Halystorm’s Head

The Daily Pilot reports about the 76th Annual Highland Gathering and Festival at the OC Fair and Expo on Sunday, along with many other clans. What a day this must have been! Daniel Telford, the correspondent says: The weekend festival invited a number of the major Scottish clans that have representatives in the U.S. to have booths and inform the public about their heritage. The booths lined the streets of the expo, offering information, T-shirts, trinkets and the chance for some to trace their genealogy. There were also Scottish bands and music, as well as boutiques and kilt stores.

One of the highlights of the festival was the Scottish athletics competition, as men tried to prove that some of the strongest are those wearing kilts. They competed in a number of events, including the caber toss, where contestants take a long log and launch it in hopes of turning the log end over end while keeping the log in a straight line.

Gary Herbold, a member of the Ferguson Clan, represents the Ferguson Clan at a number of Scottish Festivals across California and has been involved in Scottish events for nearly two decades. He said:

A lot of people that you get, it’s their first time. Their grandmothers or uncle was in [a particular clan] and they never thought much about it. They are usually very thrilled to tie something in their personal life to something bigger.

You can read the full story here.

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