HUNTERSVILLE, NC: The
Catawba Valley Scottish Society has announced that the 12th Annual
Loch Norman Highland Games, one of the region’s most popular
family-oriented events, will be held April 16 and 17, 2005 at
historic Rural Hill Farm, outside Huntersville, North Carolina.
Tickets are $15.00 for
Saturday, and $10.00 for Sunday. A two day advance pass is only
$20.00. Students 10-17 $5.00 each day... 9 and under FREE.
PLEASE DO NOT BRING
PETS
This year... answer the Call to the
Clans
Join us on Friday
evening as we take you back in spirit to a time long out of mind and
reawaken your Celtic soul. The Call to the Clans is the prelude to
the weekend events. It is designed to evoke a powerful response from
the deepest recesses of a person’s Scottish heritage. The spokesman
for each Clan rallies his kinsmen by extolling their prowess in
battles past and passionately declaring their willingness, if
needed, to do battle once more. The smell of the burning torches and
the sight of kinsmen illuminated in the light of the growing bonfire
underline this emotional ceremony as an expression of the eternal
unity of the Scottish Clan families.
The Adult ticket for
the Call to the Clans is $20; Children 12 and under are $10. A
buffet dinner of Fried fish, Chicken and Shrimp with coleslaw,
fries, hush puppies, dessert and tea, prepared by Graham’s Fish Fry,
is included in the cost. The Buffet Dinner begins at 7:00 pm. The
Call of the Clans begins at Dusk. Reservations are required –
deadline is April 13th.
Thrill to the skirl of
the pipes (20 Pipe bands will participate in the band competition).
Applaud the perfection
of the Highland dancers (competitors come from dance schools across
the US and Canada for the Carolinas Open Highland Dancing
Championship; one of only six championship competitions in the US).
In 2005, the Games
will host the National Scottish Harp Competition in addition to
competition in playing the fiddle Scottish Style (ever wonder where
Old Time and Appalachian Music came from?).
Cheer for your
favorite Scottish heavy athlete and enjoy watching the extraordinary
challenge of the seven measures of strength that makes up the
Scottish Heavy Athletics Heptathlon. You can see the former World
Champion, Ryan Vierra, competing in the “Stone of Strength”; the 22
lb hammer throw; the 28 lb & 56 lb weight for distance; the 56 lb
weight for height; the sheaf toss, and the turning of the Caber, a
20-ft long pole weighing between 120 & 140 lbs, which is thrown
(turned) for accuracy.
Mike McIntyre, United
States Congressman representing North Carolina’s 7th
Congressional District, and his two sons, Stephen and Joshua, Ranald
Alexander McDonald of Clanranald, the Captain of Clanranald and 24th
Hereditary Chief of Clanranald, Dr. Iain Morrison, Chief of Clan
Morrison, Dr. John Ruairidh Morrison and Ann Michelle Morrison and
Romilly Squire, Deputy Secretary of the Standing Council of Scottish
Chiefs will be honored guests at the games this year.
What’s in a name?
MacIntyre - In Gaelic MacIntyre is Mac an
T’saior, meaning "Son of the Carpenter". The Clan progenitor was
Macarill, a nephew of Somerled the Great, who helped his uncle gain
the hand of Ragnhild, daughter of Olav the Red, King over the Norse
kingdom of Man and the Isles in the early 1100s.
Clanrannald - The Clanranald branch of Clan
Donald traces its lineage back to Ranald, eldest son of John, 1st
Lord of the Isles. Ranald is thought to have resigned his right of
succession to the Lordship in exchange for the greater part of the
Lordship of Garmoran, which stretched from the Great Glen to the
Outer Hebrides.
Morrison - Traditionally, Clan Morrison traces
its ancestry to Gilmoire, son of Olav the Black, another King of Man
and the Isles in the early 1200s. "Gilmoire" is said to be the
Gaelic equivalent of "Maurice", so "Maurice’s sons" became the
Morrisons.
Learn a little
about your relatives... those doggedly-determined cantankerous Scots
and Scots-Irish with Beth Gay. Beth represents the Ellen Payne
Odom Library in Moultrie, GA and is editor of The Family Tree; the
most widely read genealogical interest newspaper in the US.
Learn about the
complex art of Scottish heraldry with Romilly Squire, Baron
Bailey of Plean and Rathdown. Romilly is a Herald Painter in the
Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Court of the Lord
Lyon is the governing body for recording and granting arms. Scottish
Heraldry has been in continuous use for more than 800 years, but in
1672, to deal with flagrant abuse of the use of arms, the Scottish
Parliament passed an act requiring all arms to be recorded. Today
The Court of the Lord Lyon can levy fines and compel compliance with
the law.
Learn about the
fine points of Single Malt Whisky in seminars on Saturday and
Sunday. The word whisky comes from the Gaelic phrase, uisge
beatha, meaning the "water of life". All Whisky is distilled
in Scotland. Whiskey, with an “e”, is something else altogether.
Thought to have been introduced by Christian missionaries more than
500 years ago, the business of making whisky has been refined by the
Scots to an art form. Scotland has more than 100 malt and grain
whisky distilleries. Single Malt Scotch whisky is of major
importance to the economy of Scotland. It is exported to nearly 200
countries around the world.
The gate opens at 8:00
am Saturday and Sunday. While music abounds throughout the weekend,
one of the most memorable events, the Worship Service and Kirking of
the Tartans, takes place on Sunday morning at 9:00 am at the
picturesque Rural Hill Burying Ground. This celebration of Scottish
heritage would not be complete without a visit to the Scottish Clan
and Family tents to meet kith and kin.
The Loch Norman
Highland Games attracts competitors and visitors from all over the
United States and Canada. It’s an event you can’t afford to miss.
Join us on this glorious spring weekend for the fellowship, the fun
and the Games.
The Loch Norman
Highland Games are presented by The Catawba Valley Scottish Society.
Facilitated in cooperation with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation.
Community partners
of the Games include:
Coca-Cola, The
McIntosh Law Firm, The Galway Hooker Irish Pub, Town of
Huntersville, Lake Norman Convention & Visitors Bureau,
EnergyUnited, Bojangles, Graham's Fish Fry & Catering, The Scottish
Bank, Hauser Rentals, Gaelic Themes & St. Kilda Bagpipes, Caithness
Glass, Scottish Woods Resorts, BB&T, Windswept Hills Carriages,
Gaelic Themes, Allied Waste, McCall Brothers Water Well Drilling,
The Printer Ink, Lake Norman Tractor, Swordplay Alliance, Strikers
Soccer Center, Conder Flags, McMahan Audio Visuals, Family Cleaners,
Guardway Signs and Artisan Signs & Graphics, The Printer Ink ,
Artisans Signs and Graphics and Brasfield & Gorrie.
Photos available on
request featuring: Scottish Heavy Athletics, Highland Dancing,
Piping & Drumming, Pipe Bands.
Tuesday March 8,
2005
For more information
contact: Keets F. Taylor
Historic Rural Hill Farm
P. O. Box 1009
Huntersville, NC 28070-1009
704-875-3113
lochnorman@ruralhillfarm.org
www.ruralhillfarm.org
Celtic Music Line-Up –
April 16 & 17th, 2005
Saturday Day (Celildh Tent) (10:30 am until 4:30 pm.)
-
BRUCE DAVIES
(Saturday only)
Bruce lives in
Glenrothes in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, about 20 miles
from St. Andrews, the "Home of Golf." He is a singer whose
style is very accessible, yet unique, blending the words and
melodies of Scotland and beyond with harmonic influences that betray
his Welsh ancestry. His love of the great folk songwriters of the
60's to the present day is also apparent in his presentation and
choice of music and his warm, rich voice and sympathetic 6
& 12 string acoustic guitar technique have received much
critical acclaim.
A former winner
of the prestigious Edinburgh Folk Club Song-writing competition,
Bruce was known for many years as an interpreter of great songs by
great writers. However, his own songs now sit happily alongside
those of "the greats" in his performances.
His enthusiasm for the works of Robert Burns, his knowledge
and ability to express the history and music of Scotland as it
relates to the rest of the world (particularly North America),
combined with his witty introductions and friendly manner, make him
a complete performer.
He has made many TV
appearances at home and abroad (including half hour "specials" in
California and Washington DC). Prior to engaging in such a busy
schedule as a performer, he was the presenter of 2 weekly shows on
local radio. He has six albums currently available,
including the recently released Songs We Used To Sing which
is a celebration of his musical roots. He also has two other CDs
that showcase songs of Scotland, one compilation featuring his
versions of great lyric songs from the folk field and beyond, which
he recorded in the 1990s, one compilation of his original songs,
also recorded in the 1990s and "Somewhere Down The Road", which
features 7 of his original songs and seven written by his friends
and heroes. For more about Bruce's albums/CD's and songs, please
click on the Catalogue button, above left.
Bruce Davies
-
ED MILLER
Ed, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, now living in Austin, Texas, is
a product of the 1960s folk revival in Scotland. He moved to the
United States in 1968 to complete his graduate work in Geography,
and later Folklore, at the University of Texas at Austin. In
addition to his singing career, Ed is the host of a folk music
program on Austin's NPR station, KUT-FM. Ed Miller is a performer
who has learned his craft in musical venues on both sides of the
Atlantic....and a folklorist who brings his love of Scotland to
every performance. "Ed Miller is one of the best singers to emerge
from the Scottish folk revival, a guitar-wielding folkie who wins
his audiences over with a sweet but powerful voice, a great ear for
material, and equal doses of populist politics and wry humor. He
learned his craft in the sessions, clubs, and festivals of the folk
revival, both in Scotland and the United States. Miller is also a
scholar with an academic degree in folklore and a deep curiosity
about history and culture, and his multiple roles and approaches to
music and song make his performances and recordings that much more
rewarding." Steve Winick, contributor to The Music
Hound --The Essential Albums Guide.
ed
miller
-
HENRI’S NOTIONS
From soft fingerpicked ballads to hard-driving jigs and reels,
Henri's Notions creates a musical mix of traditional Celtic and
American music as well as their own compositions that have a rhythm
and voice reflective of their Southern heritage, which lends a
pleasing familiarity to the music. The Notions draw from a broad
palette of melodious sounds: the ardent sounds of fiddle, lilting
flute, keen tin whistles, ringing mandolin, tenor banjo and
bouzouki, and the bounce of the button accordian, all played over
the resonant tones and drive of the rhythm section, consisting of
acoustic guitars, percussion, bass and now and again - bones.
Lead voices dance through the intricate embellishments that bring to
life the old ballads and songs and all members lend voices
frequently creating close, rich, well-balanced harmonies. The group
makes a point to provide backgrounds on the songs and instruments
used during their performance and this has allowed Henri's Notions
to connect with, educate and inspire audiences for over twenty
years!
Henri's Notions has toured extensively in the Southern and Eastern
United Stated from West Palm Beach, Florida and Dallas, Texas to New
York City. The group has worked countless festivals and concerts
and has appeared as the opening act for such folk icons as Bob
Dylan, Richie Havens, The Kingston Trio, David Grisman Quintet and
top celtic acts such as The Tannahill Weavers, Patrick Street, Paddy
O'Brian and others.
Henris Notions
performs year-round in concerts, festivals, special events, and
school programs. As a touring member of the Alabama State Council on
the Arts and Southern Arts Federation, grants are often available to
eligible presenters.
Henri’s Notions
Sunday Day (Celildh Tent) (schedule for the day not yet set):
1) Ed Miller
2) Henri’s Notions
