23rd Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games
Throw on your kilt, flex your muscles and get ready to head out to the 23rd Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games on June 19–20.
A two-day event of contests, food, music and culture, the Games provide one special celebration. Sign up for the Kilted Mile Run or the caber toss (flipping a two-foot, 140-pound tree trunk). Watch the 22-pound hammer throw, the sheaf toss (tossing a bale of hay over a high bar) or the clachneart (throwing a 16-pound river stone.)
Sponsored by the Illinois St. Andrew Society, these Highland Games at the Oak Brook Polo grounds draw more than 20,000 visitors, making them the largest of their kind in the Midwest.
Might you be a bit hungry after all that lifting and throwing? Join the haggis-eating contest.(Haggis is a nutty-tasting, sausage-like dish made of a blend of sheep heart, liver, stomach and lung mixed with things like oatmeal, cayenne pepper and nutmeg.) Or throw the epicurean delight in the women-only haggis throwing contest during which participants stand on a half-barrel and try to pitch the product with amazing grace.
Men, line up to show your stuff in the Knobbly Knees Kilt Contest.
Not everything is serious at this annual celebration. There are also piping and dance contests, the parade of tartans, whiskey and food tastings, as well as music on the evening main stage.
There are events for the entire family. Children can enjoy miniature golf and take carnival rides. A large selection of Scottish foods as well as crafts will also be available.
The Games end with 1,000 pipers and drummers performing in a closing ceremony Saturday night, June 20. The Illinois Saint Andrew Society, Illinois’ oldest charity, promotes Scottish identity through services, fellowship and celebration of Scottish culture.
Grounds are open Friday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. For a list of daily events, see the Highland Games' Event Schedule.
Tickets bought in advance through June 9 are Friday, adults $10; children under 12, free. Saturday, adults $15; children under 12, free. Tickets purchased at the festival gate are an additional $2. The Oak Brook Polo Grounds are located at 700 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, Ill. 60523. For further information call festival organizers at (708) 447-5092.
Posted on Apr 22, 2011 by Lori Rotenberk
