Festival shows foreign culture, traditions

    Scottish clans, pipers and dancers brought their heritage to Murray Saturday during the Western Kentucky Highland Festival.
    The Highland Festival Society sponsored the festival in Murray City Park last Saturday. Events included a traditional party with music and dancing called a Ceilidh  at The Big Apple Cafe, festival games  and Kirkin "O" the Tartan at First Presbyterian Church.
    Jim Nance, past president and current member of the Highland Festival Society, said many people attended the event, which helped fulfill the festival’s goal of sharing Scottish and Celtic culture with the community.
    “The purpose of the festival is to help people understand and celebrate their Scottish heritage,” Nance said. “There are many such festivals around the United States.”
    Although these festivals are held by different organizations, they all have the same goal of celebrating Scottish culture, Nance said.
    The Highland Festival is largely self-supported each year by the funds raised from the previous year, he said, but there are also many local businesses and organizations which contribute.
    The society has already started a small reserve of money, but there is still time to gain funds for next year’s festival, Nance said.
    This year was a slightly smaller year for the festival, but members of the society were able to have Murray Mayor Danny Hudspeth kick off the day’s events, Nance said.
    The fundraising goal is $5,000, which pays for the basic cost of the festival as well as the increase of events at next year’s Highland Festival, Nance said.
    Something special at the festival this year was the Murray State Genealogical Society, which traced visitors’ individual heritages, Nance said.
    “It was cool, because I found out about which Irish clan my family probably belongs to,” Kayley Lott, sophomore from Morganfield, Ky., said.
    Visitors can look forward to a competition among the highly competitive Scottish athletes next year,  selling Scottish and Celtic wares and a reenactment of historical battles.
    “We would also like to bring in a Scottish piper band for next year if funding allows for it,” Nance said.
    According to wkyhighlandfestival.com,  the festival at the Murray City Park included such events and entertainment such as the Wee Baren games, Tug of War between middle schools of Western Kentucky, music, dancers, clan tents, food, vendors, Highland cattle and sheep herding.
    Bob Valentine, professor of advertising, was the master of ceremonies for the day, Nance said.
    The highland games’ athletic events include “Stone of Strength,” which is similar to shot put, and the 28 and 56 - pound throw. There was also a hammer toss, sheaf toss, 56  pound weight toss and a caber toss, Nance said.
    The Western Kentucky Highland Festival has taken place every year since its inception in 2006, according to the Web site.
    The Web site also said the Highland Festival recently moved to Murray from its original place in Paducah, Ky., in order to have room for the ever-growing number of visitors who come to the Highland Festival each year.
    Contact Thornton and casey.thornton@murraystate.edu.