September 03, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, September 03, 2004

Bring on the bagpipes

This is the weekend we all wear plaid.

The Scottish Gathering and Games, held by the San Francisco Caledonian Club since 1866, is coming to the Alameda County Fairgrounds this weekend, bringing the sound of bagpipes, the gathering of the clans, and games that attract the best heavy event athletes in the world. For two days, the Fairgrounds becomes a brae, or hillside, of Scotland.

"Everybody's Scottish that weekend," said Scott Walsh, a Pleasanton resident and fire captain who has been involved with the games since they moved to Pleasanton from Santa Rosa 10 years ago.

San Francisco Caledonian Club Chief Robert Burns and other dignitaries attended the City Council meeting in August to proclaim Mayor Tom Pico as Honorary Chieftain of this year's Scottish Games.

"This is a true honor," the mayor told them. "It's a tremendous gift you give to our town when you come." He advised residents to visit the event, saying, "You will find an incredibly rich cultural experience."

Pico also noted that he intends to take a trip to sister-city Blairgowrie, Scotland, this fall as one of his last acts as mayor. Blairgowrie became a sister city to Pleasanton in conjunction with first Scottish Games in Pleasanton in 1994, said Walsh.

The Scottish festivities begin at 6 p.m. tonight with the March under the Arch on Main Street featuring the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band from Miramar, Calif., the King's Own Scottish Borderers, a U.K. Army regimental pipe band, and Highland Dancers. Honorary Chieftain Pico and Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty will welcome the Caledonian Club and the Scottish Games participants, and Chief Burns will declare the 139th annual Scottish Gathering and Games officially under way.

Also tonight, there will be a show at the Fairgrounds Amphitheater with performances by Wolfstone, a top Celtic rock band from Scotland; Isla St. Clair, a Scottish folk singer; Highland dancers; and more. The show begins at 7 p.m., and admission at the door is $10 with children 10 and under free.

The Saturday night dance at the Hilton Hotel will include performances by the Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band and the King's Own Scottish Borderers regimental pipe band. Tickets at the door are $10.

But tomorrow morning the real action begins: games that have their origins in the hills of Scotland - such as the caber toss, which originated when men had the idea after cutting down a tree to see how far they could throw it - and the Gathering of more than 100 Scottish Clans, which will help visitors trace their family trees or get a copy of their coat of arms.

Gatherings traditionally involved the selling of goods, and the San Francisco Caledonian Club has featured vendor halls at its games for the last 100 years. This years five vendor halls will sell Scottish garb and accessories, from pins to kilts; cans and packages of Scottish foods; military regalia of all sorts; books, ancient and modern; CD's, tapes and even sheet music.

At stages throughout the Fairgrounds, music will include three Celtic rock bands, Celtic heritage music and dancing, Scottish fiddlers rally, Pipe bands and Celtic harpers.

"The Celtic rock bands were brought in during the last decade in Pleasanton, and really appeal to teenagers and people in their 20s and 30s who might not want to listen to just bagpipes all weekend," said Russell Cramer, promoter of the Scottish Games. "It combines traditional with modern instruments. When we started talking about adding rock 'n' roll, older club members thought that's not what we do. But they eventually yielded, and then we saw the response - a lot of kids bringing parents and grandparents."

Throughout both days, hundreds of Highland Dancers, some as young as 4, will compete in the Western U.S. Highland Dancing Championships. Scottish Country Dancers will also compete and entertain.

The U.S. Heavy Events Championships will be taking place at the Scottish Games, which therefore attract world-class athletes, including Shannon Hartnett, the women's champion, from Sausalito.

The women's heavy events were added after the Games moved to Pleasanton. "Shannon Hartnett convinced games organizers all over the world - including the Caledonian Club - to let women compete in the heavy events," said Cramer. "Shannon has competed in 400 heavy events competitions and is undefeated."

The Heavy Events include eight competitions, including: ¥ Caber toss - the athlete tries to turn the caber end over end. A caber is a log that can weigh up to 165 pounds ¥ 56-pound weight for height - an underhanded toss is used to flip the weight over a bar ¥ Heavy hammer throw ¥ Light hammer throw ¥ Heavy stone ¥ Light stone

There is also a "5-a-side" soccer tournament, in which teams play 15-minute halves, with five players on the field and two subs.

The Sheep Dog Trials are popular with families, as are the Birds of Prey, featuring eagles, falcons, owls and other predatory and hunting birds. Scottish Highland Cattle, a unique longhorn breed with red hair, will be on display for the first time at the Scottish Games. The Children's Glen will feature Scottish-inspired contests and games, with each child winning something.

The Games are also the site of Living History, with enthusiasts dressed in traditional costumes of old Scotland and reenacting historical events. And of course there will be food, Scottish and British fare, including Bass Ale, bangers, fish and chips, and meat pies, plus a tea room serving scones.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, there will be a commemoration of the landing of the Allied troops at Normandy 60 years ago with veterans of the battle in attendance. It will take place at the Grandstand.

Grandstand seating costs $5. For this price, one can sit and watch the athletic contests and other ceremonies all day, said Scott Walsh. "Or you can stand in front of the bandstand," he explained. "The advantage of sitting higher is you can see better. But standing, you can see what takes place and are closer."

For the closing ceremonies of the Scottish Games at 5 p.m. both days, everyone streams to the Grandstand to hear the massed bands. If one bagpipe sends chills up your spine, imagine 750 pipers and drummers playing "Amazing Grace," "Scotland the Brave" and "Highland Laddie." At that moment we all feel we are sitting on a bonny brae of Scotland.
Weekend to be Scottish

What: 139th annual Scottish Gathering and Games Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds When: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 4-5 Tickets at the door: Adult 2-day: $23 Adult, 1-day: $15 Senior, handicapped, youth: (8-16) $10 Children under 7: free Grandstand seats: $5 Parking at Fairgrounds: $8

One Scottish couple

Barbara and Scott Walsh, who moved to Pleasanton in 1984, will be practically living at the Scottish Gathering and Games this weekend.

Barbara, a former champion Highland Dancer who has performed twice before Queen Elizabeth, now heads up the Walsh School of Highland Dance and has 10 students competing this weekend.

Scott, a fire captain with Station 10 in the Livermore Pleasanton Fire Department, has served in various capacities as one of the 32 volunteer chairmen with the Scottish Games since it moved to Pleasanton 10 years ago. This year he is the sponsor chairman.

The Walshes - and their children, Caitlin, 16, a senior at Amador Valley High, and Gregor, 11, who goes to Pleasanton Middle School - have traveled to Scotland several times and attended its gatherings and games. "The games in Scotland are, by and large, much smaller," said Scott. "But there are many more. They happen every weekend."

He recalled the games in Braemar, Scotland, which are attended by Queen Elizabeth II, who is patron. "The queen comes at 3 and you can hear a pin drop," said Scott. Barbara performed before the queen in Braemar in 1985 and also when she and Prince Philip came to the United States in 1983, as part of a salute by San Francisco.

The Walsh School of Highland Dance gives a trophy and prize money every year to a dancer in Scotland who competes at the Blairgowrie games.

Barbara predicts that two of her Pleasanton students will do well in this weekend's competition: Kathleen McCarthy, 17, and Layla Ismail, 10. "They really enjoy dancing," she said. "Some don't have the joy of dancing. But they love to dance and they have joy - that's crucial."

"I love to dance and so enjoyed it," she continued. "I was an orphan and was taken into a Scottish foster home when I was 4, going on 5. I had rickets and malnutrition and it was a form of exercise. I enjoyed it and I like to win."

"You can go to the Games and see nine dancers at one time, and there can be one in nine that looks like she is enjoying herself," she added. "I try to teach that joy, but it's in you or not. They can start out smiling but they lose it."

Highland Dancing is very exacting, she explained, with the regulation steps coming from Scotland. Dancers around the world follow these same steps, except in New Zealand, she explained, where they have become "very individualistic."

"When we went to Scotland five years or so ago, my daughter was dancing with the daughter of a dancing teacher there and it could have been her sister," she said. "It's an amazement to see two dancers, costumed the same, dance together."

In Scotland the children grow up dancing, she said. "Scottish people traditionally take their children everywhere - to the pub, a wake. It's important to be able to dance."

"I've had dancers switch from Irish to Scottish," said Barbara, explaining the dances are similar. "It's more of a challenge. You turn your feet out and, in Scottish, you use your arms. It takes muscle control."

Scott Walsh will be one of the many men strolling the grounds in a kilt this weekend. The Walshes have a collection, with the older ones in muted colors, from the natural dyes.

"They are 9 feet of material long," said Barbara. "They slept in them like a blanket. They lived in them." A clan could tell even from a distance if someone approaching was one of their own.

In Highland Dancing, Barbara noted, competitors want to wear tartans with white in them because it shows up better.

Scott is proud to be associated with the Games and to be a member of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. "The Club donates the profits for charities," he said. "The Chief will decide but they try to spread it through the Bay Area, and always to two or three in the Valley."

Walsh also headed the committee a few years back to send a fire engine to Blairgowrie. "It still runs around all over Scotland," he said.

He recommends that people new to the Scottish Games start their day by buying a program to get their bearings and see what competitions are happening, as well as when and where. More information is also posted at www.caledonian.org. -Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Visiting Scotland

"They fed us haggis, taught us Scottish slang, let us follow them around school, and took care of us in every way," reported Aleia Van Dyke. "My favorite activity was being a normal teenager in a foreign country. I went to birthday parties, learned to play rugby, rode a double-decker bus, got drenched in the frequent storms, and enjoyed every moment of it."

The sightseeing and cultural experiences were also a highlight. "I remember this one night when we went to Scone Palace to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' performed out on the lawn and I just couldn't believe I was really there," said Kelly Trombley.

Most of all, they seemed to cherish their new friendships.

"I got to visit a country I had always dreamed of visiting," said Sarah Bruzzone, "and I made one of the best friends I will ever have."

"I think being able to stay with a family and meeting all their friends made it so much better," said Trombley. "I'll never forget it."

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