If you've never heard the roar of a crowd because a guy within a kilt flips a massive sign end-over-end, you're missing out on the Kelso Highlander Festival . It's one associated with those local jewels in Washington state that feels such as a vacation across the Atlantic with no expensive flight and jet lag. Every Sept, Tam O'Shanter Park in Kelso changes into an ocean of tartan, bagpipes, and some of the most amazing feats of power you'll ever notice in person.
I've always thought there's something special about how this city embraces its Scottish roots. Even though you don't have a fall of Scottish blood in your veins, the atmosphere is usually so welcoming that will you'll probably find yourself looking upward your own personal family shrub by the end of the day. It's not just about the background, though; it's regarding the community coming together for the weekend break of good foods, loud music, and a lot of heavy lifting.
The Heavy Lifting: Scottish Highland Games
The center and soul of the Kelso Highlander Festival needs to be the Highland Games. When you're used to standard track and industry events, this is heading to be a bit of a shock to the particular system. We're talking about the Caber Toss , that is probably the most well-known event. Athletes balance a 20-foot wooden pole—that's basically a small tree—vertically within their hands, have a running start, and try to flip it therefore it lands perfectly right at the "12 o'clock" position. It's way harder when compared to the way it looks, plus the tension within the air while the athlete is balancing that issue is palpable.
Then you've got the Stone Put , which is exactly like the shot put yet uses an real heavy stone. There's also the Weight more than Bar , exactly where they try to hurl an enormous excess weight over a high horizontal bar only using one hand. Watching these competitors is incredible because it's not just about raw power; there's a massive amount of technique and timing involved. You'll see individuals of all dimensions competing, and the camaraderie between them is awesome. Even though they're competing against each other, they're usually the particular first ones to give a high-five or a tip to some fellow thrower.
The Audio of the Pipes and Drums
You'll usually listen to the festival before you decide to see it. The sound of bagpipes is synonymous with the Kelso Highlander Festival, and truthfully, there's nothing quite like it. It's an audio that vibrates right in your chest. Throughout the weekend, different pipe and drum groups drive through the park and perform in designated areas.
If you believe bagpipes are usually just one very long, droning sound, investing an hour in the band competition will change your mind. The precision these music artists have is crazy. Seeing a full band in their official highland dress, moving in perfect unison while playing complicated tunes, is genuinely moving. It provides an epic, almost cinematic feel to the whole event. You'll also catch solitary pipers practicing under the shade of trees and shrubs, which provides the nice, mellow soundtrack as you stroll from tent in order to tent.
Exploring the Clan Tents and Genealogy
One of the particular coolest parts of the Kelso Highlander Festival is the Avenue of the Clans . This is how rows of tents are set upward, each representing a different Scottish loved ones name or "clan. " It's including a giant, outside history museum in which the curators are simply anyone else who take place to be really passionate about their own heritage.
Even if your last name isn't MacDonald or Campbell, it's worth walking by means of. The people working these tents like to chat. They'll tell you regarding their clan's background, their specific tartan patterns, and maybe even some ancient family feuds that will are hundreds of years old. It's a very interpersonal part of the festival. You'll notice people stopping to check the huge lists of names to find out if they have a link to a specific tribe. It turns the particular whole park straight into a giant loved ones reunion for a large number of strangers.
The Kirkin' o' the particular Tartan
In case you're there on Sunday, you might catch the Kirkin' o' the Tartan . It's a conventional ceremony in which the different clans bring their particular tartans forward to be blessed. It's a bit more somber and refractive than the rest of the festival, but it's a beautiful custom that honors the particular history of the family members who settled within the area. It's an excellent reminder that will while we're almost all there to get fun and eat fried food, the festival is rooted inside a deep respect within the past.
Food, Projects, and Shopping
Let's be real: you can't have a festival without good food. At the Kelso Highlander Festival, you've got your own standard fair favorites, however you also get a chance to try some traditional Scottish (and British) grub. If you're feeling brave, a person might opt for the haggis . If you're not quite that will adventurous, there are usually plenty of meat pies, bangers and mash, plus Scotch eggs in order to go around.
The supplier area is also a dangerous location for your pocket. You could find everything through handmade kilts plus sporrans to intricate Celtic jewelry plus woodwork. I've seen some incredible blacksmithing demonstrations where they will make traditional kitchen knives and tools immediately on the place. It's an excellent location to pick up an unique gift or something to remember the weekend break by. And yes, you can definitely buy a kilt there if a person decide you would like to match in with the locals for next year.
Fun for the Whole Family
The particular great thing regarding the Kelso Highlander Festival is that it's not simply regarding adults. They perform a great job of making sure there's plenty for children to be able to do. There are usually usually "junior" versions of the Highland Video games where kids may try their hand at tossing a much smaller, lighter caber or throwing a "stone. " It's adorable in order to watch, and the particular kids get a huge kick out there of feeling like little warriors.
There's also the particular Highland Dancing competitions. These dancers have some associated with the quickest foot I've ever noticed. They perform conventional dances like the Sword Dance and the Highland Fling. The costumes are beautiful, and the level associated with athleticism is actually pretty staggering. It's a very different vibe from the particular heavy athletics, but it's just since impressive in the personal way.
Exactly why Kelso?
A person might wonder the reason why a town like Kelso, Washington, hosts such a massive Scottish festival. This really depends upon the history of the particular region. Many of the early settlers in the Pacific cycles Northwest were associated with Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent, and Kelso was actually named after the town of Kelso in Scotland. So, the festival isn't just a random event; it's a way for the town to celebrate its namesake and the those who built it.
Tam O'Shanter Park is the ideal venue for it, too. It's obtained plenty of open up space for the throwing events plus enough trees in order to provide shade when the September sun gets a little bit of too bright. There's something very "Pacific Northwest" about viewing a Highland festival tucked right into a panorama of Douglas firs and rolling hillsides.
Planning Your Visit
When you're thinking of planning to the Kelso Highlander Festival, here are a few things to maintain in mind. To start, it's usually free to attend, which will be pretty rare regarding an event of this scale. That makes it super accessible with regard to families or anyone that just wants in order to swing by intended for an hour or even two.
Parking could get a little crowded right around the park, so it's a great idea to get there early or be ready to walk a bit from a side street. Wear comfortable shoes because you'll become carrying out a lot of walking on lawn and uneven terrain. And most importantly, bring an open mind—and maybe a folding chair. As soon as you find a good spot by the athletic industry or the primary stage, you're probably going to want to stay a whilst.
In typically the end, the Kelso Highlander Festival is just the lot of enjoyable. It's loud, it's colorful, and it's full of people who are simply happy to become there. Whether you're there for the sheer strength of the athletes, the haunting sound from the pipes, or simply a great meat pie, it's a weekend that sticks with you. It's a reminder that actually in our contemporary world, there's plenty of value in looking back at exactly where we came through and celebrating this with a bit associated with a roar.