March 10, 2008
Lyon College News Bureau
Lyon to host 29th Arkansas Scottish Festival
For three days in April, the picturesque Lyon College campus will resemble the Scottish Highlands more than a college when the 29th Arkansas Scottish Festival takes center stage.
Bagpipers, dancers, drummers, sheepdogs and kilts will flood the campus April 18-20 for demonstrations and competitions to celebrate the college's Scottish heritage.
Last year, nearly 10,000 people attended the festival, and Lyon College Director of Scottish Heritage Jimmy Bell said 2008 could be the best year yet for attendance.
Things kick off Friday, April 18, with the United States Piping Federation Professional Piobaireachd Qualifier. The event will be at 1 p.m. at the Pocket Park on Main Street in downtown Batesville.
The Kilted Invitational Golf Tournament also will be Friday at the Course at Eagle Mountain. The four-person scramble format will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a bagpipe start. The tourney once again will have a "Pay the Piper" hole, which involves a
piper sitting at the putting green of a hole. Teams can pay the piper to play while the teams behind them are putting. The cost is $10 for the piper to play and $20 to make him stop.For information on sponsoring a team, contact Brandi Allen at (870) 307-7382 or ballen@lyon.edu. You can also register online at www.lyon.edu/scotfest. A link to the current festival will pop up, then click on "Golf Tournament."
The Patron Reception and United States Piping Federation March, Strathspey and Reel Qualifier will begin at 6 p.m. on the Lyon Building Terrace on the second floor.
Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 19. Food vendors offering Scottish dishes and American favorites will be open throughout the festival.
Entertainment this year will feature Alex Beaton, the Scottish folk singer who has been a festival favorite for many years, and NeedFire, the Celtic rock band, who will return for a second year after an impressive debut last year. NeedFire recorded a live CD, "Live in Batesville," at last year's festival and will be selling copies at this year's event.
A dinner and Ceilidh will be at 6 p.m. Saturday in Edwards Dining Hall. The cost of the event is $35. The term Ceilidh -- pronounced kay-lee -- is derived from the Gaelic word meaning "a visit."
The festival's official opening ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday in Couch Garden. The ceremonies will feature a parade of mass bands and clans.
And once again the popular Highland games are back. While the events are fun for festival-goers, the games are rooted in warfare tactics.
The caber toss is the most famous Scottish field event. In this competition, athletes begin by picking up a caber -- a large, tapered log that's often thought of as a small telephone pole that can be anywhere from 12-19 feet long and may weigh from 30 to 120 pounds. The competitors begin the contest with lighter and shorter cabers, working their way up in weight and length until all but one are eliminated.
Other Highland game events such as the hammer throw and stone put were used on the battlefield as weapons against their enemies, and clan chieftains used the sheaf toss to gauge a warrior's strength.
The stone put is similar to shot put in track and field events. Men use a stone weighing 17 pounds, while women use an 11-pound stone. Contestants throw the heavy stones as far as possible.
The sheaf toss involves a burlap bag filled with straw weighing approximately 16 pounds. The object is to toss the bag over a crossbar using a three-pronged pitchfork.
Athletes, vendors, drummers, pipers, dancers and clans may register for the festival online at
http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/groups/shp/asf/festival08/.For more information, contact Bell at jbell@lyon.edu.
Two-day passes for the festival are $18 for adults, and $12 for students age 13-17. Saturday-only passes are $12 for adults in advance and $14 at the gate, and $8 for youth ages 13-17 in advance and $10 at the gate.
Sunday-only passes are $8 for adults in advance and $12 at the gate, and $6 for youth ages 13-17 in advance and $8 at the gate.
All children 12 and under accompanied by an adult get in free. Discounts are available for groups of 8 or more people. For more information, contact Claudia Marsh at (870) 307 - 7527 or e-mail cmarsh@lyon.edu.
Ticket orders are now being processed. Advance ticket sales end March 28.
A Highland games competitor prepares to throw the hammer in a previous Scottish Festival. (File photo)