[Alan H]

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

You have a point. I think someone mentioned used to being able to attend games once a month! That sounds like insanity to me...

Honestly, I think this is the crux of it. Here's the schedule of Games from last year...2009 within a 4-hour driving distance from the central San Francisco Bay Area.

April:

Tartan Day, Ardenwood Park
Bakersfield Highland Games (though Bakersfield is more like 7 hours drive)
Woodland Highland Games...Sacramento Callie Club

May:

Livermore Highland Games
Modesto Highland Games

June:

Campbell Highland Games (were cancelled)
Santa Cruz Scottish Renaissance Festival

July

Dunsmuir House Highland Games

August

Monterey Highland Games

September

Pleasanton Highland Games...San Francisco Caledonian Society
Fresno Highland Games

October

Loch Lomond Highland Games ...replaced by Santa Cruz Highland Games, at least last year

.and this list doesn't include the Games in Dixon, which went under three years ago but hope to be back in 2011. Dixon is only 20 miles from Woodland.. Their Games are in September.

There are other Games on the West Coast that our athletes sometimes go to. I've been up to Washington to the Games at Enumclaw in July and down to Ventura for those Games in October. I will go to the Costa Mesa Games this year, in May. I haven't flown out to throw at Las Vegas but I know guys that do. Portland has a really nice Games up in Oregon that guys fly up for. This list does not include Celtic Music Festivals, of which there are several, or any "strict" Renaissance Faires.

Still, just locally, that is TWELVE GAMES (or strongly Scottish Themed Festivals with most of the usual activities) in a seven month span. Is it any wonder that the local community can't support that many?

It was great for me. I could put together a whole throwing season and not have to drive more than three hours from home. No more....

[Semiomniscient]

HOLY CRUD! No kidding! Over-saturated is to say the LEAST! We've NOTHING like that here in South Louisiana... I mean, we have festivals, but they tend towards agriculture and cajun music and jazz music and stuff like that. It's irritating when your cultural melting pot is full of french ragou!

[Jack Daw]

Ditto for Texas. There's only a handful.

[Farlander]

Originally Posted by Alan H

...
Still, just locally, that is TWELVE GAMES (or strongly Scottish Themed Festivals with most of the usual activities) in a seven month span. Is it any wonder that the local community can't support that many?
....

And, this does not count another dozen or more other Celtic music festivals, Renaissance Faires and other such events! I guess we really are over saturated, so we were bound to loose some of the events. That does not mean that we have to like it though...

[cajunscot]

Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown

While part of the decline may be do to the general state of the economy, I think that another, oft overlooked, factor is that some games have frankly "lost their way" sometime before they fell off the precipice.

Originally these were Highland Games, not some sort of pan-Celtic, quasi-RennFaire, SCA event in kilts. As games placed more emphasis on the fringe, they became less focused and, in my opinion, damaged their gate.

Visitors to the games attend to share or discover Scottish Heritage, and anything that takes away from that experience runs the risk of discouraging some visitors from returning next year. I think the organizers of games have to realize this, or risk financial ruin.

Spot on, Scott. My sentiments exactly.

T.

[cajunscot]

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

HOLY CRUD! No kidding! Over-saturated is to say the LEAST! We've NOTHING like that here in South Louisiana... I mean, we have festivals, but they tend towards agriculture and cajun music and jazz music and stuff like that. It's irritating when your cultural melting pot is full of french ragou!

Steady!

Remember that many of those Cajuns probably have some Scottish blood in their family tree -- Nova Scotia and all that.

Todd

Cajun by the ring & the back door

[Semiomniscient]

Originally Posted by Farlander

And, this does not count another dozen or more other Celtic music festivals, Renaissance Faires and other such events! I guess we really are over saturated, so we were bound to loose some of the events. That does not mean that we have to like it though...

True, you don't have to like it. But I guess it's one of those times when you can count your blessings by looking at the rest of the country.