Athena Caledonian Games 2015

[Blupiper]

I have attended these Games for about a decade. The latest incarnation was this past weekend (July 11.) I like the smaller nature of the Games and how the whole town shows up for them. They are suffering the same pressures that Highland Games (especially small ones) are going through: declining participation, money pressures and the fewer amount of competitors willing to travel to these small Games. That being said, I still enjoy the opening parade through the main street of town, with kids' bicycles taking part, the food vendors and the merchandise vendors, the athletes, the musicians, the entertainers and the crowds.

Here's a shot of me. I entered three events and had a good day. Third in the 2/4 march, second in the slow air and second in the piobaireachd. All in all, a good day. The usual 95-105 degree F temps gave way to 65-75 and the humidity kept the pipes very happy. I decided to go for the country gentleman look for these games. Weathered MacKenzie kilt, tweed lapel waistcoat and monk strap brogues instead of ghillies.


The night before I was in the city park in a nearby town to warm up and acclimate my pipes. I felt some rain and looked around for some cover. Here's what I found to shelter under and continue practicing. Not bad. The town has recently finished restoring the band shell and it looks great.


That's it this year. Support your local small Games. They are well worth the trip.

JMB

[Dughlas mor]

Nice photos, and good showing in the piping. Where, exactly, is Athena?

[OC Richard]

Congrats!!

And you look very sharp!

I attended the Athena Games many years ago, I think it was 1981. I was attending the Coeur d'Alene piping school, and a bunch of us crammed into a couple cars for the long drive there and back.

There was a nice Professional Piobaireachd contest involving the teachers from the school. Our head instructor, Pipe Major Evan MacRae, was the judge.

There was a truck with a spigot on one side which dispensed beer, free to anyone in a kilt.

It was wonderful.

There was a big booth making BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches. I asked PM MacRae "You've been all over the world, where is the best food you've ever had?"

He said "Right here!" pointing to the pulled-pork booth.

At that time the Coeur d'Alene school didn't do drumming, so we were all pipers, however a number of us played drums as well, and we borrowed drums from one of the bands and competed in the Pipe Band competition, and won. I think I played bass, I was really too drunk to know what all was happening (due to the beer-spigot).

I do remember one pipe band wearing pith helmets.

I work at Disneyland and I meet people from all over the country, all over the world, every day, and I've yet to meet anyone from Oregon who has heard of Athena.

[OC Richard]

Where, exactly, is Athena?

Yes few people have heard of it.

Here it is! A thousand people, more or less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena,_Oregon

[Blupiper]

Richard:

Yep, the beer is still there, no longer free, but the Coeur d'Alene School hasn't been held the last two years. The pipe band in the pith helmets may have been the Desert Thistle Pipe Band, out of the Tri-Cities in Washington, about an hour north of Athena. They are now the Columbia Regional Pipe Band, Grade III and have players from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. They will be at the Worlds in Glasgow in August. Good luck to them. Athena is in northeast Oregon, twenty miles east and north of Pendleton. I believe that's Umatilla County. Their first Highland Games was in 1899, discontinued between the Wars and restarted on a regular basis in the 1970's. Many Scots settled in the area in the late 19th century, although the founders felt the hills outside of town resembled the hills around Athens, Greece, hence the name. A small agricultural community, wheat and barley being the main crops.

[OC Richard]

Thanks for the info!

They're going to wear pith helmets at The Worlds?

About the "tri cities area" it's an interesting term. At work I meet people from all over the country every day, and I've had people from many Counties in many States say they're from "the tri-cities area." All of them apparently imagine that the term has a universally understood referent. Heck, there's a half-dozen of them around here.

Just for yucks I just now Googled "tri-cities motors" and they're all over the country!

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=tri-cities+motors

[Blupiper]

Thanks for the info!

They're going to wear pith helmets at The Worlds?

About the "tri cities area" it's an interesting term. At work I meet people from all over the country every day, and I've had people from many Counties in many States say they're from "the tri-cities area." All of them apparently imagine that the term has a universally understood referent. Heck, there's a half-dozen of them around here.

Just for yucks I just now Googled "tri-cities motors" and they're all over the country!

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=tri-cities+motors

Richard:

Yeah, sometimes I forget that we're not all neighbors and I slip into local jargon. In Southeast Washington state, the Tri-Cities refer to the cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. All three abut one another and are grouped where the Snake River runs into the Columbia. The Columbia separates Franklin and Benton Counties and the area is known for agriculture, viticulture and The Hanford Nuclear Reservation, where the plutonium for the two bombs dropped to end WWII was made. The Columbia Regional Pipe Band no longer wears the pith helmets nor the khaki blouses. They are in black argylls, waistcoats, navy glengarries and kilts in the Ramsay Blue tartan. Columbia Regional still performs locally under the moniker of the Desert Thistle Pipe Band, but they are Columbia Region PB at the Worlds this year.

JMB

[OC Richard]

Nothing to do with Games or kilts, but my son starts grad school at Central Washington University this September. He has Scottish hair (red) and a Scottish name (Ross) but he never got into playing the pipes or wearing the kilt.

[Mike_Oettle]

That’s a pity, Richard. Any chance of getting him interested at this stage – or perhaps later, when he no longer things he knows everything?

[Blupiper]

Nothing to do with Games or kilts, but my son starts grad school at Central Washington University this September. He has Scottish hair (red) and a Scottish name (Ross) but he never got into playing the pipes or wearing the kilt.

My son just graduated with his Bachelor's degree from Central Washington University this June past. Ellensburg, when you're not on campus, takes a little getting used to if you're from a larger town. It's a matter of pace of life and resources to offer.

My son is the one who got me started with piping a decade ago, but that's another long story. I hope your son has a positive experience at CWU and all goes well.

JMB