the parking status for each day and event.
On Thursday evening, general public parking is available on MacRae Meadows, first come, first served.
FRIDAY Public parking is available on MacRae Meadows, first come, first served. Beginning at 7 a.m., SEE PARKING ON PAGE 9
FILE PHOTO Avery County High School’s main parking lot. The school will be one of three locations where shuttle service will be provided to the Highland Games.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
SHUTTLE LOTS BY DAY Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service at Caldwell Community College in Boone provided by Emma’s Busing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Round trips are $10 per person. The approximate ride time is 30 minutes. Friday and Saturday: Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service from Avery County High School provided by Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department on Friday and Saturday. Round trips are $5 per person, which is subject to change. Saturday and Sunday: Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service from the lot located behind the post office in Linville begins on Saturday and Sunday. The entrance to the lot is located on Hwy. 105 on Saturday and Sunday. Round Trips are $5 per person, which is subject to change.
PARKING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
shuttle service from Avery County High School provided by Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department on Friday and Saturday. Round trips are $5 per person, which is subject to change. A note from the Games’ website on the Avery High route: “Avery High School Shuttle service is perfect for those approaching Grandfather from Tennessee on Hwy. 194 or US Hwy. 221 North.” Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service at Caldwell Community College in Boone is provided by Emma’s Busing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Round trips are $10 per person. The approximate ride time is 30 minutes. A note from the Games’ website on the Boone route: “This lot is perfect for those people staying in Boone or Blowing Rock or people arriving in the area using Hwy. 421 or 321. Avoid the traffic and congestion in the Linville area on Hwy. 105 by using this parking and shuttle service.” General public parking for Friday night is available on MacRae Meadows. There are special parking privileges for Chieftain Patrons but not for Highlander Patrons, Clansman Patrons or sponsors on Friday evening.
SATURDAY No public parking is available on the Meadows. Parking is reserved for Sponsors, Chieftain Patrons, Highlander Patrons, Clansman Patrons and participants. Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service from Avery County High School is provided by Crossnore Volunteer Fire Department on Friday and Saturday. Round trips are $5 per person, which is subject to change. This is the only designated handicapped parking lot for the Games. Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service at Caldwell Community College in Boone provided by Emma’s Busing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Round trips are $10 per person. The approximate ride time is 30 minutes. Beginning at 7 a.m., shuttle service from the lot located behind the post office in Linville begins. The entrance to the lot is located on Hwy. 105 on Saturday and Sunday. Round Trips are $5 per person, which is subject to change.
SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERT Public parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. On Saturday evening, the general public should shuttle off the mountain by 5:30 p.m. and then drive back. There are special parking privileges for Chieftain patrons but not for Highlander Patrons, Clansman Patrons or sponsors on Saturday evening.
SUNDAY Parking arrangements are identical to Saturday with the exception of the Avery County High School lot, which will not be available.
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
Mountain Times Publications -
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Games of the Highland Games A test of ability, endurance BY JAMIE SHELL editor@averyjournal.com
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housands of spectators converge on MacRae Meadows every year for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. People come to celebrate Celtic culture, for the music, the gathering of the clans, but ultimately we’reare drawn to the games. Scottish highland games throughout history were a time to gather and compete to determine who was fastest and strongest. Today, champions can still claim those titles and revel in victory. The caber toss and hammer throw are iconic to the games. Appropriate to the Scots, these sports demand more than the average measure of strength, stamina and sheer determination. As highland games where world records have been set, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games attract professional athletes and amateurs alike who are up to the challenge. Athletes can participate in heavy events, or events more associated with the games, and light events, such as foot races. Heavy events include the Clachneart, or stone throw. The athlete must throw a 16-pound stone without using overhand, underhand or two-handed techniques. In order to throw the stone a greater distance, athletes will spin to gain centrifugal force before flinging the stone as far as possible. Not only do caber toss participants pick up a 20-foot pole that weighs a daunting 175 pounds, they throw it. Caber toss athletes lift the caber, balance it upright and “turn” it, or flip it to make it fall end over end. In a bygone time when farming was a way of life, sheaf tossing was an everyday chore. A holdover from that time, sheaf tossing is now competi-
PHOTO BY JAMES SHAFFER Heavy athletic events, such as the stone throw and the hammer throw, are annual staples of competition at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
FILE PHOTO Field events such as children’s wrestling are always a popular attraction and spirited competition at each year’s Highland Games.
tion. A pitchfork is used to throw a burlap sack stuffed with straw over a high bar, without touching the bar. As the bar is raised, the athlete who clears the bar at the highest level wins the competition. Similar to the stone throw, the hammer throw requires the athlete to throw a hammer from a standing position. In spite of the hammer weighing 22 pounds stones have been known to be tossed more than 18 feet. Kilt-clad athletes from lightweight to heavyweight classes will also participate in Scottish Highland wrestling. Light events include the 100-yard dash, long jump, high jump and pole vault. Adults and kids alike can participate in the Kilted Mile run. A game of stamina, the Grandfather Mountain
Marathon has gained the reputation as one of America’s toughest runs and for good reason. The final 13 miles are straight uphill.
Starting in Boone and stretching 26.2 miles long, the trek winds up Grandfather Mountain, with runners eventually gaining 1,000 feet in elevation. The going is tough, but according to GMHG, the marathon boasts a 96-percent completion rate. “The Bear” is a five-mile footrace that begins in Linville and climbs to the summit of Grandfather. As the race’s reputation has grown, GMHG is expecting boasts record numbers of participants each year of the event. For the serious athlete to the spectator, the games of the Games offer their fair share of challenge and entertainment.
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
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Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Echoes at the meadows Drumming for many years. In 2014 she placed second in the US Scottish Fiddle Championship. Marybeth is currently a student a UNCW and is an expert at mixing traditional music with modern techniques in an upbeat and creative style.
GMHG offers varied and talented musical performances In 2015 the addition of Tony Steele completed the trio and reinvented their sound. Look forward to Scottish Octopus rocking your body, brain and bones.
BY CARTER NORTH carter.north@averyjournal.com
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rrive at the 2018 Highland Games prepared to rock. The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games promises to fill the air with both traditional and modern Celtic music all weekend, coming from an array of talent both new and old to the Games. The following is a listing of the acts that will be taking center stage to perform during the 2018 Games weekend.
BROTHERS MCLEOD ATLANTIC NORTH
David and Michael McLeod are EUSPBA Grade I solo competition bagpipers from Upstate South Carolina, and are members of the Atlanta Pipe Band. They are students of Jimmy McIntosh and have performed with John Doyle, Jamie Laval, EJ Jones, and John Machino. They jointly won the 2014 Goblin Cup and are full of great music.
This exciting trio is made up of faculty and students from East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old Time, Celtic and Country Music Studies program. In 2017 Atlantic North returned from their first tour in Scotland, and released their first CD. Members of the band include Will MacMorran, Helena Hunt and Aynsley Porchak.
SCOTTISH OCTOPUS A trio of psychedelic rockers with Celtic roots. The band is comprised of Andrew Forbes on bagpipes, Tony Steele on bass and Michael Morales on drums. Forbes is a unique piper because of his traditional style that he mixes with original compositions. His piping is bold and fierce with precision, rhythm and depth. Drummer, Morales received his degree in music from CUNY. He started the band with Forbes in 2011. Scottish Octopus as a duo was featured at the GOV Ball, on PBS, the Village Voice and NYC Tartan Week Festival.
ED MILLER RATHKELTAIR A popular favorite of the MacRae Meadows crowd, Rathkeltair is a high-energy band with high-energy performers. Rooted in Celtic origins the band delivers a heady mix of bagpipe-driven foot-stomping tunes and original songs. Rathkeltair is one of the most respected and entertaining bands in the Celtic music world today. The band is comprised of Nick Watson on drums and vocals who was part of the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band, and
PHOTO BY ROB MOORE Lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod of the band Seven Nations performs at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
Trevor Tanner who was part of the 1980’s English rock band The Bolshoi. Tanner creates much of the group’s original material.
a part of what Kennedy does, whether he is telling a series of rapid-fire jokes or launching into a lyrical parody.
SEVEN NATIONS
WILLIAM JACKSON AND GRAINNE HAMBLY
Mountain favorite Seven Nations, through dynamic live performances, has become one of the fastest growing live acts nationwide. The veteran band, which tours 85 percent of the year, has logged more than one million miles toured, cultivating a reputation for high-energy performances. The band boasts almost a quarter million albums sold and is considered one of the most brilliantly powerful and creative Celtic bands ever.
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SEAMUS KENNEDY Kennedy has more than 30 years of professional performing under his belt and has taken his music across America, playing everything from pubs to great concert halls. As a result, he is a master showman of exceptional musical skills. Kennedy has released 11 albums of both contemporary and traditional songs. Fastpaced humor is very much
William Jackson is an internationally known harper and composer who has been a major force in Scottish Music of many years. Jackson has toured extensively in Europe and America cultivating a reputation as a fine performer of traditional music featuring the Scottish harp. Grainne Hambly, from the west of Ireland, is an internationally recognized exponent of the Irish harp, and is in great demand as a performer and teacher. She has attracted glowing praise for her live performances and recorded material. She has released three critically acclaimed solo albums plus a collaborative work with Jackson.
ALASDAIR WHITE White is an exponent of West Coast Scottish music and is widely regarded as one of the foremost Scottish fiddler players of
his generation. Alasdair has performed and recorded as a guest with many of the most well-known names in Scottish, Irish and Breton traditional music. He also recently premiered a major commission at the Hebridean Celtic festival in Stornoway, an hour-long original piece entitled “An Luchair.”
Miller has been hailed as “one of the finest singers to come out of the Scottish Folk Revival.” Miller gained graduate degrees in Folklore and Geography at the University of Texas. His repertoire covers the whole spectrum of Scottish Folk music. When not touring Miller also hosts a long-running folk music show called “Across the Pond.” He has recorded nine albums of Scottish songs.
PIPER JONES BAND Piper Jones Band is a celebration of the Highland pipes with the percussive strains of drums and bouzouki, balancing integrity of tradition with playing with a sense of true abandon. The trio has released three albums: The Wandering Stars, Crossing the Sabine, and Revel Grove. The group is comprised of EJ Jones, a professionally ranked competitive piper, Frances Cunningham on the bouzouki and Wolf Loescher who plays percussion.
MARYBETH MCQUEEN McQueen grew up in an environment filled with Scottish music. She began learning the Highland pipes at age 8, and has been attending North American Academy of Piping and
CHAMBLESS AND MUSE For more than 25 years Alabama natives Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse have been performing the music of Scotland, Ireland and early America in a wide variety of venues, from house concerts to festivals and concert halls. As a singer and flute and whistle player, Jil Chambless has performed across the US with many artists and bands. Chambless brings to an audience a wonderful listening experience with a smooth delivery that never fails to bring both smiles and tears with each performance. Muse has bluegrass roots and is an award-winning 5-string banjo player, and in the late 1980s he moved into the world of Celtic guitar.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
Mountain Times Publications -
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12 - Mountain Times Publications
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES
Wednesday, July 4, 2018