This past weekend the residents of Winter Springs, Florida heard the strange sound of bagpipes in the air and smelled what could only be roasting meat wafting along with it. Follow the droves of cars and you would be lead to Central Winds Park where lines of kilt clad men and their maidens were making their way through the gates.
Welcome to the 2018 Central Florida Scottish Highlander games. Held on the third week of January, spectators and participants alike could marvel at the hundreds of vendors, traditional highland athletics, dance, art, music, culture, food and a general Gaelic spirit that awoke the soul!
We were greeted at the entrance by a gallant unicorn and his miniature partner who were posing for free photos and all the pets they could tolerate. Needless to say a pit stop was made for our own pictures. These horses were so cute and some of the most receptive animals I've ever seen in my life. lol
After prying my children away from the unicorns, we made our way towards the athletic field and a large crowd of people cheering. I had never been to this kind of competition before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. (I was lucky enough to marry a Scotsman) Looking out into the field I saw a very tall, very muscular, very handsome man in a kilt. He wasn't just lounging in the sun however. In his grasp was tree sized log more than twice as long as he was. Gaining momentum, he ran forward with the log sticking straight up in the air. Just when I thought it was going to tip over, he threw his end of the log impossibly high into the air. As it sailed, the crowd collectively held its breath and then began to scream as the log slammed down hard on its opposite side...teetered for a moment and then fell backwards.
I asked a nice couple who obviously camped out there for the day what the rules were, and found out what I was watching was called a caber toss. The end game was to flip the log so it stands at a 12 o'clock position then falls over in the other direction. How hard could that be, I thought? But then I watched man after brawny man fail in their attempt. Some were so vigorous in their struggle, that they cracked or split the log and it was then duck taped back into place. Only when the log broke completely in half, was it replaced. The Caber I learned, is a tree that has been cut and trimmed down so one end is slightly wider than the other. It can vary in length from 16 to 22 feet and weigh between 100 and 180 pounds. Now, that's impressive! It took well over an hour, half a dozen men and two logs for the toss to be won!
In the big tent across the field we saw Border collies relaxing after corralling sheep and dancers
on the stage jumping and twirling to the sounds of Gaelic music. We made our way over to the food tents and trucks and found everything we wanted with Kavelaks commissary. With a mix of American and traditional Scottish dishes, there was something everyone in the family could eat. Plus, an offering of a giant bucket of fries, kept everyone sedated for a while. My husband made his way over to the souvenir beer cart and indulged in a rather large pitcher of beer, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
We wandered our way over to the playground area for a while and noticed rows of tents armored with tartan colors and the names of houses. It took us a few minutes, but we located the clan MacLeod tent and began speaking with the two men who were running it. An older gentlemen showed my girls pictures and relished in handing them what looked like very large, sharp broad swords. The gentleman realized quickly I was about to panic and laughed while grabbing the sword by the center. "See? sharp as a crayon!" he boasted, and encouraged my daughter to give her best war face while I snapped a pic.
My husband Dylan, spoke in the mean time with a younger man who was telling him all about the different families that fall under the MacLeod banner. Each tent seemed to have their own clan registry and my husband delighted in putting his name down for ours. Then to celebrate the occasion, a shot of whiskey was offered and accepted by Dylan. An "official" toast with members of the MacLeod clan! That really made his day.
Next, we found ourselves by the various art vendors and clothing tents. Everything from kilts to Celtic knot door hangers were on display to buy. It was really fun seeing all the curated Scottish items in one place. However, it was a little hard to find things that were actually hand made or produced from Scotland. We did manage to find an artist selling beautiful stained glass as well as a tartan vendor who carried printed scarfs from Ireland. But we really had to look.
While browsing the various stalls, live music could be heard in the distance. Making our way in that direction, we were interrupted by a parade of marching Scottish bagpipers. Members of The Pipes and Drums of the Orange County Sheriffs department made their way down the grassy pasture; walking in unison. Who knew that was a thing, but it is, and their amazing at it!
Tired parents seemed to all be congregating in a grassy area next to a large stage. We joined them in the turf, while the kids pulled to one another like magnets. The lads and lasses whose parents had purchased them wooden sword souvenirs were bashing them together and testing there strength. Those without simply grabbed a stick and joined in. Boys and girls alike made "war" in the field. One parent received a phone call he couldn't hear and equated his situation to being "in the middle of the lord of the flies". The youngsters were having fun though, nobody was getting hurt, and most parents had a nice time sitting for a moment while the kids burned off some extra steam. The only causality was Dylan's pitcher of beer, whose last drops were spilt with one swift kiddie kick.
Luckily everyone was in good spirits, with live music coming from the stage near by. Bands with names like Screaming Orphans, the Breakers and my favorite, Off Kilter played incredible music of traditional and mixed Gaelic sounds. Interweaving drums and bagpipes mixed with electric keyboards and what I swear was a didgeridoo. People were dancing, yelling and singing loudly. We joined in and stomped along as well, until the closing ceremonies began and most people starting making their way towards the fields. We had our fill as well, but the festivities would carry out well into the night. With our souvenirs in hand we made our way towards the gate. We were distracted one last time by the smell of kettle corn oozing through the air and stopped in the longest line of the festival for our $20 dollar bag of deliciousness. The bag was as big as my child and well worth every penny. Then it was one last pet for the "unicorns" and off we went.
I highly recommend attending the Highland games no matter what your heritage is. There is so much to do and see for the whole family. I think we'll definitely be making this a go-to trip in years to come! Check out the video below for some great moments including the winning toss of the caber!
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