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What to expect at a highland games part 2
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A sheep ready to be sheared
Now that we’ve conquered where to get some good food on games day and the booths and vendors to visit while you’re enjoying the native delicacies of Scotland, England, Wales, and the other Celtic countries, next we should find out what else there is to see on the fairgrounds.
Usually at a Highland Games there are a variety of things to watch besides the bagpipe bands themselves. One of my favorite events to watch ever since I was a little girl has been the sheepdog demonstrations. In this demonstration, a highly skilled trainer or shepherd commands one or more Border Collies to herd sheep in a contained area in a certain manner. He does this with only slight body movements, a spoken word, or a whistle. These commands can be anything that is used out in the field including rounding up some stray sheep, driving the sheep along an appointed run, or herding them back into their stall. The sheep and dogs are so much fun to watch especially when they get into trouble and don’t do what they’re told. Of course the shepherd will blame this on the dogs wanting to embarrass him personally or to get extra giggles from the crowd.
After having watched the sheep in action, you might be able to catch a sheep-to-wool demonstration where the wool from freshly shorn (shaved) sheep is combed, washed, dyed and spun into yarn on spinning wheels. The demonstrators will be glad to answer any questions that you might have about the different types of wool as well as how spinning advanced through time. Here you will most likely see demonstrations of using a drop-spindle (a very early form of spinning wool into yarn), using different sorts of spinning wheels, knitting, and weaving the newly made yarn on a large loom. If you’re really lucky, they might invite you to try your hand at weaving or even using the spinning wheel.
And if you happen to hear a little sung music as you’re strolling around, then you should follow your ears and head towards the sounds of the musical acts. These acts often include traditional folk song singing such as that from Carl Peterson. He sings traditional arrangements of English, Scottish, and Irish tunes ideal for the whole family. You’ll most always find him under a small tent with just a microphone and a guitar singing his heart out and with a crowd around him. However, if you’re looking for something a little more modern then the Highland Games can be home to groups such as Searson who consist of the three sisters Heather, Colleen, and Erin Searson combining their lovely voices with other instruments like piano, electric bass, fiddle, and mandolin. Their music is more described as being pop/roots and they also throw a little step-dancing into their acts!
There is much to do at the Highland Games but we aren’t done yet! In the next article we will continue our journey and take a look at the heavy athletics competitions as well as the Highland Dancing competitions.
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