Yesterday was the Minnesota Highland Games, at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington. Only one of my friends, Jerry, made it down there. the rest of you missed out on a very good highland gathering. This gathering is the replacement for the one that used to take place at Mac Allister College in the Twin Cities.
There were five or six pipebands in attendance, and the massed bands performance was excellent. There was a pipeband from Iowa and another from Nebrska, the rest coming from the Twin Cities Metro Area.
The the athletes for the heavy events made up a fine field. One of the competitors made numerous huge throws with the weight for distance, falling just short of 90 feet.
There was a pub area where beer was available, and an array folk music bands played entertained their audience with a variety of Celtic Music.
A second stage was set up for additional musicians as well as presentations. One presentation I watched was on Falconry, with three birds: A peregrine falcon, a red-tailed hawk, and a kestrel. The guy making the presentation spoke on how to get into falconry as well as a bit of history behind the sport.
What would a highland games be without a living history section? There were several living history groups in attendance, providing a taste of what it was like living in the various ages they recreated.
Finally, there was the sheep herding demonstrations, which is something I have always enjoyed watching. The dogs do a magnificent job, and you can tell by the way they look that they love what they do.
There were some 20 or so clans represented in the glen of Clans; various food booths; and quite a number of vendors selling Scottish and Celtic goodies.
The weather was excellent, the Fairgrounds provides plenty of parking (unlike going downtown), and was well run. I’ll be looking forward to a return next year.
