Come about noon on July 18th, 1998, I fetched my handy new map of Western Massachusetts, looking for the most direct route down into Blandford, particularly towards the site of the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival.The old one had much to be desired... roads that didn't exist were on that map, and vice versa. I assumed that one of them had to be more accurate... Not a chance! I didn't find the direct link between Chester and Blandford, and thus went around the long route. I wonder if this is a plot to keep foreigners out?? (Keep in mind that the directions that the festival sent out were accurate; I was merely trying out "short"cuts from points local.)
I arrived early afternoon, and hadn't eaten anything yet that day, so naturally my interests turned towards food. I bought a beef sausage wrapped in pastry -- I think it had a name, but I've forgotten it. The pastry was accurate -- it brought back childhood memories from summers spent in Scotland when my father took us over there while he was conducting business. I later tried some English tea sandwiches -- there was a choice of minced salmon, watercress in cream cheese, and cucumber. I preferred the latter -- there is nothing quite so cooling to the tongue as the taste of chilled cucumber on a hot day.
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I watched the men's caber toss for awhile. The caber is a long wooden pole that probably once saw life as a
telephone pole. You pick it up from the bottom, so that it stands vertical, run forwards with it a bit as it
steadily grows unwieldy (not to mention heavy), and then toss it forward, hoping that it 1) surpasses the
distance your competitors got the thing, and 2) that it lands falling straight ahead, and not off pointing at
some angle or another.
I don't know if any women tossed the caber, but there was both a men's and a women's competition sheaf toss, where bales of hay get pitched by pitchfork to attain height. It seems that the Scottish competitions all involved pitching, tossing, or throwing something or another... perhaps golf is just a more genteel and less stressful expression of this atavistic urge? |
I visited the Animals of Scotland exhibit -- other than a few ponies, and a few blackfaced sheep, most of what was represented were the various breeds of dogs that have been associated with Scotland -- the various collies, shelties, and terriers. I felt for one particular collie, a male with thick layers of beautiful -- but toasty -- grey and white fur. I snapped the obligatory sheep photo -- it's a cloning thing, you see...
I caught the tail end of the herding demo -- a border collie herded sheep and ducks; I only witnessed him (her?) with the ducks, four poultry waddling around based on the whim of the dog.
And then there was the music. Local bagpipe bands played, and sometimes marched. Both the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band and the Berkshire Highlanders Pipe Band were quite good. They say that bagpipes are an acquired taste, and this is probably true; although I've seemed to have acquired something of the taste, it is not something for every day. (Perhaps this is like good whisky as well?)
Speaking of which, Whisky Before Breakfast and Seven Nations, both celtic rock bands featuring one or more bagpipes, played a couple sets each. They are discussed on their own pages. Some solo musicians played as well (Carl Peterson and Charlie Zahm come to mind -- neither of whom intrigued me, sorry to say).
There were lots of folks selling things; many swatches of fabric, tartan patterns, kilts, scarves, etc. Booths were set up so that folks from any one Scottish clan could make contact with others related through that same clan. A wool spinning demo was underway; the woolen goods on display were stunning.
While not exactly Scottish, there was also a jousting demo, sort of a medieval atavistic offshoot of the World Wrestling Federation, or something.
But eventually I had to go. Fortunately, it was after the announcement that the extra homemade shortbread was going on sale -- I bought up a dozen pieces to bring home, in flavors of vanilla, almond or cinnamon. (Earlier, thinking food, I'd picked up a Scottish cookbook, and thinking music, I'd picked up a CD by Seven Nations.)
This was a great event and an excellent day; I plan on returning next year (but make no guarantees about follow-up reviews -- by then I'll be writing about something completely different...)
