All Things Scottish Saturday’S Highland Games Will Have Everything From ‘Pipers To Sheep Dogs

Thu., July 30, 1998

Nina Culver Correspondent

Feats of strength will be the order of the day at the Highland Games Saturday at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.

Yes, it’s a celebration of Scottish heritage, which seems to involve a lot of heavy lifting and flinging.

Gates open at 9 a.m. and the contests get started immediately. There will be a Highland dancing competition and a bagpiping contest, but if you want to hear the sound of muscles straining, check out the athletic battles. Events include a caber toss (contestants lift a log 13 to 17 feet long weighing between 70 and 120 pounds and fling it end over end); the stone toss (using 56-pound chunks of rock); the sheaf toss (entrants stab a pitchfork into a burlap sack of hay and toss it over their shoulder); and the joint-popping farmers walk (competitors lift heavy objects and see how far they can walk before dropping them — hopefully not on their feet).

But the day isn’t all heavy lifting. A sheep dog demonstration gets started at 10:30 a.m. There will also be demonstrations of Scottish country dancing and bagpiping. Pony rides and other children’s activities start at 11 a.m.

A welcoming ceremony will be at 1 p.m. and include a parade of the clans. All the competitions will resume at 1:30 p.m. Closing ceremonies are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Various food vendors will be open all day as well as a collection of vendors offering Celtic and Scottish wares.

Admission to the Highland Games is $7 for adults, $3 for children age 4-10, or $20 per family. Children under the age of 4 are free.

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