Late Tartan Day Report- The Kandahar Reel

[Lallans]

The Ottawa Tartan Day event was held on Parliament Hill on April 10 (I had earlier been told it would be April 9- apologies if anyone was misled by my earlier post), hosted as usual by the Sons of Scotland, who were led as usual by a young woman. Whereas the first time I attended, I was interviewed by a local paper while standing on top of a 4 foot snowbank, it was a very nice sunny warm day this year. And there were up to 20 kilted non-performers, meaning I was not "the guy in the kilt' just "a guy in a kilt."

There were several cultural groups performing, including a Gaelic choir and Highland dancers of all ages- the oldest group of dancers did a particularly impressive new reel developed by the Black Watch of Canada while they were on duty in Afghanistan- the Kandahar Reel, portraying both types of helicopters they were travelling in, twin bladed Chinooks and single bladed Blackhawks. Myself having 3 left feet and near zero sense of rythm, dance does not normally impress me, but that reel was a thing of beauty, two bladed and single-bladed. Apparently there is a tradition of Canadian Highland Regiments deveoping special commemorative reels; a previous time mentioned was during internment in a WWII prisoner of war camp- by the Ross Highlanders (?) ...I'm afraid I was inattentive at first.