BLANK SLATE MEDIA August 16, 2019
YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING
SCOTTISH FEST RETURNS TO L.I. BY B I L LY F I T Z PAT R I C K
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he Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games is back for a 59th year, headed for Old Westbury Gardens Saturday, Aug. 24. One of the longest running festivals on Long Island, the Scottish Festival and Highland Games has been a staple on Long Island since it began in a park back in 1960. “It all started with five clans getting together at a small park 59 years ago,” said Andy McInnes, the festival committee’s chairman. “The kids would compete in races and play games in the field and since then it’s only continued to grow. Now, we’ve been at Old Westbury Gardens for the last 30 years.” The annual festival has something for everyone in attendance. It will feature pipe bands all day long, Irish step dancing, a harp player, Scottish-bred dogs, a caber toss for both adults and children, tossing the sheaf and putting the stone children’s races, tug-o-war, shortbread contests, antique British autos featured in car shows and parades, birds of prey and falconry, pony rides, petting zoo, highland and country dancers, Cameron music ensemble,
for each tent this year and we have more than 60 tents, so that would have cost more than double what we actually make from holding the festival,” McInnes said. “Thankfully, we were able to come to an agreement with the village and the festival is able to go on.” The festival is planned each year by Old Westbury Gardens and Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games Inc., both of which are notfor-profit organizations. Any profits made from the festival pay for annual expenses of the gardens and go to local charities, including Disabled Vets, Wounded Warriors, the Salvation Army and Island PHOTOS COURTESY OF LONG ISLAND SCOTTISH CLAN MACDUFF 81 LTD. Harvest, as well as other food banks. The festival will take A pipe band performs during the 2018 Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games. place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. face painting, plenty of Scottish stone competition, which is basi- Long Island will have tents set up 24, and admission costs food and drinks and a raffle at the cally shot put with an oddly shaped at the festival to talk about their are $20 for adults, $18 for end of the day. If that’s not enough stone, and raising the sheaf, which family’s ancestry,” said McInnes. seniors, $8 for children for you, there’s so much more that traditionally consists of raising a “We’ll also have other educational older than 6 years old stuffed burlap bag over a horizontal exhibits scheduled during the day, and $10 for Old Westbury will be going on. “Our most popular attractions bar, which could be higher than the including how bagpipes are made.” members. Children under There was a fear that this year’s 6 are free. are the Highland games,” said Mc- competitor’s head.” Besides competition and festival would be called off due to Innes. “Everyone loves to see the Free parking is availcaber toss, it’s for men and women games, the Scottish Festival can expensive tent fees after the Village able at Westbury High and they have to flip over what’s also be educational for those in of Old Westbury enacted a new levy School, with shuttle bus basically a 20-foot tall, 150-pound attendance. For people who don’t in order to receive a permit, but the services in place to transtelephone pole. There is also a cab- know much about Scottish history festival committee and Old West- port guests to and from er toss for children, too, with the and culture, there will be multiple bury Gardens were able to come to the festival. For more insize of the caber depending on the tents at the festival worth paying a a compromise with the village in formation on the annual size of the kid, but it can go up to visit to if you want to learn as much order to hold this year’s event. event, visit www.liscots. “The Village of Old Westbury org. as you can. being 14 feet high. “Scottish clans from across added a $300 fee to get a permit “We also have a putting the