My Celtic Weekend (Including Ben Lomond Highland Games)

**Panache** · 9th October 06, 09:36 AM

My Celtic Weekend officially started on Friday when I received my Matt Newsome 5 yard knife pleated kilt. Saturday morning I headed off for the Loch Lomond Highland Games and Celtic gathering sans the Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess or little Sinbad and Xena. I spent the better part of the day in the good company of Alan H. , Way2fractious, Walkerk, Bunchdescendant, Switchblade5984, Michael Steinrok, and their ladies (not to forget wee future X Marker young master Aidan). It was very relaxing to just hang out in pleasant company and enjoy good food and drink. Here are a few pictures:

En Garde!

Way2fractious and Panache (enjoying a Rogue "Shakespeare Stout" and a Steak and Mushroom meat pie YUM!)

Alan H. checking out the military box pleats on a WWI vintage Seaforth Highlanders (Thanks Matt!) kilt (it weighed a LOT!)

Group shot with our Bay Area Variant of the classic Hamish pose (note tasty refreshments readily at hand)

**Blu (Ontario)** · 9th October 06, 09:46 AM

And a great time was had by all!

Just out of curiosity, where are all the pipers...?

.

**Panache** · 9th October 06, 09:52 AM

After the Loch Lomond Highland Games and Celtic Gathering I hurried home to change shirts and take the F-H.C.A.G. to a Scottish Country Dance . With only four classes under our belts it was a little overwhelming, but the folks were all very forgiving and helpful so we had a fun time.

With my lovely wife

Sunday I went to attend the Redwood Symphony's concert "A Celtic Journey"
The program consisted of Mendelssohn's The Hebrides Overture ( "Fingal's Cave"), Davies' An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise, and Elvis Costello's (yes that Elvis Costello) Il Sogno. Alan H.'s lovely wife Joan plays clarinet with the Redwood symphony and was the principal on Il Sogno. Alan H. myself and the mighty Sinbad were recruited as ushers.

Sinbad and Dad ready to head off to the concert:

Sinbad at work

My big guy got a bit sleepy during the last piece of the afternoon

With the very talented Joan H.

It was a delightful concert. The Orkney Wedding featured a piper in full dress! The Costello piece (his take on a Midsummer Night's Dream) was a bit weird musically, but certainly interesting. There were many compliments for the dapper ushers (who spent a lot of time answering questions about tartan with various concert goers)

All in all a great weekend. I sometime during it I became a Kilted Elder, no wonder I feel so tired!

**O'Neille** · 9th October 06, 09:58 AM

Thanks for all the great pictures. It's nice to put some faces with the aliases. O'Neille

**Panache** · 9th October 06, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by Blu (Ontario)

And a great time was had by all!

Just out of curiosity, where are all the pipers...?

.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Piper George, a friend of Alan H.

and Piper Andrew, a friend of Panache

Both Gentlemen are with the Santa Cruz Pipe and Drums

(Andrew has a really great website www.bagpipejourney.com for anyone interested in learning the bagpipes. He describes how he learned and started competing as an adult. )

Cheers

**Kilted KT** · 9th October 06, 10:09 AM

great pics!!!

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 9th October 06, 11:03 AM

Great pics, and looks like everyone had fun. What a weekend!

One note: That military kilt is a Seaforth Highlanders (MacKenzie), not a Gordon. The Seaforth Highlanders put a little band of elastic on the inside of the pleats to keep them in shape. I think that was mentioned in another thread...

**bubba** · 9th October 06, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

The Seaforth Highlanders put a little band of elastic on the inside of the pleats to keep them in shape. I think that was mentioned in another thread...

I'd like to see how they do that.

**way2fractious** · 9th October 06, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

One note: That military kilt is a Seaforth Highlanders (MacKenzie), not a Gordon. The Seaforth Highlanders put a little band of elastic on the inside of the pleats to keep them in shape. I think that was mentioned in another thread...

Matt, you are awesome. This kilt did, indeed, have remnants of a band of elastic sewn across the back of the pleats. Because rubber-based elastic loses its elasticity after just a few years, we couldn't tell if it was supposed to stretch or not.

Originally Posted by bubba

I'd like to see how they do that.

I've entered into negotiations with the owner of that kilt. If it comes into my possession, I will post some detailed pictures of it - front, back, some of the inside (because some liner stitching has come undone.)

w2f

**Alan H** · 9th October 06, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by way2fractious

Matt, you are awesome. This kilt did, indeed, have remnants of a band of elastic sewn across the back of the pleats. Because rubber-based elastic loses its elasticity after just a few years, we couldn't tell if it was supposed to stretch or not.

I've entered into negotiations with the owner of that kilt. If it comes into my possession, I will post some detailed pictures of it - front, back, some of the inside (because some liner stitching has come undone.)

w2f

You would not believe this kilt. I was completely blown away. The wool is rough and scratchy and coarse and it puts 16 ounce to shame. It's got to be at least 22 ounce stuff. The military box pleat....I'll wait for way2fractious's photos to explain it... makes for an incredibly small pleat reveal, so there are a LOT of pleats. The pleating is impeccable, even after all these years.
Considering that the age of the kilt is something like right around WWI, it's in fantastic shape. Renewing the straps and doing just a bit of repair to where one buckle is stitched down, and a very little bit of stitch work on the liner will make this kilt completely wearable..

Matt, I echo w2f's note on the elastic about 3/4 of the way down from the fell, stitchedin place. We weren't sure if it was supposed to be stretchy, or not, but there it was.This thing is a real piece of kilt history.