We visit the Ithaca Scottish Games & Celtic Festival!
Published by Natasha July 24th, 2008 in Local, Silly.[Text by Jake Forney] [Photo gallery at our flickr] I was beginning to think I had taken a wrong turn. The roads were getting more twisted and more narrow and there wasn’t a sign of a campground anywhere. But then there he was — my beacon in the darkness — a solitary figure walking along the roadside in a green and blue kilt. I knew then that the Ithaca Scottish Games & Celtic Festival had to be nearby. (Well, it didn’t have to be … I mean this is Ithaca, an area probably more likely than others to see a kilted pedestrian on a lonely road.)
I hadn’t even the opportunity to park my car before the sound of bagpipes cut its way through the sputtering of my engine. Upon exiting my vehicle, I found that the number of people in kilts very nearly rivaled that of those in plainclothes, though there was no further division beyond the sartorial. Those in tartans and plaids were not regarded as overzealous enthusiasts, and those in shorts and a t-shirt were not considered stodgy killjoys. It was very much a day of community, everyone eager to share Scottish culture, whether it be in the capacity of teacher or student.
Noon had yet to arrive when I realized how hot it was going to be that day — certainly a scorcher. I began to worry about sunburn, scouting the area for a tent or tree. And it was then that I realized something very obvious but very important: most of the people there were of Scottish descent, which meant that most of the people there were very pale. I said a silent prayer on their behalf, for if I, with not an ounce of Scottish blood in my veins, was concerned about the sun, I couldn’t imagine the fear that resided in the hearts of my new Scottish friends.
Joyce Geier, world-class sheep dog trainer, then took to the main field accompanied by four white sheep and three Border Collies and put on an impressive demonstration.
All the while, the sound of bagpipes seemed to float continuously on the all-too-infrequent breeze as judging of solo musicians and pipe bands continued throughout the day.
Perhaps the most impressive musical event, however, was massed bands, which occurred twice: once to mark the beginning of the athletic events and again to bring them to a close. Massed bands is when every single pipe band in attendance gathers on the main field to play in unison. The volume was impressive — rock concert levels with nary a single implement of amplification to be found.
Lunchtime rolled around and I was drawn towards the haggis. Haggis has many ingredients, but the most noteworthy are sheep’s “pluck” (heart, liver, and lungs). Even knowing this, I still wanted some. After struggling to communicate with the thickly accented cashier, I received my sheep parts, along with an imported Scottish cola with which to wash them down.
It was delicious — no lie. You just have to eat; don’t think.
Then the athletics started up, beginning with what I’d been waiting all day to see: the caber toss. For the uninformed, the caber toss is an event in which big strong men attempt to throw a slightly miniaturized telephone pole so that it lands as vertically as possible. Anyone was welcome to give it a shot, and though I surely could have been an admirable contender, I told the big men that I feared my journalistic integrity might be tainted if I became too involved in the situation. They didn’t believe me. Other sports followed, all of them involving throwing something heavy.
As the day came to a close, I sought shelter from the heat in the campground lodge where a handful of bands were playing traditional Celtic music. Cooling off with a beer and an Irish Cream truffle, the music was the perfect accompaniment. If one can be “Scottished-out,” I was just about at that point, and it was a very good feeling. All in all, the day was an impressively complete smorgasbord of Scottish culture, and very well attended for the first one of surely many to come.
Maybe next year I’ll drop some knowledge on these Scots about how to really throw a telephone pole.
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