Caledonian Club

Some newly-​met friends while on a recent road (foto) trip told me about this event, and being the over-​worked lizard I am hauling boxes up and down many flights of steps, plus being on a laptop all day organizing and archiving image files, I jumped at the chance of going to a SCOTTISH HIGHLANDER event… complete with tradition games plus more. Plus the Marine Band from San Diego will be there and even performance together with the L.A. Scottish Pipe Band — and I just looove hearing bagpipes, so I went! Needless to say (and to make a loooong story shorter), I went using GPS to get me to the event site at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton (only an hour and half in nice traffic leaving VERY early Saturday AM) for this two day event over the long Labor Day weekend. Considered largest Scottish celebration in the world, celebrates 146 years of continuous Celtic presentations by members & volunteers of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. Major events consist of more than 30 pipe bands from the U.S. and Canada, three world-​class Grade I bands: The L.A. Scots of Southern California, joined by two famous Canadian bands the Alberta Caledonian band fm Edmonton, and the Triumph Street band from Vancouver, BC. The U.S. Marine Band San Diego in Pleasanton is the only venue in the world where a U.S. military band performs & marches with a Grade I pipe band as a single unit. Athletic fans appreciate the Heavy Events, including world-​top professional athletes competing in Team Championships with six two-​man teams, representing the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England, Poland and Holland and sanctioned by the International Highland Games Federation. Additionally, the men’s and women’s amateur athletes represent more than 20 U.S. states. Heavy Event competitors in all classes are required to compete in all eight athletic disciplines, including the fabled caber, weight-​for-​height, hammer, stone putt and weight-​for-​distance. Also featured is the Highland Dancing competition with the Western U.S. Open Championships on tap. Entertainment abounds w/​7 stages of continuous activity featuring everything from traditional balladeers and vocal groups to Celtic Rock, plus the Fiddler’s Rally, Harping and Scottish Country Dancing venues. Among the favorites are internationally recognized Tempest, Australia’s Brother and Scotland’s tribal Albannach. Molly’s Revenge, the Browne Sisters, Golden Bough, Peter Daldry and Neil O’Neill, plus Scotland TV personality, singer Isla St Clair entertain throughout the weekend — addition to the events will be Living History, recreating Mary Queen of Scots and her entourage, the Highland Warriors, the Roman Legion and the invading Vikings. Birds of Prey on display includes exotic birds and their accredited handlers while the Sheep Dog Trials portray the intricacies of Border Collies herding sheep via the whistle commands. The Children’s Glen offers children many games and prizes. British automobiles are displayed and a team of Clydesdale horses and wagon tour the grounds. These Games have 100+ vendors located in five bldgs, also offering british food, including bangers, meat pies, Scotch eggs and more, along with traditional American fair food and drink. BRING PLENTY OF VIRTUAL FILM!!!