Loch Norman Festival and Games

**MacKenzie** · 16th April 16, 04:09 PM

Some Rabble. L-R: OC Richard, (don't know, sorry), ASinclair, MacKenzie, Carolinanan117.

VMI Pipe Band looking sharp.

Sheaf toss

More to come.

**KimM** · 17th April 16, 08:48 AM

It was great to meet all of y'all yesterday.

The Redhead.

**MacKenzie** · 17th April 16, 01:33 PM

A couple of slideshows.

http://grillandgun.com/Loch_Norman_2016/Massed_Bands/

http://grillandgun.com/Loch_Norman_2016/Misc/

**grizzbass** · 17th April 16, 01:39 PM

It is the start of festival season so life is good.

**OC Richard** · 18th April 16, 03:49 AM

Wow MacKenzie those are some of the best Massed Band photos I've ever seen. Seems like you had a high vantage-point and a very nice telephoto lens.

I'll add my semi-OK cellphone pics to this thread, here goes:

I'm in to piping, so I was listening to some solos in the morning. This gives a good idea of the grounds. The weather was spectacular as you can see.

The kid in the background, at the cabin, is competing solos, while in the foreground a couple band pipers are starting to warm up their instruments.

The pipers of Charleston (SC) Police warming up their pipes prior to the opening ceremonies.

I met Allen Sinclair and his wife, who were accommodating and gracious. Allen gave me a tour of the Games and of various XMarkers in attendance. (I'm drinking a very good California-style IPA brewed right there in NC.)

An XMarkers meetup:

In the afternoon, pipe bands! They march "up to the line" like this:

Marching in 'over the line' and 'into the circle' (symbolically)

City Of Atlanta "in the circle" competing with judges ranged about with their clipboards. Two of the judges were wearing Isle Of Skye

The Massed Bands at the end of the day. City Of Atlanta as Grade 3 winners were invited to come up to the front and march themselves off

**KimM** · 18th April 16, 06:53 AM

I shot a few videos of some of the competition and warm ups. There are also a couple of the Massed Band. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...Ha6_6K6MsEQGuB

**MacKenzie** · 19th April 16, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Wow MacKenzie those are some of the best Massed Band photos I've ever seen. Seems like you had a high vantage-point and a very nice telephoto lens.

Thanks Richard. I was atop the grand stand at the south end of the field with a 300MM zoom.

From the concealment of the tree line on the pipe band comp. field I managed to get to photo of a Californian. A beast rarely seen at NC highland games.

**OC Richard** · 22nd April 16, 03:49 AM

That's funny!

About your Massed Band pics, I think both the Games themselves, and some of those Pipe Bands, might be interested in seeing those.

There's a site devoted to the piping scene, Bob Dunsire. If I had your permission I'd like to link your slideshow to their Loch Norman thread, they're always jazzed to see good photos of their bands.

Or if not the slideshow itself, at least one of the photos.

**MacKenzie** · 22nd April 16, 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

There's a site devoted to the piping scene, Bob Dunsire. If I had your permission I'd like to link your slideshow to their Loch Norman thread, they're always jazzed to see good photos of their bands.

Or if not the slideshow itself, at least one of the photos.

Permission granted.

If they or you or anyone would like any of the original (not re-sized) image files just let me know.

**OC Richard** · 1st May 16, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by MacKenzie

Permission granted.

Thanks! I posted a link just now on Bob Dunsire.

You might hear from one (or more) of the bands involved. A few years ago I spent one entire competition season on the sidelines and I took tons of band pics, many of which I posted on Bob Dunsire.

One of the bands contacted me for permission to use some of them on their website- they didn't have any good pics of their band, as it happens.