Calling all Clans: The Loch Norman Highland Games celebrates Scottish Heritage and Family Togetherness

The origin of the Scottish Highland Games more than a millennium ago is rooted in war: the best athletes on the playing field proved the best warriors on the battlefield. The Highland Games are steeped in legend and respect for folklore. Today, more than 300 events take place every year at sites spanning the U.S. and Canada. Family, brotherhood and Scottish pageantry reign at The Loch Norman Highland Games held for 11 years at the Historic Rural Hill Farm in Huntersville, N.C.

The modern games began around 1781 as a charitable event with a focus on scholarships, crisis relief and family. "They [the games] are a family reunion of sorts," explains Keets Taylor, interim executive director at Rural Hill Farm. Clan Family Societies function to promote awareness, collect and preserve relics, further friendships and share history. Thousands of families attend each year to connect to their cultural heritage and meet other Clan members.

This year's renewal of the Loch Norman Highland Games begins with supper at Rural Hill Farm on Friday, April 16, followed by the traditional "Call of The Clans." The Clan Family Societies assemble in a poignant ceremony to renew friendships and announce an ancient call to gather. After the ceremony, a new event - a Celtic Music Jam featuring Celtic rock and roll - is set for The Galway Hooker Irish Pub.

Opening ceremonies on Saturday morning launch the weekend's events in which both men and women participate in games of old, proving their strength and agility. The field is open to the public and offers professional and amateur competitions such as the Highland climbing wall, battle-axe competition, Highland wrestling and long bow competition. Visitors are invited to demonstrations of Scottish and Celtic music, Scottish country dancing, pipe bands and a historic folk life encampment.

The Professional Games that begin Saturday include seven "heavy" events, including the clachneart, hammer throw, 28-pound weight for distance, sheaf toss, 56-pound weight toss for height and throw for distance and the always intimidating caber toss. The world's top Scottish competitors will battle for the championship in the heptathlon. And just like the professionals, the Amateur Games, scheduled for Sunday, feature the same seven events.

Saturday evening plays host to The Scottish Country Dancing Gala. On-field dance lessons during the day encourage families to practice their moves at the evening gala. This event has become one of the most popular and memorable experiences at many Highland Games.

On Sunday morning, after the Kirking of the Tartans, a ceremony where bits of tartan are prayed over or blessed, the Parade of Tartans and the Games round out the afternoon before the evening closing ceremonies.

The local Games have long been about clan heritage. Rural Hill Farm enjoys sharing those traditions with other cultures. "You don't have to be Scottish to attend," says Taylor. "Get the family together and have a reunion with a Scottish theme." The historic farm offers the public other opportunities to learn about the Scots and their society, including The Rural Hill Sheep Dog Trials, the U.S. Flag Retirement Ceremony by the Scottish American Military Society and The Loch Norman Heavy Throwing Clinic.
For ticket prices and more information on the The Loch Norman Highland Games and Historic Rural Hill Farm, go to www.ruralhillfarm.org or call (704) 875-3113.

by Beth J. Hardy