I would like to share this experience that I had on March 14th.

For Saint Patty's day here in Northern Utah, we have an event called the Celtic Music Festival, held every year at the Perry Egyptian Theater in Ogden, Utah.
My wife and I have attended this event every year for the last 5 years and we have always enjoyed the music. The program normally consists of bagpipes, Irish music and dancing. During those years, we noticed that other than those folks that are on the program, there were no kilts in the audience. So this year I decided to go kilted.

Wearing a green dress shirt with a black leather vest and black knee-high socks and black shoes, I originally intended to wear my Blackwatch Stillwater kilt, but my wife liked the forest green Ulitikilt much better.

When we arrived at the theater, we entered by a side door. Of course, everyone thought that I was part of the program. The front doors were locked and as the pipers were arriving, I would let them in. (The power of the kilt?)
Soon, folks were lining up to get into the theater's box office area. This meant that my wife and I were first in line and as the doors were opened, folks were lining up behind us.

As we stood there, the fellow greeting the people at the front door, walked over to us and related a story he had about being in Scotland. While at the airport, he spoke to a fellow wearing a kilt, saying how he liked his "skirt". Of course, this fellow responded with "THIS IS NOT A SKIRT!” We all got a good laugh out that one.

Just before we entried the main seating area, a man next to me said "I should have worn my kilt". And I said, “you should have”.

After the Highlanders pipe band completed their performance and there was a break in the action, a man behind me asked "Is that an Irish kilt?” He proceeded to tell me how he has seen the same thing in Ireland. I told him that this was an Utilikilt from Seattle, Washington, and that it was a non-standard kilt. My wife tried to tell him that the Utilikilt is to causal wear (jeans) as tartan kilts is to formal wear (dress pants). (I am not sure I agree with that).

When my wife got up to go get some water to drink, the woman seated next me leaned over and said she likes to see men wearing kilts in public because they are part of the "in" crowd these days. Not sure what that means but she went on to explain that she likes to see different styles and fashions in public, robes, tunics, kilts, etc.

A number of Highlanders joined us in the audience, still danced in their Royal Stewart outfits, but 2 band members changed their kilts to the Scottish National tartan.ith:

I thought I would be the only one kilted, but it turns out that I am not alone. For years, the audience would attend these events in their standard wear of jeans and pants. Perhaps, hopefully, I have "broken the ice" and given others the idea to attend in kilts, too.

Brad P.