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Alaskans Celebrate All Things Scottish This Weekend

Posted by Erin Kirkland

Posted: June 24, 2008 - 10:05 pm

The Alaska Scottish Highland Games: The event is full of opportunities to explore Scottish culture, food, and lots of piping and drumming. The Games begin Saturday at Eagle River Lions Park. There are a lot of kilts in our house, worn by the males during any special (or not so special) occasion that emphasizes the love of the Homeland. Scotland, that is, and this weekend is no different. We have been pulling out the MacGregor tartans in preparation for the 2008 Alaska Scottish Highland Games, held this Saturday at Eagle River Lions Park.

The fun begins early (8 a.m.), but our family usually rolls in around 11 a.m. when the pipers are warmed up and ready for the Opening Ceremonies. Every pipe and drum in the place rolls up with music that will make you want to march along, and my preschooler usually does, much to the amusement of the bands.

Scots are a cordial group, and one of the goals of the Alaskan Scottish Club is to teach the young and young-at-heart among us the culture and ways of the Highland Scotsmen, whose lines run all the way back to the famed William Wallace of Braveheart fame.

Take the whole family; watch the Kilted Mile run (where everyone entered must be in a kilt), Caber Toss and Hammer Throw, or visit with the Bird TLC, present every year with rescued raptors. My crew always eats a lot at the Games as well. Sausage, shortbread, and even some "neeps and taties" tempt visitors from the many booths along the field.

While not a huge event, or a particularly fancy one, the Highland Games are a staple of our family's summer, wherever we happen to be living. Alaska hosts a pretty good day of music and festivities, and we look forward to being a part of it.

Tickets are $12 adults/ $4 kids if purchased in advance; check Alaska Scottish Club Web site for locations. Tickets day of the event are $15/$5; both include the famed Ceilidh (prounounced "Cayley") party with Stand Easy, a rockin' band from down South, which lasts until 10 p.m.

Park Pick: I don't normally head downtown to a playground, but we happened to be near our church and stopped in for a bit of free time. Frontierland at the corner of E Street and W. 10th is an icon of downtown playgrounds. Young ones will love the little houses to hide in and climb on, and other family members can wander over the Park Strip to catch a softball game, which makes for a pretty relaxing evening in the Midnight Sun. There are a few picnic tables, a bunch of equipment from a bygone era (which we like, personally) of playground fun, and a big hill to run up and down, if you can get rid of the hangers-on who seem to coagulate there in the evening. But big kids or no, the Frontierland playground was a fun alternative in the downtown area, especially if you are just stopping in to fill up a few spare minutes in between other activities.

Alaskans Celebrate All Things Scottish This Weekend

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