2009 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games are one of the areas greatest traditions. Having everything from caber tossing to sheep herding. This Scottish festival is located every year at Grandfather Mountain in Linville. Canada, and of course Scotland, were among the countries represented.
Camping is available for those that are competing in the games, or those who desire to soak in the full experience. This year, the games began with the opening ceremonies on Thursday evening following a foot race. The winner of the race ran a victory lap around the track with the torch in hand.
For anyone curious about the Highland Games and not sure which days to attend events, I would suggest a weekend pass. With my weekend pass wrapped around my arm, I journeyed towards the fog-covered Grandfather Mountain.
Scottish apparel was the first thing that greeted me, and it felt as if I had gotten off a plane in Scotland. Young and old had adorned their bodies with plaid for the events.
The yellow lights cut through the fog and created a silhouette out of every object in sight. I sat in amazement as 150 clans called out their name and a fact about their heritage. If you have seen the movie Braveheart, some felt only the need to yell a battle cry like William Wallace did before war.
Each clan had chosen a representative who stood in the center of the field with a torch. After introducing their clan, each torch was left in the center and the ending result was a pyramid-like structure. It was a sight to see, and could not have been a more beautiful night.
The next three days of the games were packed full of events for the whole family to watch. Celtic music in the grove was among my favorite. With two concert groves and a number of other small stages, music was for sure not lacking.
The groves were rock formations around a stage at the bottom of a sloping hill. It made for a great sound and even if you were at the very back of the crowd, most could still see all that was happening. There was everything from traditional Celtic, to Scottish Romantic music. Each band got the crowd involved in their music and many chose to dance a jig in front of the stage.
Games for men and women to compete in were only during daylight hours. Before dinner time each day, were a handful of events for the clans to showcase their abilities.
Caber tossing was definitely the most foreign for the Americans to watch. This event consisted of particularly large men picking up a 150 pound, 18 foot long log and throwing it as far as they could. There were also a handful of relays, high jumping, and pole vaulting.
Every so often throughout the day, an old Scottish man with a wooden staff would direct his border collie to heard sheep in and out of their pen. Often, the dog would chase the sheep into the path of an event such as the foot races.
These were just an overview of everything that went on this weekend in July. The Highland Games are a unique taste of Scottish heritage that you don’t want to miss next year.
