Highland Games bounce back from big storm
Torrential rains and high winds caused extensive damage at the 23rd Annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games June 19-20, but that didn’t stop large crowds from coming out for the yearly celebration of all things Scottish.
Thousands of visitors braved the mud at the Oak Brook Polo Grounds for the two-day event featuring Scottish cultural exhibits, Celtic music and athletic competitions including Haggis Hurling.
Friday’s activities were cut short by massive storms that dumped more than two and a half inches of rain on the area, reportedly blowing away more than 30 tents and causing significant damage.
“It destroyed our canopy and some of our product, about $400 worth of stuff,” said Richard Douglas of ceramic distributor Hearthstone Arts. “Tables were flipped over and it broke some of our display racks.”
Even unbreakable items like T-shirts weren’t safe from damage, reported Rachal O’Flynn with festival vendor Celtic Fashions. “Our tents were destroyed from the storm, and all of our clothes got wet,” she said as she laid the shirts out in the sun in the hopes of salvaging her merchandise.
Sunny skies on Saturday saved the day for the Highland Games, as visitors returned in droves to sample Scottish specialties like meat pasties and whisky, watch Scottish dog competitions and listen to bagpipe contests and performers.
Muddy grounds made exploring messy, but visitor Scott Sander came all the way from Springfield for the event and simply recommended proper footwear. “I’m glad we didn’t come last night!” he joked on Saturday, and said festival highlights included the Parade of Tartans (where local Scots walked in their family kilts) and the Caber Toss where competitors lift and toss large pine tree trunks.
Mel Sinclair, President of the festivities’ honored clan, Sinclair, described this year’s Scottish Festival and Highland Games best. “We ran into pretty bad storms,” he said, having traveled all the way from South Carolina for the festival. But, “we’ve had a good time, and we had a great crowd today.”
- by D.J. Siegel, Chicago Reporter for HelloMetro
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