Nor Cal Highland Games Cancelled

[Semiomniscient]

The two biggest Nor Cal Games....Woodland and Pleasanton, are still "on" and I'm sure they will not fold any time soon. They will certainly gather crowds in the tens of thousands.

Funny, but both of them have living history areas with those icky "re-enactors in kilts".

Tartan Day in Ardenwood is "on", and at most a dozen clans attend, if that. It's thick with those horrible Pan-Celtic types and re-enactors in kilts, putting on fake swordplay. No pipe bands come out, not ONE. Last year there were no dance groups, I hear that this year there might be a school or two. The local Athletic group is busy, 500 miles south in Bakersfield, and so the only Athletics are what I bring along. The number of vendors is about a dozen. Much of the music is provided by volunteer groups, or the local harpers hall. Only two "name bands" make it to Tartan Day.

And yet Tartan Day at Ardenwood is still a going concern. Son of a gun. Of course, this is California...you know, the land of the uneducated and generally unwashed masses who don't know any better.

You can have all of that you want and it can be successful. But obviously, the type of "muddying the waters" of having the SCA and other non-Scottish, Ren Faire type entertainment leads to a degeneration of the games into something non-Scottish. You can't simply "slap tartan on it" and poof! it's Scottish! Most Scottish societies have the objective and mission to preserve their culture and heritage. Creating false ideas about what is "Scottish" is counter to that goal. I think bringing it back to its roots is admirable and true to the goal of Scottish societies. You needn't be Scottish to be interested in attending games. But you might ought to be actually interested in the games themselves or something that is being offered. Maybe trying to make the Games into festivals is the whole problem. Perhaps there should be more focus on the GAMES over all the other stuff that goes on. Perhaps the Clan Societies and Scottish Societies should seek to work out some historical reinactment, weapons demonstrations, etc. instead of relying on others to do so in a way that is counter to their mission. Part of the problem is not just the lack of interest of the public, it's the lack of willingness to participate in the Scottish Societies that "sponsor" the events. It all falls on so few and those active few are getting older and older and the younger ones joining up are fewer still.