Jackson Park Hosts Scottish Shindig
Throw on your kilt, grab a caber and get ready to head to Jackson Park on Saturday as the Scottish Clans of the South host their 10th annual Foothills Highland Games.
"It's a Scottish festival," said Donna Rhodes, the event's volunteer coordinator. "We'll have men's heavy athletics, women's games, children's games, vendors, clans. It will be a good time for everybody. Tomorrow's going to be a blast."
The games will feature men throwing heavy objects for distance, the sheaf toss, the hammer throw, and the always popular caber toss. The athletes who will compete are world class, Rhodes said. She mentioned that athletes associated with the Foothills Highland Games have held world records. The games are always a good place to sit and watch amazing feats of strength.
"If you've never seen a man in a kilt throw a telephone pole, you've got to come check it out," she said. "That's the caber toss, and it's the size of a telephone pole, and they pick it up single-handedly and throw it for distance."
Not to be outdone, the women and the children have their own games. On the women's side, the games have historically allowed the females to get rid of some inner frustration. "We are a little more mild-mannered. We have a broom toss. We get tired of cleaning the house and using the broom all the time, so we get to throw the broom," she said.
There will also be border collie demonstrations and highland coo cattle on display.
The day begins at 9 am and runs until 5pm. In between those times, you will find plenty of Scottish music, food, vendors, athletic contests, dancing and much more. Rhodes said this year's festival has a good lineup of musicians. Those scheduled to perform include Alex Beaton, Uncle Hamish and the Hooligans, Maidens IV, and Robert Mouland. Pipe and drum bands will also be on hand to transport you to Scotland.
"We'll have lots of great music," she said. "We have three pipe and drum bands coming in: Greenville Pipe and Drums, Chattahoochee Pipe and Drums, and Montreat. We'll have a Celtic rock band, the Hooligans. If you've never heard Celtic rock, it's rock with a bagpipe thrown in. It's absolutely amazing."
The cost to attend is $10 for adults; $7 for children 7-14; and children under 7 get in free. After the games, you can unwind at the Clarion Inn near the Asheville Regional Airport where a Ceilidh, a Scottish social gathering, will be held starting at 7:30pm. The musicians from the day's games are scheduled to perform, and everyone attending can dance and party the night away.
"It's a party with the entertainers, and you can have a drink and relax," she said.
For more on the games, go to www.scotsfoothillshg.org or call 828-693-8526.
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