Kentucky Scottish Weekend
Encyclopedia
Highland games
Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
held annually at General Butler State Resort Park
General Butler State Resort Park
General Butler State Resort Park is a park located near Carrollton, Kentucky in Carroll County. The park is open year-round, featuring attractions such as hiking and mountain bike competitions in the summer. The park is named for General William O...
in Carrollton
Carrollton, Kentucky
Carrollton is a town in Carroll County, Kentucky, at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Kentucky River. Its population was 3,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carroll County....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The weekend's mission is to celebrate the customs and traditions of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is held each year on the second full weekend in May. First held in 1983, the weekend celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2007, and is the longest running highland game currently being held in Kentucky. It is held in Carrollton due to that location being nearly halfway between Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and Cincinnati. A Kentucky non-profit corporation—Kentucky Scottish Weekend, Inc.—holds the event. The weekend is sometimes referred to as "KSW" for short.
The weekend is one of three regional highland games in Kentucky. The others are the Glasgow Highland Games
Glasgow Highland Games
The Glasgow Highland Games are a regional highland games and Scottish heritage celebration held annually in and near Glasgow, Kentucky. The main festival grounds are located at Barren River Lake State Resort Park, about from Glasgow, while most other events are held in the city proper.Glasgow is...
in Glasgow
Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,200 at the 2000 census. The city is well-known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by Progressive Farmer magazine...
and the West Kentucky Highland Festival in Murray
Murray, Kentucky
Murray is a city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,741 at the 2010 census and has a micropolitan area population of 37,191. It is the 22nd largest city in Kentucky...
, founded in 1986 and 1998, respectively.
A variety of vendors usually attend the event. Items sold include Scottish and American food items, Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic collectibles, kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
s, Scottish music, Clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
memorabilia, and Scottish heathers
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
.
Events
- Athletic competitions, including:
- Caber tossing
- Hammer throw - 22 lb (10 kg).
- Sheaf toss
- Stone throw
- Weight throw - 28 and 56 lb (25.4 kg).
- Weight toss - 56 lb (25.4 kg).
- Bagpipe and drumming competitions (the event is recognized by the Eastern United States Pipe Band AssociationEastern United States Pipe Band AssociationThe Eastern United States Pipe Band Association is an association of pipe bands in the Eastern United States. Its function is to sanction band and solo piping, drumming, and drum major competitions in the East Coast...
)- Several regional pipe bands regularly compete at the weekend, including Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes and DrumsCincinnati Caledonian Pipes and DrumsCincinnati Caledonian Pipes and Drums, one of the oldest pipe bands in the United States, is dedicated to promoting and preserving the Scottish Celtic cultural and musical arts through piping, drumming and Highland dancing...
and the Louisville Pipe BandLouisville Pipe BandThe Louisville Pipe Band is a Scottish bagpipe and drum band based in Louisville, Kentucky. The band is "dedicated to furthering Celtic arts and traditions of piping and drumming by performances, competition, instruction, and education." The group is organized as a 501 non-profit...
- Several regional pipe bands regularly compete at the weekend, including Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes and Drums
- Bonniest knees contest (where men compete for the "best" set of knees; judged by females and through touch alone)
- Border CollieBorder CollieThe Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....
demonstrations - British car show
- CeilidhCéilidhIn modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
on Saturday night - Clan booths
- Kirking of the Tartan (non-denominational church service) on Sunday morning
- Opening ceremony with massed bands
- Parade of Tartans
- Pipe bandPipe bandA pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
concerts - Scottish folk music concerts
- Scottish highland dancing competitions and demonstrations
- Wellie toss contest (where women compete to see who can throw a boot the farthest)
Entertainers
Alex BeatonAlex Beaton
Alex Beaton is a Scottish, guitar-playing folksinger who makes more than 20 concert appearances annually at various events across the United States . Beaton appears annually at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina, and the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta, Georgia,...
has been the featured performer and emcee at the Kentucky Scottish Weekend since 1989. In recent years, other performers have included Seven Nations
Seven Nations
Seven Nations is a Celtic rock band that formed in New York City in 1993. The name comes from the seven Celtic nations, including Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Galicia...
, the Glengarry Bhoys
Glengarry Bhoys
The Glengarry Bhoys, founded in 1998, is a Celtic fusion band blending traditional Scottish and Irish music with modern Celtic and contemporary sounds. Initially called the Graham Wright Band, they changed their name to reflect their heritage and the place where they hail from: Glengarry County,...
, and Wicked Tinkers
Wicked Tinkers
The Wicked Tinkers are an American Celtic music group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals.http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EajppDn4TKY/TAZi7AWKuOI/AAAAAAABsMc/8ARk5wnpcHM/DSC08855-ec.jpg-History:...
.