By Molly R. Okeon
Staff Writer - www.dailybulletin.com

POMONA - Scores of men and women swarmed the Fairplex Saturday, many of them donning plaid kilts and other traditional Scottish garb.
It was a first for the Fairplex.

The 73rd Annual Scottish Festival was held at this venue Saturday and today for the first time ever.

"I'm overwhelmed by how nice it is here," said Ken Misch, a drum major in the Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band who has attended the festival for 12 years.

Saturday afternoon, the serene sound of fiddle playing drew weary festival attendees to the shade of the Grandstand. About 40 people sat and listened to the music of master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, who played soulful airs from Gaelic tradition.

The pounding of the drums and the fast pace of the festival became background noise, drowned out by the joyful sound Fraser made as his bow glided swiftly along the strings of his fiddle, a full glass of ale by his side.

Fraser hails from the Scottish village of Clackmannan and now resides in the Sierra Foothills. He has played the fiddle since he was 8 years old,

A world-traveling concert violinist, Fraser prefers venues such as the Scottish festivals, which he has played at for more than two decades.

"It's about people, it's organic. Over there," said the kilt-clad musician, pointing to the nearby Caledonia Stage on Palm Street, "I had people jumping up on tables and climbing poles.

"A lot of audience situations these days are passive, and that's good," he continued. "But at festivals, you can unleash the energy in the room."

Back in the thick of the action as the sun began to beat down harder and temperatures started to rise, Misch looked around at the hearty crowd and talked about Scottish culture.

He estimates about 20,000 people came to the festival, many whom identify themselves with a Scottish clan. A clan is a traditional social unit in the Scottish Highlands, generally consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor.

"Unlike many cultures, we have the Highland Games set up to bring folks together," he said. "It's a natural attraction."

He noted that probably 40 percent of the people in attendance were not Scottish, but people drawn to the festival by their interest in the Scottish heritage.

"You have the bagpipes - no other country has an instrument so tightly associated to its culture," he said. "You have the dress, the athletics ... stir it in with whiskey and beer, and you have everything you need for a great party."

Misch was clad in standard day dress - a kilt, or a Scottish skirt that represents a person's clan or a region of Scotland from which a family hails; ghillie brogues, or shoes that lace up over socks; kilt hose, which are socks meant for wearing with kilts; flashes, which are garters to hold up the hose; a sporran, which is a purse or bag used because kilts have no pockets; and a glengarry, a type of hat.

Many of the different clans had booths, providing education materials about their heritages or wares to sell to passers-by.

Gil Sawyer, a large man with gray hair and a thick mustache dressed in full Scottish garb, represented the California-Nevada Chapter of the Clan Buchanan Society International. His clan hails from the eastern and southeastern sides of Loch Lomond in Scotland.

He said while many are interested in the warrior side of Scottish clans, his clan was more into education. In fact, he said that one of Mary Queen of Scots' tutors was a Buchanan.

"We try to let people know we're here for the camaraderie of family," he said. "We're a family of people who choose to be together."


Molly R. Okeon can be reached by e-mail at molly.okeon@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9376.