On the street

CelticFest

My mother's family is a little bit of English and Irish. As far as I know, there's no one in our family from neighboring Scotland. But, I have to admit growing up I was always a little envious of the Scots. With their bagpipes, kilts and highland games - they seem to have all the fun.

So, I was looking forward to hitting the CelticFest at Ushers Ferry Saturday. And the festival didn't disappoint. Scots and would-be Scots turned out in spades. Many men, women and children wore kilts. Bagpipe music welcomed me as I walked into the festival. The whole atmosphere was festive. And, though I didn't get to sample it, the food must have been good. Lines were long at the festivals main food stand. I'd like to think they were in line for the haggis and meat pies. But, maybe it was the hamburgers. I did grab an orange and cranberry scone on my way out. It was perfect. Not doughy, not too dry.

My favorite part of the event, by far, was the highland games. More than a dozen men (and one woman) tossed stones - not the preformed shot puts, but BIG rocks - cabers and something called a sheaf. It was fascinating to see the technique. The stones, for example, were launched after the thrower brought the stone to rest in the nook between their neck and shoulder. Those I talked to said they got into the sport after watching the participants at an event just like Saturdays. There are at least half a dozen opportunities to compete just in Iowa. There's even bigger competitions elsewhere in the country and the world.

Next week Nicole will be hanging out with people sampling the finest from another part of the world. She'll be at Oktoberfest in the Amana Colonies. Go check it out!

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