Another Day, Another Fair!

This weekend was the Scottish Festival, another interesting fair we have here in MN. This one is actually very near and dear to my heart, since my Grandfather was from Scotland! He died before I was born, but my parents and family went to this festival every year from the time I was a baby until I was 15! Every time I hear the bagpipes, it makes me think of my Grandpa.

So, we decided to go this year again since Josh had never been to the Scottish Fair. Josh lived in Scotland for his semester abroad during school and really loved his time there. We took some friends who also love the Scottish culture (and also lived there for a while).

We ended up having real Scottish weather too! It was really cold and rainy, but we made it through with lots of hot tea and a couple breaks to warm up in the car.

We had some meat pies with HP sauce (yum!) and fish n' chips with malt vinegar. Mmmm. I'll be posting a recipe for these soon! They are soooo good.

They had tons of great music- a few different celtic bands and lots and lots of bagpipes. Do you like bagpipes? There seems to be a rather mixed reaction to them. I love them, but probably because they are so closely tied to my Scottish heritage and remind me of my Grandpa. We had two pipers at our wedding, and some of our guests were a little shocked at the volume! Hehe.

Another fun part of this festival is watching the "Highland Games." One of my favorite sports is the "Caber Toss." These fellas pick up what looks like a telephone pole (and probably weighs that much too!) and attempt to toss it end-over-end, wearing kilts no less! They are judged on form and the height the caber reaches. I've never actually seen anyone throw it end-over-end, but I imagine it would be pretty impressive!

We also watched the Highland Dancing competitions. It really amazes me the strength and endurance these dancers have! Of course, they make it look way easier than it really is.

At the end of the day, all of the pipe bands that are there at the festival gather together and play en masse. It is really an amazing sight, watching them march up and down the field. It's so loud, you can feel your bones rumble with the bass drums! I love visiting the Scottish Festival! We'll definitely be back next year.

Do you like to visit festivals throughout the year? What are some that are unique to your area that you enjoy visiting? I'm guessing other places hold Scottish Festivals too, have you ever been to one?