Recently I was honored to write about the Smoky Mountain Highland Scottish Festival and Games, May 15-16 at Maryville College. Maryville is not alone in having these types of games. Years ago I had the awesome experience of going to the Glasgow Highland Games in Kentucky. There are many other Highland Games throughout the country. This is not only a chance for people with Scottish heritage to explore their roots, but also a way to learn about a different culture or, perhaps, if you’re from England (like my husband) to have a little taste of home.
The games are held on the Maryville College Soccer Field. The parking is free and you can get tickets online at smokymountaingames.org. Getting their start in Gatlinburg in 1981, the Smoky Mountain Highland Games is one of the oldest in the country. After outgrowing their home in Gatlinburg, the games moved to Maryville College because of the Scottish connection to the school. Fantastic host. Maryville College was founded by a Presbyterian minister from Scotland.
In my usual fashion, I took my roundabout way and found Alicia Peery, who is in charge of finding traditional Scottish entertainment. Alicia has been active with Smoky Mountain Highland Scottish Games from a young age and has felt a connection to her Scottish Heritage. Growing up, Alicia competed in fiddle competitions. She and her friends would travel locally to participate in competitions until she left Maryville for college. After college, she came home and joined the Knox Scottish Music Club. She was asked by Mark Murray to play under one of the tents in the formative years of the games. In 2014 he asked her to find traditional Celtic music and a second stage was 4 added. Two years ago, an additional stage for educational presentations was added. Alicia values and works to preserve traditional Scottish music. One of her favorite memories of the games was something she found so symbolic of Scotland and the Scottish people. Scotland is a place of rain. Rain or shine the festival goes on. About 4 years ago, there was a downpour and in traditional Scottish fashion, they stuck it out, slipping and sliding in the mud.
This year Alicia has a few Oak Ridgers featured. Andrew Payzant will be playing his bagpipes and Four Leaf Peat, the preeminent local Irish band.
Andrew Payzant grew up in Nova Scotia and learned how to play the bagpipes in a pipe band for boys since he was eight-and-a-half. He piped his way through college on scholarship and playing events. He came to Oak Ridge to finish his post doc with Oak Ridge National Lab in 1995 and found a job. Andrew and his wife made a home and raised their family here. As Andrew was settling into his new home, he posted on the internet looking for a pipe band in the area, and the Knoxville Pipe Band gleefully responded. They are a community organization that offers free pipes and drums lessons.
Jason Herrera of Four Leaf Peat, a man of many talents and half of one of the coolest couples I've ever met, is an organizer of the Tune Junkie Weekend, held in Oak Ridge’s historical Grove Theater in February. If you don’t know Jason from Tune Junkie, you may know him from his radio show on WDVX or by his wig mastering for the Knoxville Opera or maybe he’s your hairdresser.
Along with Andrew and Jason, Alicia and her band, Good Thymes Ceilidh, will be playing. A Scottish tradition, Collin Grant-Adams will be once again speil traditional Scots reels 'n' strathspeys along with the boisterous Albannach, Selkie Girls, Seven Nations referring to the seven Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wels, Cornwall, Isle of Mann, Galicia, and Brittany. There will be more music and the featured MC will be Bob Valentine.
Many special features will be on the educational stage. The Outlander Botanist, Mindy McIntosh-Shetter will present traditional Scottish herbs related to the Outlander series. Lona Bartlett will entertain with her stories and puppets. Judy Larkin, the Tea Lady, will teach us how Scotland was instrumental in shaping how we take our tea today. Bruce Robertson will have a basket weaving presentation. O’Kennesee will give a strings presentation.
Along with all of the great music, there will also be athletic events for adults and kids, like the caber toss, tug-o-war, shot put, sheep toss (Haggis toss for kids), and kilt races. Vendors will have booths with English food and more, kilts and tartans, and more. You can even get a taste of Scottish farm life with sheepdog presentations and farm exhibits. Kilts and dogs will be celebrated with parades too. You can be transported to th’ auld days with sword and longbow demonstrations.
Some clans are open to those who are born, adopted, & married into clans are welcome to join. So, if you ever wanted to explore Scottish culture or experience a new culture or Outlander or are a fan of Viking or Braveheart or Brave or Robroy or are Scots-Irish, come out and play with us!
Update: If you would like to know more about the games, you can find the page here. https://smokymountaingames.org/