Heavy lifting underway for more heavy lifting at Scottish games

Work hard, play hard.

Come Saturday morning, pipers will pipe, cabers will be tossed and hammers will be thrown at the Modesto Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Faire.

But Friday was all about hard work to set up the 34th annual gathering of the clans. Members of the presenting St. Andrew’s Society of Modesto were out at Tuolumne River Regional Park by about 6:30 a.m. to begin preparations. By 10 a.m., workers were unloading posts, poles and other lumber. Vendors were setting up tables and canopies, hanging banners and laying out Celtic tapestries.

By Friday night, “99.9 percent of the vendors and clans” would be set up in the park, said David Wolff, steward and treasurer for the society. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and the event runs to 5 p.m.

There’s a lot for people to like at the fair, Wolff said, noting that the historical re-enactments by the St. Andrew’s Noble Order of Royal Scots always prove popular. “They’re wonderful people. They love to re-enact and they love to use the accent,” Wolff said.

Members of the group portray the court of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Isles. “You cannot get them out of character,” Wolff said, smiling. “I’ve seen them come into a restroom and they even stay in character there.”

Sitting near Wolff on Friday morning at the park, St. Andrew’s Society sergeant-at-arms Duane Graham added, “I feel sorry for them, dressed to the nines in the heat. I’d faint. It’s a good way to lose 20 pounds in a day.”

Organizers said 1,500 to 2,000 people attended last year’s Scottish Highland Games. They hope for an even bigger crowd this year thanks to additional promotion and live broadcasts at the park by radio stations from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during the games.

There also are a few changes to the fair, including the addition of a wine booth and the expansion from one to two beer booths. The children’s area also will be bigger.

Wolff offers a quick, must-do list for the event:

▪ Walk down Clan Alley, the long row of tents where members share their knowledge of history and can explain some pretty wicked weaponry. There are about 20 to 25 clans participating this year.

▪ Watch the opening ceremonies at noon. “Everybody marches, everybody is in costume,” said Marion Jillson, who will be representing Cornwall. There also will be a bagpipe band marching.

▪ Check out the Scottish heavy athletics, including the caber toss, the hammer throw and putting the stone.

▪ Sample the entertainment or catch it all. The bands Golden Bough, Avalon Rising and Cooking With Turf all will perform, as will solo musicians and the popular magician Merloch Silvermaine.

The family festival celebrates all things Celtic, with nods to the Scottish, Irish, Cornish, Norwegian and Welsh cultures. Admission is $15, free to children 10 and under.

To reach Tuolumne River Regional Park, take South Santa Cruz Avenue south from Yosemite Boulevard and veer left when South Santa Cruz becomes Legion Park Drive.

To learn more, visit standrewsmodesto.org.

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Heavy lifting underway for more heavy lifting at Scottish games."