154th Scottish Highland Gathering & Games, Pleasanton CA

[OC Richard]

Allowing knives but banning plastic coolers makes no sense to me.

And the organisers mentioning the Gilroy tragedy as the reason for banning coolers is just plain bizarre.

Well we shall see what the enforcement is. I expect to see plastic coolers everywhere.

[Panache]

I and the Flame Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess (F-H.C.A.G.) will be there on Saturday. Mainly around the Scottish Dancers at the Jordanhill and St Andrew's stages. We also are found over by the MacNicol clan tent.






Cheers

Jamie

[OC Richard]

Love your kilt there, the whole outfit, the shoes look very comfortable.

Is that Nicolson?

I used to play in the Nicolson Pipe Band here in SoCal, who wore red Nicolson kilts, which I didn't care for.

When there was talk of needing new kilts I tried to get them to adopt Nicolson Hunting, to no avail.

[Panache]

Love your kilt there, the whole outfit, the shoes look very comfortable.

Is that Nicolson?

I used to play in the Nicolson Pipe Band here in SoCal, who wore red Nicolson kilts, which I didn't care for.

When there was talk of needing new kilts I tried to get them to adopt Nicolson Hunting, to no avail.

Richard,


It is. It is from USA Kilts and Rocky had found this small mill that made a version of the tartan that he really thought was beautiful (he was right!)

Cheers

Jamie

[OC Richard]

That's the nicest Nicholson tartan I've seen, for sure. I wonder which mill?

About the issue about coolers etc for this year's Games, a bandmate shed light on it.

He said that he checked it out, and the page with the Alameda County Fairgrounds rules has been unchanged for years. The only change this year is that the CCSF page has a link to it.

Most of those rules have never been enforced (the rules about a limit of one chair per person, no tents, no hard-shell coolers, and several others).

So he anticipates no change this year despite the warnings on the CCSF site and the link.

Some of us Long Beach Pipe Band people got there yesterday (Friday) morning and staked out our Band Tent area (literally). Our tent has LBPB banners up, which look curiously like House Lannister sigils. Come by and say hi!

We don't play till late in the day both days- I think it's 3:45 today (Saturday) and 4:00 tomorrow (Sunday)- so I should have plenty of time to hang out. I will try to visit you all, and swing by the Chattan, Douglas, and MacNicol tents.

[Baeau]

My apologies for missing all. Early, at the Johnston/e tent, I saw Richrail walk nearby (recognized via photos pose on the forum). Saw Panache, dancing with his partner Christina (friend of our daughter's from their ice skate team days). My eldest, thought she saw OC Richard walking near Chillin' & Grillin', with pipes in hand. Passed his band's tent several times, not to be seen. Maybe next year. I pseudo volunteered for the Johnston/e tent.

[Richrail]

Pleasanton pictures day1

[Richrail]

Pleasanton day2

[OC Richard]

Thanks for stopping by our band tent! It was very cool seeing you guys.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out where the Clan tents were this year, or last year, which I think is the year they rearranged everything.

(The Pipe Band tents are now where the Clan tents used to be.)

Things at those Games have been strange for us Pipe Band people due to losing Bill Merriman, who had run the piping at the Games for over a half-century.

[California Highlander]

Thanks for stopping by our band tent! It was very cool seeing you guys.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out where the Clan tents were this year, or last year, which I think is the year they rearranged everything.

(The Pipe Band tents are now where the Clan tents used to be.)

Things at those Games have been strange for us Pipe Band people due to losing Bill Merriman, who had run the piping at the Games for over a half-century.

Clan tents were moved way out by the entrance. Out in the trees. Visitors were definitely lower the last two years.