Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.
Dianne personally met and spoke with Prince Edward [Queen Elizabeth's youngest son] while Bella was playing games in the "Wee Games" area.
A really enjoyable weekend for us.
Hugs from The Chambers
The Upstate of South Carolina has, arguably, one of the highest concentrations of Scots-Irish descendants in the country. Our ancestors persevered under incredible hardships to get to the Carolinas, coming north from Charleston and south from Philadelphia and Virginia. When they reached our beautiful Blue Ridge mountains and foothills, they heaved a collective sigh and knew they were home.
We created the Games in 2006 as a tribute to and a celebration of our Celtic forebears. The colors, tastes, sights and sounds you will experience are all evocative of clan life in the wild Highlands ofScotland. The Championship Heavy Athletic competition is drawn from the warrior traditions at ancient clan gatherings, as is the Highland Dancing competition, albeit considerably more evolved from the original warlike expressions of victory over defeated enemies. TheSouthern Piping Championship will remind you vividly of how the Great Highland War Pipes were an integral part of every Scottish clan marching into battle. The crafts – from the weaving of tartans to the Axe Throwers – would have been all around you at a Gathering of the Clans from long ago.
Children visiting our Games will have their own miniature Scottish village, called Wee Scotland. There is not another like it, as far as we know, at any other Scottish Games in the country. They will have their own crafts, athletic events, “mountains” to climb, and much more, all the while absorbing a bit of the culture that settled our region.
For the runners, we are conducting the Swamp MacRabbit Trail 5K Run/Walk. For those of you not from Greenville, some 150 years ago a wee little passenger train, the Swamp Rabbit, ran from Greenville up into the foothills north of our city. That narrow-gauge railroad track has been converted into a state-of-the-art running trail, which brushes the Furman campus. We’ve laid out a race course that loops through the scenic woods of the Trail, with different surfaces to entertain your feet. The Run/Walk will be held this year Thursday May 27, Please visit the web page to register.
The second Great Scot! British Car Show, with returning sponsor, Land Rover Greenville, will be held on the gorgeous wide mall leading up to the entrance of the Games on the Furman campus. We’ll have a bevy of cars ranging from the our featured marque, Rolls Royce to Mini Cooper, all with their hoods opened invitingly for your inspection.
We are very excited to announce the Second Annual Bonnie Lad and Lassie Pageant, held in partnership with the Official Miss South Carolina Pageant. The Pageant is open to contestants from ages 3 – 15. The contestants will be invited to participate in our Great Scot! Parade, and we are tickled to death to think of all those wee folk in their Scottish outfits proudly marching or riding on floats. Our Games will be graced by the presence of the reigning Miss America, Miss South Carolina, and Miss South Carolina Teen, plus 90+ other beauty title holders who will be judging the Pageant and volunteering throughout the Games.
AND THE FIRST-EVER VISIT TO GREENVILLE BY A BRITISH ROYAL, HRH THE PRINCE EDWARD! What more can we say?
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