Photo Diva: If it’s not Scottish…it’s CRRRAP!

by Photo Diva

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

When my friend Briana asked if I’d be interested in covering the Las Vegas Highland Games a couple of months back I quickly agreed. I am part Scottish but hunting down my family tartan as a kid and having it made into a super cute skirt was the last time I “embraced my heritage.” It was time.

Tiny dancers competing at the Las Vegas Highland Games
Photo by Linda Evans

The Las Vegas Celtic Society formed in late 2003 to produce and host a Highland Games event in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the City of Las Vegas and in 2005 they put on their first traditional games but with a little Vegas Style. This non-profit, non-membership organization takes pride in welcoming and representing all Celts (not only those of Scottish descent but also Irish, Welsh and British) at the games.

So what are Highland Games? Well, think of the event as a more focused and defined sort of renaissance fair. They are a worldwide series of events that are centered on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics as a way of embracing and celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. The games also include entertainment and vendors related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.

One of many men in kilts in the heavy athletics competition
Photo by Linda Evans

Piping and drumming and dancing are all self-explanatory. But “heavy athletics” could mean anything. In this case it is an official-sounding way of saying “see who can pick up that big rock or that tree and throw it the furthest.” Let’s just say that if you are fond of burly men in kilts this is your kind of way to spend a sunny weekend. I was sooo there… Being husband-less for the weekend, I grabbed my best tiara and my “If It’s Not Scottish… IT’S CRRRAP!” tank top and loaded my camera gear into the Divamobile for my quest to find out what they wear under those kilts. (No I did not wear my cute tartan skirt. It was made for a “more compact” teenage Diva. My friend Samantha suggested i pin it to my shoulders and “repurpose it as a cape.” As it turns out that might not have been a bad idea.)

The 2010 Las Vegas Games were held on April 17-18, 2010, at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs in North Las Vegas which is located off of the I-95 at Durango. Unfortunately that street is going through some construction and down to one lane each way so, while the park could handle the large crowds, the street could not and the traffic delay was quite painful. By the time I parked I was less than perky but I got over it quickly and that really was the only negative as the event boasted all the aspects of a much larger International games held in Scotland and elsewhere: bagpipes, kilts and caber toss! What more could I possibly ask for? From Saturday’s opening ceremony (With Mayor Oscar Goodman in attendance) to Sunday’s closing and awards ceremony (not to mention the two-night Ceilidh party inside the Nine Fine Irishman pub and spilling out onto the Brooklyn Bridge at New York – New York Hotel & Casino) it was non-stop fun for all.

The Wicked Tinkers' CJ Henderson playing the didgeridoo
Photo by Linda Evans

Did someone say party? I made sure to get there to catch Finnegan’s Wake and the Wicked Tinkers because, as you know, I’m all about live music. Finnegan’s Wake — Robbie Murphy (Lead Vocals, Bodhran, Tin Whistle), Matt O’ Rourke (Guitar, Vocals), Myron O Stewart (Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar), Scott Teeple (Bass, Vocals) and Wayne Ritchie (Drums, Vocals) — is a fabulous local band that combines Scottish musical style with rock and pop standards to create a fun and lively sound. I particularly liked their versions of “The Devil Went Down To Dublin” and “Wake Up Maggie” and plan to go see them sometime soon at Hennesseys which is where they regularly play.

The Wicked Tinkers, on the other hand, specialize in more of the Tribal Celtic sound, rich with the sounds of bagpipes, tribal drums and even a Bronze Age Irish horn replica, and have been a professional touring band since 1995. Piper Aaron Shaw, bass drummer Warren Casey, snare drummer Keith Jones and CJ Henderson on didgeridoo, Irish horn and drums create an amazing sound. It grows from ancient rhythms that can take you back to a time in Scotland and Ireland histories when battle cries filled the air and yet their grooves seem so current that it’s impossible to not get on your feet and groove to their beats. At least it was for me

A tiny dancer flying and vying for a prize at the Highland Games
Photo by Linda Evans

There was so much going on that I missed a few of the competitions but I did get to see and shoot some of the caber tossing and other athletic competitions and I sure wasn’t disappointed. As the sun went down on the final day, I left regretting choosing looking cute over being practical — I was sore from a sunburn. Part of the Scottish heritage left me with really fair skin that burns easily. One would think at this point in my life that i would remember that sunscreen does not cut it for me and just cover up. But there was the whole burly guys and looking cute thing. I guess I “took one for my clan.”

The best news is that next year the Highland Games will be much larger because it will be the first time Las Vegas will be included amongst the official international games so they will need a bigger space. Thank you to Briana and to her dad, Las Vegas Celtic Society President Guy Parker, for the VIP treatment and I really look forward to next year’s event. You’ll recognize me. I’ll be the one with the camera and tiara and the tartan cape.

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