2021 Scottish Highland Games Announcing Opening

[Jock Scot]

I hope all your plans for various Highland Games come to fruition, but can I ask a serious question? Well alright I will anyway. Do you chaps honestly expect any/some of the Games to go ahead in these uncertain times?

[Ninehostages]

Alas, not this year in Central Canada.

There has been a great deal of effort and treasure expended at all levels to keep the virus in check as much as possible and it would be sad indeed to turn a Highland Games ... a celebration of our culture ... into a killing event. We are still a "people" with or without the live entertainment. Our ancestors endured infinitely more hardship than this.

Next Rabbie Burns Day, though ... I expect to attend the best banquet that I can find!

[OC Richard]

Do you chaps honestly expect any/some of the Games to go ahead in these uncertain times?

It's impossible to know just when public events will start being held, especially because here in the US it varies State-by-State.

Between myself and my three sisters we live in four different States, and none of them have experienced what we've gone through in California. Two of my sisters live in States which never closed anything. Life has gone on pretty much as usual.

My son and I visited West Virginia in July and drove across the US in January and during both trips we experienced a more or less pre-COVID world, compared to our life in California.

So who can say? Events will go on in some States, not in others. I think it more likely that a Highland Games will happen in North Carolina than in California.

[Ninehostages]

It's impossible to know just when public events will start being held, especially because here in the US it varies State-by-State.

Between myself and my three sisters we live in four different States, and none of them have experienced what we've gone through in California. Two of my sisters live in States which never closed anything. Life has gone on pretty much as usual.

My son and I visited West Virginia in July and drove across the US in January and during both trips we experienced a more or less pre-COVID world, compared to our life in California.

So who can say? Events will go on in some States, not in others. I think it more likely that a Highland Games will happen in North Carolina than in California.

Here in Canada, those decisions are made by the Provinces with considerable input at the County level. The response varies across this vast country with the Federal Government merely providing guidelines (and vaccine ... they're terrible at procurement in this country). We even had the four Atlantic Coast Provinces "going it alone" and forming their own bubble. There is no Province that didn't respond to the emergency and right now, there is a tendency for them to even want to control interprovincial movement of the virus particularly to control the propagation of the new strains that are appearing. There seems to be a consensus that we won't open up to big events like Highland Games until A) There is widespread vaccination of the population and B) it is known that the vaccinations control all of the variants out there. I love the Games. My son is a drummer. None of us are interested in facilitating the death of someone's grandparents.

[CollinMacD]

Jock,

The Northeast Florida games took place last Saturday, one day event, and it was very successful. The Ormond Beach Games are on in mid-April, and so far they are on. Stone Mountain, one of the largest games on East Coast, is being planned for October 15-17th. So some things are opening up, slow and cautiously.

So let's wait and see what happens. We attended the NEFGs and they did a great job, but still there was a lot of people there, wife and I stayed clear and did not get involved with large groups. Both of us have both of our vaccine shots over a month ago, so we are good to go, but still we take precautions.

Regards,
Collin

[Jock Scot]

Interesting replies thank you. I have to admit I am not a fan of crowds and shows and fairs and that includes agricultural shows, Game (fishing and shooting) fairs, music festivals, military shows, tattoo's, or, Highland games. But fully understand that many enjoy them so I can well understand the frustrations, disappointments and impatience brought about by Covid. I do note the same sense of caution as we seem to have here in the UK , very wise, as in my estimation this dreadful bug has not finished with the human race just yet.

On the rare occasion that I do attend, briefly, a show, one can bump into some interesting people. Can you name(xmarksthescot name) them?

Moy Fair 2019.


Blair Atholl Highland Games some 10 years ago.


Click to enlarge both pictures which also seems to put the top picture upright!

[California Highlander]

Interesting replies thank you. I have to admit I am not a fan of crowds and shows and fairs and that includes agricultural shows, Game (fishing and shooting) fairs, music festivals, military shows, tattoo's, or, Highland games. But fully understand that many enjoy them so I can well understand the frustrations, disappointments and impatience brought about by Covid. I do note the same sense of caution as we seem to have here in the UK , very wise, as in my estimation this dreadful bug has not finished with the human race just yet.

On the rare occasion that I do attend, briefly, a show, one can bump into some interesting people. Can you name(xmarksthescot name) them?

Moy Fair 2019.


Blair Atholl Highland Games some 10 years ago.


Click to enlarge both pictures which also seems to put the top picture upright!

Looks like you and @ThistleDown at Moy. Such a great time at the field sports fair there when I went in 2015. I'm looking forward to <maybe> 2021 or <more likely> 2022.

[Jock Scot]

Quite right, that is Thistledown at Moy, a lovely chap with a really charming wife. Its a lovely show in every way but after an hour my wife and I had seen and heard everything that we needed to. Apart from pipe band members wandering about whilst not performing, I think Thistledown was the only kilted gentleman that I saw there. That would not be unusual, but I expect that there were a few Mackintosh kilts lurking about somewhere.

And the chap in the other picture? A wee clue, the British members of Xmarks will probably find him easier to identify.

[FossilHunter]

Quite right, that is Thistledown at Moy, a lovely chap with a really charming wife. Its a lovely show in every way but after an hour my wife and I had seen and heard everything that we needed to. Apart from pipe band members wandering about whilst not performing, I think Thistledown was the only kilted gentleman that I saw there. That would not be unusual, but I expect that there were a few Mackintosh kilts lurking about somewhere.

And the chap in the other picture? A wee clue, the British members of Xmarks will probably find him easier to identify.

That’s Arnot isn’t it? I’m certain I’ve seen that photo before. Maybe in the TCHD master thread?

[Jock Scot]

That’s Arnot isn’t it? I’m certain I’ve seen that photo before. Maybe in the TCHD master thread?

Well done, thats the chap and a really nice fellow to boot.