Scottish Festival
Both a Haggis-Eating Contest and Shortbread Contest are promised during the 28th annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games set for June 20 and 21, 2014, at Hamilton Lakes, 1 Pierce Place, Itasca, Illinois.
Hours for the event sponsored by Chicago Scots are 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets at the gate are $12 for adults June 20 and $20 for June 21. And, psst: there’s a Whisky Tent.
Friday’s highlights are a Highland Dance competition, Heavy Athletics, Rugby Exhibition, Friday Night Fling and a Ceilidh: a lively celebration of traditional and contemporary Celtic music.
Saturday’s schedule includes both the Haggis-Eating Contest and the Shortbread Contest along with a whole raft of other traditional Scottish contests including the Caber Toss (flipping 20-foot, 140-pound tree trunk), the 22-pound Hammer Throw, the Sheaf Toss (flipping a bale of hay over a high bar) and the Clachnert (throwing a 16-pound river stone); Highland Dance competition; Rugby Sevens Highland Challenge; Coerver Cup 3v3 youth soccer tournament; Dogs of Scotland and other animal presentations; genealogy and cultural exhibits, and a Parade of Clan Tartans.
Established in 1845, Chicago Scots (a Scottish society) is the oldest 501(c)3 charity in Illinois.
(Photo — of a past haggis-eating contest winner — courtesy of Chicago Scots)
