From BabsFayth at aol.com Mon Jul 23 09:40:29 2007 From: BabsFayth at aol.com (BabsFayth at aol.com) Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:40:29 EDT Subject: [Scottish News] SPECIAL EDITION - Scottish Village to be part of Highland Fling Weekend Message-ID: Hello Everyone, We are please to send you this important information regarding the upcoming Highland Fling Weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Deadlines for participation are looming quickly on the horizon, so we urge you to examine the message below from the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans and contact them immediately if you are interested in participating in the "Scottish Village." From Ellen Long, Secretary, Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans: We want to tell you about some exciting changes that have been taking place during the preparations for the Highland Fling Weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (RenFest) scheduled for August 25th & 26th. Many of you may already know that the World Amateur Highland Heavy Games Championship will be held during this year?s Highland Fling weekend. This has opened up a variety of opportunities for the greater Minnesota Scottish Community to be showcased in ways previously not available at the Renfest. We would like to encourage you to consider participating in this event; similar to the way you did at the MN Scottish Fair last May, with individual organization tents to welcome existing and potential members and information seekers. In preparations for hosting the games the festival management has expanded an area of the grounds, near the old bird stage (and paper mill), to create a completely new area we are calling the ? Scottish Village ?. This area will be promoted in that weekend?s festival program and guests will be directed to the special area by period dressed festival employees. In addition to the extensive 200 ft. by 200 ft. games field, there is more than 400 feet of the games field perimeter for our community to set up individual organization tents. We will share this space with the competitors and games official?s tents, a media tent (the games are expected to be broadcast on cable TV), additional food and beverage tents, inclement weather/shade tents for festival guests, some vendor tents and privies. The festival management is working hard to make this a positive experience for guest, athletes and the Scottish community. The following ?rules? for participation will help you determine if this event may be an option for your group. There is some flexibility to the previously restrictive rules of past events at the festival. Please read these rules carefully and let us know if you would like to be slotted on the grounds. Space is limited and will be assigned on a first come, first serve, space available basis. The deadline for this registration and the list of your tent staff is August 1st. Participation Rules: TENTS ? White, khaki, tan of any style is OK - NO red, blue, green, etc. The tents being provided for shade, athletes & media will all be modern, so modern pop-ups for your group will be OK. The perimeter fencing for this area will be made of a white material, to break the starkness of this it has been requested that we use colorful hangings - tartan, clan banners, etc. as the back wall of each tent. TABLES & CHAIRS ? There are approximately 20 tables available for our use. They will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis to those clans & organizations that make the first reservations. These need not be covered unless exhibitors want to. Remember they are very rustic. If people use modern tables and chairs they must be covered to the ground. SET UP ? Because the games will be a major media event and require a lot of preparation, they will start early Saturday morning. Therefore, all tents must be set up on Friday and stay up until Sunday closing. You can access the field starting about noon on Friday until 8 pm Friday night. You will not be able to drive up to the space. There will be one medium sized cart to be shared for transporting things from cars to tents until about 7 pm Friday night. This cart is a simple flat platform cart with wheels and needs to be pulled to and from each location. Final set up of exhibits must be completed prior to the opening of Fest at 9 am Saturday. Additional security is being added by the festival so materials left overnight Friday and Saturday night should be safe. COSTUMES ? Although period appropriate attire is always preferred, the festival management has relaxed the rules a little from previous years. Unfortunately, the Festival costume shop will not be available to us this year. Here are the details of what is acceptable: MEN ? Tartan kilts (modern and great kilts), not trousers. Solid, plain, neutral colored shirts, including those of the polo type, will be allowed (no T-shirts). No imprint other than that of a clan or organization is permitted. WOMEN ? skirts - long if possible, not pants. Same shirt rules as for men apply. FOOTWEAR - Basic black or brown leather shoes preferred if period appropriate footwear is not available. No athletic shoes, flip flops, Crocs, etc. HATS - Bonnets, tams, straw hats, etc OK ? No modern visor caps, etc WEAPONS - Must be peace-tied at all times. Additional Information: TENT LOCATIONS ? There will be approximately 20 feet between the front of our tents and the perimeter of the games field. All tents will be assigned to a location along the Scottish Village perimeter fence. KIRKIN' ? There will be a Kirkin? of the Tartan on at least one of the two days (probably Sunday). We encourage all who wish to participate to plan on joining in on this short activity and help us educate the festival guests about Tartan. PARADE ? We are welcome to march in the parade but must limit participation to those in period attire. NOTE: This is not an event that we can afford to approach casually. There will be TV coverage and a lot of exposure for all of us. In the past we have had people sign up and not show up, come and not man their tents when they volunteered to do so, and leave early because they were bored or the weather was too extreme. These actions are detrimental to our entire Scottish community and are not acceptable. If you do not intend to follow through with your volunteer obligations, please do not sign up to do this event. Please think carefully and plan accordingly. We want everyone to enjoy this event and common courtesy will go a long way to making this a success for everyone. Registration: We are asking for interested groups to register with the MCSC by sending an e-mail to _secretary at mncsc.org_ (http://us.f561.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=secretary at mncsc.org) or mailing your information to RenFest (c/o MCSC) P.O. Box 40280 , St. Paul , MN 55104 before the August 1st deadline. The days are long, set-up must be complete before 9 each day and you will not be able to breakdown and leave before the gates close at 7 pm . Please be sure to have enough help to staff your tents so you can enjoy the event. If you feel you will only be able to attend one day, please indicate this on your information ? If possible we will try to help arrange the sharing of tents from one day to the next since breaking them down and getting them set up again on Sunday is not permitted. We will not be able to guarantee this sharing of tents is an option for everyone, but we will do our best to connect groups that want to do this. Please remember this festival is a rain or shine event and will require you to maintain your tent in any weather (severe weather not withstanding). In your correspondence please include: 1) Your organization name 2) Contact person with contact information (including e-mail and phone numbers ? cell numbers if possible, for last minute information 3) If you only want to attend one day, and which day is preferred 4) Your participant (staffing) list for free Gate-B access 5) If you would like to have a RenFest table You will get confirmation of your registration and more detailed information no later than a week before the event. The MCSC will be setting up and manning one tent to help connect people to organizations they are interested in. It will basically be the same thing we do at A Scottish Ramble and the MN Scottish Fair. If you would like to participate and access the RenFest at no cost by helping man the MCSC tent one or both of the two days, please let us know as soon as possible. You can contact Ron Kincaid to sign-up to volunteer at the MCSC tent by e-mailing him at _randakincaid at usfamily.net_ (http://us.f561.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=randakincaid at usfamily.net) or calling him at 763-427-6131. Please note that if you sign up, we ask that you do us the courtesy of showing up. It is extremely stressful and disrespectful trying to deal with filling a volunteer slot at the last moment. This is a great opportunity for the Scottish Community. We hope you will consider planning on attending. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://tartandaymn.org/pipermail/news_tartandaymn.org/attachments/20070723/349af06b/attachment-0001.html From BabsFayth at aol.com Wed Jul 25 11:19:28 2007 From: BabsFayth at aol.com (BabsFayth at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:19:28 EDT Subject: [Scottish News] =?utf-8?q?Special_Edition_=E2=80=93_Scottish_Amer?= =?utf-8?q?ican_Center_Funding_Appeal_Nears_Goal!?= Message-ID: Hello Everyone, We are just one week away from our Target date for the 2007 Scottish American Center Funding Appeal Drive. On the first day of summer, 2007, the Scottish American Center launched its first Funding Appeal. We asked for just 100 members of the much larger Scottish community to come forward with donations of only $25 each to cover the rent and phone for the SAC for one calendar year - ($2,500), which would allow us the time and resources to move toward seeking greater outside support for the future and grander vision of the SAC. There's some very good news: Almost $1600 has been raised thus far, representing 65% of our financial goal with this fund drive. That's really terrific, and some of you were able to give significantly more than $25. Your support, at whatever level you were able to afford, is gratifying and inspiring! Thank you so much for your Scottish spirit and generosity. However, so far, only 23 of you have decided to respond to this fund drive. We know that there are many more of you out there that are passionate about our heritage, who, for some reason have not yet come forward to support this one-of-a-kind effort to provide a permanent resource and opportunity for the growth of our community. Please don't delay any longer. If you have questions about the SAC or its value, call 651-636-1558 to talk to us about it. Better yet, visit the SAC to get the best sense of what it is now, and what its future potential really is. We can't say it enough. . . We are so pleased about the wonderful response of those who have pitched in to support the future of the SAC so far. We are also confident there are still 75 more of you out there willing to put at least $25 toward the future of our Scottish community. So, come on folks. Use these 7 days until the goal date of August 1 to write your check to either St. Andrews Society of MN (write "SAC donation" in the memo line), or to J. Scott McKechnie- and put it in the mail to: Scottish American Center 151 Silver Lake Road NW, Suite 13 New Brighton, MN 55113 Do it today! By your generous contribution, you are sending a message to Scott, the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board, and the Volunteer Staff that they have your support and that you are behind them 100%. The more of your support they get, the more they can do, and the faster they can do it! Step up! Be proud of your Scottish Heritage and be proud of this fantastic center that provides a place of study, research, connection, preservation, and pride for you, for your family, and for our community. Don't delay ? Do it today - Please. The Board of Directors The Advisory Board The Volunteer Staff Of the Scottish American Center ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://tartandaymn.org/pipermail/news_tartandaymn.org/attachments/20070725/943248bd/attachment.html From BabsFayth at aol.com Tue Jul 31 23:15:07 2007 From: BabsFayth at aol.com (BabsFayth at aol.com) Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:15:07 EDT Subject: [Scottish News] Scottish News in Minnesota Vol. 7, No. 71, August 1, 2007 Message-ID: Hello Everyone, Editorial - Calling All Scots. The Scottish American Center Needs You! by Jackie Johnston I just want to say how grateful we are to Scott McKechnie for starting the Scottish American Center. This has been a dream of so many of us and now it is a reality. But it is a reality that needs real people to make it work and real dollars too. Scott has not only been paying the rent for nearly a year on the place but he has also taken time off from his practice to be able to keep the doors open at least two days a week. Not many of us would make such a sacrifice. But now we have a few volunteers who are helping by volunteering on weekday evenings and from noon to three on Saturdays. We could certainly use more volunteers as there are really only a handful of us who take turns and sometimes it isn't possible for us to do more than one day or evening a month. It is our goal to keep the doors open every evening during the week and on Saturday afternoons but that is not always possible because there are so few of us. As a volunteer, I can tell you it is an easy project to do. We enjoy our time at the center. It is fun when we get visitors but even when we don't, we enjoy the relaxing time we have there. We have donated a TV with a VCR so we watch Scottish videos and movies to pass the time. Scott sometimes has something for us to do but most of the time it is check for messages, put out the sign, and wait for people to come. There is nothing complicated about it. You can make a pot of coffee, bring in a laptop and do some work in a quiet space, watch videos, listen to music and read all about Scottish history or culture to your hearts content. So if you would enjoy a peaceful evening (or afternoon) and possibly some company of strangers to tell them about Scotland or Scottish American heritage, consider volunteering at the SAC for an evening or two a month. It is usually 6-8 during the week and noon to 3 on Saturday. You don't have to work every week. If we had 28 volunteers a month, we would each only have to work one night or a Saturday. We don't want to be greedy and take away the experience from others, you know. We would welcome the help and we can't be sure the SAC will survive without volunteers and the small donations that have come in. Please consider giving a little of your time or a donation to SAC. Help make this dream an ongoing reality. Scott shouldn't have to do this alone. This is not one man's heritage, it is all of ours. Lets do our part and help keep it going. If you would like to volunteer, email Babs Humphrey at Babsfayth at aol.com and she will put you on the schedule. If you would like to donate, you can make your donations payable to St. Andrews Society of Minnesota and put SAC in the memo of the check. Your donations will be tax deductible. Send your donation to Scottish American Center, 151 Silver Lake Road, Suite 13, New Brighton, MN, 55112. The SAC does not have its non-profit status yet, but they intend to have it by the end of 2007 so all donations will be tax deductible. If you have not been to the Scottish American Center yet, please consider attending and see for yourself what a marvelous resource this is. There is nothing like it in the state and there are very few places in the country you can go to find this much information in one place. It has the largest public Scottish library in Minnesota. If you would like to arrange to have a group go through the center, call the center at 651-636-1558, leave a message, someone will call you back. If we want this center to work, we must all do what we can. I hope you will join us as volunteers. Come alone, with a spouse, a child, a friend. Whatever works for you to make it a great experience. * * * And now on to the jam packed schedule of events for August. COMING EVENTS - For details scroll down the page 1. August 1st-August 5th 2007 Deer River Rendezvous Deer River, MN, Clann Tartan* 2. August 3, 2007, Friday, East St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, 6-7 p.m. potluck picnic, Dunquin plays Irish and Scottish music 7-8 p.m. 3. August 4, 2007, Saturday, Festival of Cultures, Duluth, MN 4. August 10 ? 12, 2007, Saturday and Sunday, Irish Fair, Harriet Island, St. Paul http://www.irishfair.com/ 5. August 11, 2007, Saturday at the Irish Fair on Harriet Island, St. Paul. 10:30 -11:20 a.m. in the Workshop Tent: Sherry Ladig and The Birds Of Ireland: Irish tunes with bird titles 6. August 13, 2007, Monday, at noon Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, on the plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center (5th street between 3rd and 4th avenues, near the light rail station) 7. August 13, 2007, Monday, at Como Pavilion, 7 p.m. Sherry Ladig and the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra 8. August 17, 2007, Friday, 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Society Pub Night McGarry's Pub in Maple Plain. Find all the information about this Pub Night under News from St. Andrew's Society. 9. August 18, 2007, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Family Picnic, Minnehaha Park, TCSC 10. August 18 & 19 2007, Perham Pioneer Festival Perham, MN Clann Tartan* 11. August 20, 2007 Monday, at Lake Harriet Band Shell, 7:30 p.m. Sherry Ladig and the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra 12. August 25th & 26th, 2007 Minnesota Renaissance Festival (Ren Fest) Clann Tartan* 13. August 25 & 26, 2007, Saturday and Sunday, Minnesota Renaissance Festival Highland Fling weekend See News from Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans * See details for all Clann Tartan Events under News of Clann Tartan. AWAY GAMES 1. List of all Games and other great information from Ray Erwin _www.usscots.com_ (http://www.usscots.com) ONGOING EVENTS - As always, check with the contact before you go. 1. Clann Tartan, Night at the Pub is the 3rd Friday of every month, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. 2. Clann Tartan hosts Scottish Country Dancing weekly. 3. Clann Tartan Sword Guild meets inside the 2nd Thursday at Corcoran Community Center 4. Wear a Kilt get a FREE PINT 5. The Twin Cities Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, classes have ended for the summer. FUTURE DATES - Additional Information in Future Issues. Mark your calendars now. 1. September 16, 2007, Sunday, Remembrance Day and High Tea, DSHA, Duluth, MN 2. September 17, 2007, Monday, 7:30 ? 9:30 p.m. RSCDS, "Bring a Friend Night" 3. September 21, 2007, Friday, 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Society Pub Night TBD 4. September 22, 2007, Saturday, 2 ? 4 p.m. 1st Annual Afternoon Tea, Macalester Plymouth United Church, St. Paul, MN, TCSC 5. September 22, 2007, Saturday, the All things Scottish Celtic Fest in Cedar Rapids, IA 6. October 13, 2007, Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans, AGM, TBA 7. October 26, 2007, Friday, 6:00 p.m. ? midnight, Fish & Chip Night and Ceilidh, Fort Snelling Employees Club, TCSC 8. November 3, 2007, Saturday, Guy Fawkes, Andy and Cheri McCracken's home, time & details, TBA, TCSC 9. November 18, 2007, Sunday, Kirkin' o' the Tartans & High Tea, DSHA, Duluth, MN 10. November 28, 2007, Wednesday, 6:00 p.m., Kirkin' o' the Tartan, Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Plymouth 11. December 8, 2007, Saturday, time TBA, Children's Christmas Party, Macalester Plymouth United Church, St. Paul, MN, TCSC 12. January, 2008, Winter Jig Dance Competition, DSHA, Date and Location TBA 13. January 12, 2008, Saturday, TCSC January AGM, Time TBA, Macalester Plymouth United Church, St. Paul, MN 14. January 26, 2008, Saturday, Burns Dinner, DSHA 15. January 26, 2008, Saturday, Burns Night, Time TBA, Ramada Inn, Mall of America, Bloomington, TCSC 16. February 16 - 17, 2008, A Scottish Ramble, Landmark Center, Saint Paul MN 17. April 2008, DSHA Annual Meeting, date and location TBA 18. May 17, 2008, 5th Annual Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games 19. June 28, 2008, Summer Dance Competition, DSHA, Fitger's Complex, Duluth MN ANNOUNCEMENTS - Details below 1. Dogs, dogs, we need dogs (Oooops one dog) ? we'll make them STARZ! ! ! 2. Renaissance Costume items for sale 3. Rumors of Laura's departure DISPELLED! ! ! 4. Great Announcement from Scott Moncreiff, Scottish Photographer, extraordinaire 5. TARTAN DAY BUTTON COLLECTORS Take note 6. William Bruce with a paternally proud announcement 7. Ancestry.com to add military records 8. IcelandAir - Late summer, early fall fares to Glasgow 9. Presidential Proclamation of Tartan Day - Unsigned to this date We are waiting word 10. Scotland on TV 11. Rampant Scotland, the largest directory of Scottish Links - still the best NEWS - Details below 1. Flowers of the Forest - Bob Sandvick 2. Hart ladies head to Dance Competition in Scotland 3. News of the Scottish American Center 4. Scotty Roberts Rollicky Book Rollicks ON! 5. Chandi Leaves Portland 6. Twin Cities Metro Pipe Band News ? new pipers wanted 7. Twin Cities Scottish Club NEWS ? new web site 8. News from Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans 9. News from Minnesota Police Pipe Band ? I scream, You Scream. . . 10. Clann Tartan News 11. News from Macalester Pipe Band ? Local Heroes Win Big in WA 12. News from St. Andrew's Society of Minnesota ? Pubbing in the far west 13. News Clan MacMillan ? North Central States ? 260,000 in 3 days 14. News from Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Twin Cities Branch 15. Tidbits from a casual Scottish Streetwalker 16. Merlin's Rest update 17. News of interest to Scots-Irish and Irish Readers 18. Famous Isle changes its name. 19. New web site for Conference of Celtic Women ? Updated News 20. News of Dana Drazan and the Dancing Drazan Daughters COMING EVENTS ? DETAILS 1. August 1st-August 5th 2007 Deer River Rendezvous Deer River, MN, Clann Tartan* 2. August 3, 2007, Friday, East St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, 6-7 p.m. potluck picnic, Dunquin plays Irish and Scottish music 7-8 p.m. Potluck Picnic in Alden Square Park for all neighbors and friends, Dunquin plays Irish and Scottish music. All welcome. Alden Square is one block south of Como Ave. and one block east of Raymond Ave. Free, friendly and fun. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and some potato salad, chips, or just yourselves if pressed for time. 3. August 4, 2007, Saturday, Festival of Cultures, Duluth, MN Duluth Scottish Heritage Association Highland Dancers (& the Pipe Band) will perform on the stage at 1:00 p.m. during the Festival of Cultures at Bayfront Festival Park. The Festival will run from 10:00 a.m. ? 8:00 p.m. One Day ONLY. DSHA will have an informational booth. Reduced tickets this year: Family $20, Single tickets $5. See _www.duluthfestivalofcultures.com_ (http://www.duluthfestivalofcultures.com) for more information. 4. August 10 ? 12, 2007, Saturday and Sunday, Irish Fair, Harriet Island, St. Paul _http://www.irishfair.com/_ (http://www.irishfair.com/) Guiness, fish and chips, entertainment, pipe bands ? and it's free. But, there is always a but after the word FREE isn't there? Parking is a bit of a stickey wicket. Pay for it, you'll save time and gas and at $3 a gallon that could be significant. 5. August 11, 2007, Saturday at the Irish Fair on Harriet Island, St. Paul. 10:30 -11:20 a.m. in the Workshop Tent: Sherry Ladig The Birds Of Ireland: Irish tunes with bird titles The Birds Of Ireland: Irish tunes with bird titles, and how nature inspires Irish musicians. Mostly tunes, a little talking about the subject. The Irish Fair is free (although parking can be a bear; best to pay for that, I guess). Two days of great Irish cultural delights of all kinds. Go to www.irishfair.com for a complete lineup of events. 6. August 13, 2007, Monday, at noon Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, on the plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center (5th street between 3rd and 4th avenues, near the light rail station) 7. August 13, 2007, Monday, at Como Pavilion, 7 p.m. Sherry Ladig and the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra Sherry Ladig (from Dunquin, Night Scotsman, Thistledown) as a composer news: A premiere of her new Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra work called The First Minnesota Regiment Suite: music inspired by the memory of our brave Civil War soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Three movements: My Darling Minnie Mazurka, Lament: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, and The First Minnesota Hornpipe. (Also lots of other great mandolin repertoire). Free. Refreshments available. 8. August 17, 2007, Friday, 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Society Pub Night McGarry's Pub in Maple Plain. Find all the information about this Pub Night under News from St. Andrew's Society. 9. August 18, 2007, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Family Picnic, Minnehaha Park, TCSC Everyone's invited to join the Scottish Community for a Summer Picnic on Saturday 18th August, 2007, at Minnehaha Falls Main Pavilion. Starting at 10:00 a.m. for social time and picnic lunch. Please bring your own food for your family and any outdoor games you might like to share. Contact your Club Leader/President if you intend on coming. We will need a few people to turn up earlier to help reserve an area. RAFFLE ? TO BENEFIT THE Scottish American Center. Go to _www.minneapolisparks.org_ (http://www.minneapolisparks.org) for information on parking and facilities. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE! Sponsored by Twin Cities Scottish Club. 10. August 18 & 19 2007, Perham Pioneer Festival Perham, MN Clann Tartan* 11. August 20, 2007 Monday, at Lake Harriet Band Shell, 7:30 p.m. Sherry Ladig and the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra Sherry Ladig (from Dunquin, Night Scotsman, Thistledown) as a composer news: A premiere of her new Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra work called The First Minnesota Regiment Suite: music inspired by the memory of our brave Civil War soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Three movements: My Darling Minnie Mazurka, Lament: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd, and The First Minnesota Hornpipe. (Also lots of other great mandolin repertoire). Free. Refreshments available. 12. August 25th & 26th, 2007 Minnesota Renaissance Festival (Ren Fest) Clann Tartan* 13. August 25 & 26, 2007, Saturday and Sunday, Minnesota Renaissance Festival Highland Fling weekend * See details for all Clann Tartan Events under News of Clann Tartan. ONGOING EVENTS (We have checked these events and to the best of our knowledge, they are "okay." Still, wouldn't hurt to check before you go.) 1. Clann Tartan, Night at the Pub is the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Pub Night has a new location, The Lake Street Garage on - where else? - Lake Street. Contact Bruce Yodor _bruceyoder at juno.com_ (mailto:bruceyoder at juno.com) for additional information. (Clann Tartan may now be "pubbing" at Merlin's Rest. They are across the street from one another, so if they aren't in one place, cross the street.) 2. Clann Tartan hosts Scottish Country Dancing weekly. Dance regains it's normal schedule of the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at a new site - moving temporarily to MCTC until reconstruction on Hiawatha Community Center is completed - time is still 7 PM. the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays it's still at St. Christopher's in Roseville - contact Julie at _julieyoder at juno.com_ (mailto:julieyoder at juno.com) or Mary at _Mairi2 at juno.com_ (mailto:Mairi2 at juno.com) for details. 3. Clann Tartan Sword Guild meets the 3rd Thursday at Corcoran Community Center ? probably outside now that we are some weeks away from last winter and a few weeks until "next" winter - contact Marty for information _orthodoxdruid at gmail.com_ (mailto:orthodoxdruid at gmail.com) and learn how to swing that sword! 4. Wear a Kilt Get a FREE PINT. A great time was had a month ago at Keegan's Pub. Mike Wright and the Frugal Corner hosted a fundraiser for the Scottish American Center. For many of us it was a first time at Keegan's and we loved it. It's a beautiful place and well worth a "drop by." Very friendly and very welcoming. The last Saturday of every month is Kilt Night! Keegan's Pub (_http://www.keeganspub.com/_ (http://www.keeganspub.com/) )in Minneapolis (owned and operated by our friends, Terry and Virginia Keegan). Wear your kilt and get a FREE pint of Guinness! Woo Hoo! Two of our favorite words in one sentence - Free and pint. 5. The Twin Cities Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Twin Cities Branch will be holding classes on Monday nights, 7:30 to 9:30pm at Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis (3738 Minnehaha Ave South). The classes for this coming season will begin again on September 17. For information on new classes beginning in September, please see their web site _http://www.rscds-twincities.org/classes.html_ (http://www.rscds-twincities.org/classes.html) or contact Lara Friedman-Shedlov: _ldfs at bigfoot.com_ (mailto:ldfs at bigfoot.com) , 612.874.8299 ANNOUNCEMENTS - Details 1. Dogs, dogs, we need dogs ? (Oooops make that One Dog )we'll make them STARZ! ! ! Audrey McClellan is looking for a rough collie to photograph for her new book, Rosie?s C?ilidh. If you have one of these fine dogs in your household and would be willing to let her take pictures, please contact her at 612-729-7270 or _audreym at visi.com_ (mailto:audreym at visi.com) . Call today, please, she is working on an August 18 deadline. 2. Renaissance Costume items for sale I have two items that could be worn at Ren Fest (since the costume shop is unavailable) that I am interested in selling at a minimal price. If you are someone who needs/wants them contact me. Items include a plus sized (about a 3-4x) women's skirt and back lacing corset (matching) and a size extra large corset, back lacing. -Kate Madson at _widgie at visi.com_ (mailto:widgie at visi.com) 3. Rumors of Laura's departure DISPELLED! ! ! This great announcement just arrived from Laura Mackenzie: I have very recently decided to NOT move away.........so there will be lots of notes sent to you in the future for my/our various projects! Thanks ever so much, Laura MacKenzie You heard it here, in the SNIM, first. 4. Great Announcement from Scott Moncreiff, Scottish Photographer, extraordinaire I just want to let you (and your readers) know that my website has finally been updated! You'll find the new one with all my current images at the link below - including the most recent from my trip last October. _http://www.moncrieffphotography.com_ (http://www.moncrieffphotography.com) I hope you like it. Let me know...really! You can also download the order form from there - Paypal to follow very soon! All the best, Scott Moncrieff Photography PO Box 2687, Minneapolis MN 55402 USA _http://www.moncrieffphotography.com_ (http://www.moncrieffphotography.com) 5. TARTAN DAY BUTTON COLLECTORS Take note The 2008 ? 10 year anniversary Tartan Buttons are available on line at _www.tartandaybuttons.org_ (http://www.tartandaybuttons.org) Minnesota's own Jack A. Barker has been designing the National Authorized Tartan Day Button since 2001. We will next have them for sale locally at the Scottish Ramble in February. Babs almost always has a few stashed in her purse, so if you are looking to pick up a couple, and you happen to see her, ask. Chances are you will score a button. 6. William Bruce with a paternally proud announcement You may want to check out and read the following, although you will need a university library or other scholarly library to do so. Bruce, Mark P.* ?Creating Scottish Nationalism: English Translations of the Fourteenth-Century Declaration of Arbroath? in Karl Fugelso, ed. Studies in Medievalism XV: Memory and Medievalism (Rochester, Boydell & Brewer, 2007). Yours aye, William *William's son, Mark. P.S. Some of you may have looked for the article citation above on the web. You may have been led to the following: _http://myweb.uiowa.edu/mbruce/Downloadables/downloadindex.htm_ (http://myweb.uiowa.edu/mbruce/Downloadables/downloadindex.htm) What you will find here is a side by side comparison of the English translations of the Declaration Of Arbroath ? a very useful tool. However, this is NOT the article in the citation I provided. To the best of my knowledge, this article has not been posted on the web and you will need to find it in hard copy at a university or other scholarly library using the information provided. Check with me if you have difficulty in doing that. (_wthebruce at bitstream.net_ (mailto:wthebruce at bitstream.net) ) 7. Ancestry.com to add military records Those of you who are very interested in family history and genealogy might also be interested to know that military records will soon be added to Ancestry.com. Read this article in a recent edition of the Duluth News Tribune. _http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=42922§ion=news_ (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=42922§ion=news) 8. IcelandAir ? Late summer early fall fares to Glasgow: IcelandAir, proud sponsor of the Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games is still showing the following specials on their web site: Travel to Glasgow, Stockholm, Oslo or Copenhagen From: _http://www.icelandair.com/home/book-a-flight/lucky-fa res/lucky-fares-from-minneapolis/_ (http://www.icelandair.com/home/book-a-flight/lucky-fares/lucky-fares-from-minneapolis/) Minneapolis/St. Paulfrom$474* Departures: From August 22 - September 15, 2007 Minimum stay:Saturday night Maximum stay:30 days Valid for new purchases only. Availability is limited. Fares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until purchased. *Prices quoted are exclusive of applicable taxes and official charges by destination of approximately $90-$120, per person, including the Sept. 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per U.S. enplanement. Might be worth a look see if you are planning to go anyway. 9. PRESIDENT BUSH RECOGNIZES TARTAN DAY! But no proclamation signed yet! 10. Scotland on TV Check out this new site. Some wonderful video of things going on in Scotland ? Thank you Myth Julie. _http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotlandontv/culture.html_ (http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotlandontv/culture.html) 11. Rampant Scotland, the largest directory of Scottish Links - Still the Best Rampant Scotland - the largest directory of Scottish links! _http://www.RampantScotland.com_ (http://www.RampantScotland.com) Also with 2000+ illustrated feature articles! _http://www.RampantScotland.com/features.htm_ (http://www.RampantScotland.com/features.htm) NEWS - DETAILS 1. Flowers of the Forest ? Bob Sandwick Sandwick, Robert Alan "Bob" Robert 'Bob' Alan Sandwick, 60, of Sandstone, Minn., passed away on July 28, 2007. He was a member of the Duluth Scottish Heritage Pipe Band 1999-2006, elected member of the Sandstone Lion's Club and American Legion 1965-1969, Lieutenant for the Bureau of Federal Prison 1972-1998, Navy Officer 1965 -1969. He was preceded in death by parents, Donald and Zelda Sandwick. Survived by wife, Sandra; children, Kristi (James) Sellwood and Robb (Elizabeth) Sandwick; stepchildren, Judy (Bill) Moran, Lisa (Bruce) Pichotta, and David (Alicia) Lokke; grandchildren, Steven Sogn, Tori Sogn, Alexandra Sogn, Lydia Moran, Tessa Pichotta, Jada Pichotta, Caden Pichotta, and two more babies due in December; brother, Bill (Helen) Sandwick, and Shirley Hoeltzel 'Auntie Deanie'. A special thanks to Dr. Sande and SMDC Hospice. SERVICES:1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 in Grace Lutheran Church, Sandstone, Minn. Visitation 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, in Methven Funeral Home, Sandstone, and one hour prior to services in the church. Published in the Duluth News Tribune on 7/31/2007. Notice ? Guest Book ? Flowers ? Gift Shop 2. Hart ladies headed to Dance Competition in Scotland Some weeks ago, a phone call from Florence Hart shared with us the wonderful news that she and her daughter, Kitty Hart Stoker, had been invited to represent the United States as judges for the Scottish National Championships at the Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon Scotland on August 24. This is a very high honor and we would like to congratulate both of them on this prestigious achievement. Florence and Kitty will be traveling to 5 different competitions while in Scotland with six of their dance Students: Erin and Kelley Brush, Abbey Kuzas, Summer Getty, Alexandra Schmitz, and A. J. Stoker. Florence and Johan will stop in The Netherlands on their way to Scotland to visit there with friends and family. Congratulations and best of luck to all! 3. News of the Scottish American Center From J. Scott McKechnie, FSA Scot and Executive Director Open Hours The Scottish American Center (SAC) is open with EXPANDED HOURS. You can now visit the SAC during these times: *Monday evenings between 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. where you will be greeted by Guest Host Nancy Cameron Breems, past president of the Northern Lights Branch of Clan Cameron; (Note: SAC Board of Directors will meet in the Display Room on Monday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m.) *Tuesday between 6:00 ? 8:00 p.m., August 14, Jackie & Denny Johnston *Tuesday between 6:00 ? 8:00 p.m., August 21, Tom King *Wednesdays between 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Scott McKechnie *Thursday evenings between 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. where you will be greeted alternately by Mark Hamilton, MN commissioner for Clan Hamilton and Carolyn Jackson, newsletter editor for TCSC *Fridays between 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Scott McKechnie with Mary Libhardt, Clan Napier and John McKeen, Clan Donald filling in when needed. (Note: SAC will be closed Friday, August 24 for preparations for the Highland Fling Rent Fest.) Saturdays in August as follows: *Saturday, August 4, noon ? 3:00 p.m. Stacey Peacock *Saturday, August 11, noon ? 3:00 p.m. Tom King *Saturday, August 18, noon ? Closed for TCSC Family Picnic *Saturday, August 25, noon ? 3:00 p.m. Closed for Highland Fling Weekend at Ren Fest Report on the Fund Raising Pub Night at Keegan's on June 30. From Mark Wright: Final Count was 24 men in kilts, 2 ladies in kilt dress, and around 19 others not kilted counting wives, girlfriends, boy friends and others. For a grand total of about 45+- people What a Great time. . . My Wife loved getting to know Liz, Bobbi, Babs, and the others. I had a great time with Dave, Scott, John, Tom, Neil. . . and the rest. And the pub owner - Terry Keegan and his wife- great folks--Terry invited us back anytime and expressed his pleasure with our company. Wait staff was excellent and the pub has a wonderful patio area outback. (TRY THE SHEPARDS PIE) Liz Michaelson won the Minnesota Tartan shawl Angie MacSchwartz won the Kids Pipes Bobbi McKechnie won the Rabbit Fur sporran We got to christen a new member of our community (ceremony performed by Scott) when we had an older gentlemen step into the ranks of the kilted and purchased a Royal Stewart Kilt. We're Listed! It's official- the SAC is now listed in the new Yellowbook! (In the white pages.) History is being made- it's our first Scottish community listing in a phone book! It should also appear in the Qwest version for St. Paul when that's out. (It's a 651 number.) Hurrah! Yet another small step toward building the visibility of our community! The Scottish American Center is located on the lower level (follow the signs) of the 151 office building. The address is 151 Silver Lake Road NW, Suite 13, New Brighton, MN 55112 - just 4 long blocks south of the intersection of I-694 and Silver Lake Road on the east side. The Center phone number is 651-636-1558 and there is voice mail. YOU are at the center of the SAC's success. Be Proud! You will have helped build a future heritage for our community, our descendents, and for the citizens of Minnesota and the Midwest. 4. Scotty Roberts Rollicky Book, Rollicks ON! The Rollicking Adventures of Tam O'Hare - by Scotty Roberts I will be at Ren Fest this year with Tam O'Hare for only two weekends. Marketing has asked me to do a little stage show three times per day at the Children's Realm Stage. I don't have exact times, but it will be posted on a sign there, every day. On Scottish Weekend - August 25/26, and Irish Weekend - September 8/9. I will be doing some dramatic readings from the book, and we will be enacting one of the sword fight scenes from the reading. The book will be on sale after each show, and I will be signing them. I will also have the rest of the limited edition poster for sale until they run out. See you all there! ~Scotty 5. Chandi Leaves Portland A fitting tribute to the granddaughter of Minnesota's revered Scottish Country Dancing Master, the late, great George McCracken. Enjoy this short video on YouTube sent to us by her proud dad, Andy McCracken. _http://youtube.com/watch?v=jeVJVrqav-g_ (http://youtube.com/watch?v=jeVJVrqav-g) 6. Twin Cities Metro Pipe Band News As always, we are on the lookout for talented pipers and drummers looking for a home. We have a great group of people with a lot of talent who strive to have a good time and play our very best. Come checks us out at one of our practices at the Calvary Lutheran Church at 39th and Chicago every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00. If don't catch us there, we always stop in to our local watering hole "The Chatterbox" pub around 9:30 on Thursday evenings. The Chatterbox is located on the corner of 22nd avenue E and 35th Street in Minneapolis...stop in and say hi and we'll spot you a round. For more information, drop in to our website at www.tcmpb.org or give us a call at 651-552-0912. Cheers.~Tad Myers TCMetro PB 7. Twin Cities Scottish Club News From Norma Macdonald, Vice President Hi Everyone- Just wanted to let you know that we have updated our TCSC web site. Please give it a wee look! _http://www.twincitiesscottishclub.org_ (http://www.twincitiesscottishclub.org) A BIG "thanks" goes to Susan Hodges Ramlet, our Web Master, for volunteering her time and expertise to develop this beautiful web site for our use. Cheers! Norma R. Macdonald, Vice President, Twin Cities Scottish Club Editor's note: What a great site. Congratulations to TCSC and to their web master Susan Hodges Ramlet for this great addition. Check it out. 8. News from the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans This is the same information that was sent via Special Edition on July 23, repeated here for your consideration: From Ellen Long, Secretary, Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans: We want to tell you about some exciting changes that have been taking place during the preparations for the Highland Fling Weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (RenFest) scheduled for August 25th & 26th. Many of you may already know that the World Amateur Highland Heavy Games Championship will be held during this year?s Highland Fling weekend. This has opened up a variety of opportunities for the greater Minnesota Scottish Community to be showcased in ways previously not available at the Renfest. We would like to encourage you to consider participating in this event; similar to the way you did at the MN Scottish Fair last May, with individual organization tents to welcome existing and potential members and information seekers. In preparations for hosting the games the festival management has expanded an area of the grounds, near the old bird stage (and paper mill), to create a completely new area we are calling the ? Scottish Village ?. This area will be promoted in that weekend?s festival program and guests will be directed to the special area by period dressed festival employees. In addition to the extensive 200 ft. by 200 ft. games field, there is more than 400 feet of the games field perimeter for our community to set up individual organization tents. We will share this space with the competitors and games official?s tents, a media tent (the games are expected to be broadcast on cable TV), additional food and beverage tents, inclement weather/shade tents for festival guests, some vendor tents and privies. The festival management is working hard to make this a positive experience for guest, athletes and the Scottish community. The following ?rules? for participation will help you determine if this event may be an option for your group. There is some flexibility to the previously restrictive rules of past events at the festival. Please read these rules carefully and let us know if you would like to be slotted on the grounds. Space is limited and will be assigned on a first come, first serve, space available basis. The deadline for this registration and the list of your tent staff is August 1st (PLEASE NOTE ? THAT IS TODAY). Participation Rules: TENTS ? White, khaki, tan of any style is OK - NO red, blue, green, etc. The tents being provided for shade, athletes & media will all be modern, so modern pop-ups for your group will be OK. The perimeter fencing for this area will be made of a white material, to break the starkness of this it has been requested that we use colorful hangings - tartan, clan banners, etc. as the back wall of each tent. TABLES & CHAIRS ? There are approximately 20 tables available for our use. They will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis to those clans & organizations that make the first reservations. These need not be covered unless exhibitors want to. Remember they are very rustic. If people use modern tables and chairs, they must be covered to the ground. SET UP ? Because the games will be a major media event and require a lot of preparation, they will start early Saturday morning. Therefore, all tents must be set up on Friday and stay up until Sunday closing. You can access the field starting about noon on Friday until 8 pm Friday night. You will not be able to drive up to the space. There will be one medium sized cart to be shared for transporting things from cars to tents until about 7 pm Friday night. This cart is a simple flat platform cart with wheels and needs to be pulled to and from each location. Final set up of exhibits must be completed prior to the opening of Fest at 9 am Saturday. Additional security is being added by the festival so materials left overnight Friday and Saturday night should be safe. COSTUMES ? Although period appropriate attire is always preferred, the festival management has relaxed the rules a little from previous years. Unfortunately, the Festival costume shop will not be available to us this year. Here are the details of what is acceptable: MEN ? Tartan kilts (modern and great kilts), not trousers. Solid, plain, neutral colored shirts, including those of the polo type, will be allowed (no T-shirts). No imprint other than that of a clan or organization is permitted. WOMEN ? skirts - long if possible, not pants. Same shirt rules as for men apply. FOOTWEAR - Basic black or brown leather shoes preferred if period appropriate footwear is not available. No athletic shoes, flip flops, Crocs, etc. HATS - Bonnets, tams, straw hats, etc OK ? No modern visor caps, etc WEAPONS - Must be peace-tied at all times. Additional Information: TENT LOCATIONS ? There will be approximately 20 feet between the front of our tents and the perimeter of the games field. All tents will be assigned to a location along the Scottish Village perimeter fence. ***NEW INFORMATION! ! ! *** KIRKIN' ? St. Andrew's Society of Minnesota will host a Kirkin? O' the Tartans on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on the main field. We encourage all who wish to participate to bring a piece of their tartan to place on the platter for the blessing when the Clans of Scotland are called. Plan to join in this short activity and help us educate the festival guests about our Tartan. PARADE ? We are welcome to march in the parade but must limit participation to those in period attire. NOTE: This is not an event that we can afford to approach casually. There will be TV coverage and a lot of exposure for all of us. In the past we have had people sign up and not show up, come and not man their tents when they volunteered to do so, and leave early because they were bored or the weather was too extreme. These actions are detrimental to our entire Scottish community and are not acceptable. If you do not intend to follow through with your volunteer obligations, please do not sign up to do this event. Please think carefully and plan accordingly. We want everyone to enjoy this event and common courtesy will go a long way to making this a success for everyone. Registration: We are asking for interested groups to register with the MCSC by sending an e-mail to _secretary at mncsc.org_ (mailto:secretary at mncsc.org) or mailing your information to RenFest (c/o MCSC) P.O. Box 40280 , St. Paul , MN 55104 before the August 1st deadline. The days are long, set-up must be complete before 9 each day and you will not be able to breakdown and leave before the gates close at 7 pm . Please be sure to have enough help to staff your tents so you can enjoy the event. If you feel you will only be able to attend one day, please indicate this on your information ? If possible we will try to help arrange the sharing of tents from one day to the next since breaking them down and getting them set up again on Sunday is not permitted. We will not be able to guarantee this sharing of tents is an option for everyone, but we will do our best to connect groups that want to do this. Please remember this festival is a rain or shine event and will require you to maintain your tent in any weather (severe weather not withstanding). In your correspondence, please include: 1) Your organization name 2) Contact person with contact information (including e-mail and phone numbers ? cell numbers if possible, for last minute information 3) If you only want to attend one day, and which day is preferred 4) Your participant (staffing) list for free Gate-B access 5) If you would like to have a RenFest table You will get confirmation of your registration and more detailed information no later than a week before the event. The MCSC will be setting up and manning one tent to help connect people to organizations they are interested in. It will basically be the same thing we do at A Scottish Ramble and the MN Scottish Fair. If you would like to participate and access the RenFest at no cost by helping man the MCSC tent one or both of the two days, please let us know as soon as possible. You can contact Ron Kincaid to sign-up to volunteer at the MCSC tent by e-mailing him at _randakincaid at usfamily.net_ (mailto:randakincaid at usfamily.net) or calling him at 763-427-6131. Please note that if you sign up, we ask that you do us the courtesy of showing up. It is extremely stressful and disrespectful trying to deal with filling a volunteer slot at the last moment. This is a great opportunity for the Scottish Community. We hope you will consider planning on attending. The MCSC is always looking for new Clans/Families to join our organization. Please feel free to contact any of our board members to find out how to join. You can find our contact information at www.mncsc.org Or mail us at: MCSC, P.O. Box 40280, St. Paul, MN 55104. Come join our organization and promote your Scottish heritage (Clan/Family), genealogy, culture and more. www.mncsc.org 9. News from Minnesota Police Pipe Band Sally Gordon files this report about MPPD activities and events: July was just as busy as June for MPPB with parades around the metro area: Edina 4th of July, Robbinsdale Whiz Bang Days, Hastings Rivertown Days, Stillwater Lumberjack Days and Glenwood Waterama. The August schedule includes Izzy?s Ice Cream Shop in St. Paul (08/07, 9:00 p.m.)( _http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/11357270_ (http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/11357270) ), Minnesota Irish Fair,( 8/12, 10:15 a.m. 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.), Vadnais Heights Heritage Days (08/19)and the Celtic Highland Games of the Quad Cities (08/25). The performance at Izzy?s on 8/7 will be an informal and tasty prelude to our Izzy?s Ice Cream booth at the Irish Fair. ------------------------------------ I Scream, You Scream, etc ? Minnesota Police Pipe Band is running the Izzy?s Ice Cream booth at the Irish Fair (one of our fund raising efforts for Scotland 2009). Stop by the Izzy?s booth for a cone or a cup (don?t forget to ask for your Izzy) and get the scoop on our trip. There will be soloists performing at various times throughout the three days and the whole band will perform on Sunday: 10:15 at the Cara Irish Pubs main stage and at the Walser Gateway Stage on Sunday 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. For more information about MPPB, the Irish Fair, and Izzy?s check these websites; _www.mppb.org_ (http://www.mppb.org) , _www.irishfair.org_ (http://www.irishfair.org) , _www.izzysicecream.com_ (http://www.izzysicecream.com) July has flown by so fast but, don?t worry, there?s still time to see and hear Minnesota Police Pipe Band before the snow flies. Upcoming performances include: 08/07 Izzy?s Ice Cream Shop in St. Paul -- 9:00 p.m. 08/12 Minnesota Irish Fair ? Harriet Island, St. Paul (see below for details) 08/19 Vadnais Heights Heritage Days, Vadnais Heights, MN 08/25 Celtic Highland Games of the Quad Cities, Davenport IA 09/09 Defeat of Jesse James Days, Northfield MN 09/15 Old SOD Days, Belview MN 09/16 Waconia Sesquicentennial, Waconia, MN Our Tuesday, 8/7 performance at Izzy?s is an informal but tasty prelude to our Izzy?s Ice Cream booth at the Irish Fair. The band is running the booth as a fundraiser for our trip to Scotland. While you are at the Irish Fair, stop by the Izzy?s booth for a cone or a cup (don?t forget to ask for your Izzy). There will be soloists performing at various times throughout the three days and the band will perform at the Cara Irish Pubs main stage on Sunday, 10:15 and at the Walser Gateway Stage on Sunday 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. For more information about MPPB, the Irish Fair, and Izzy?s check these websites; _www.mppb.org_ (http://www.mppb.org) , _www.irishfair.org_ (http://www.irishfair.org) , _www.izzysicecream.com_ (http://www.izzysicecream.com) . Have a great August. Scotland 2009 Minnesota Police Pipe Band will be taking a trip across the pond in August 2009 to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. Preparations are underway for this huge endeavor. Minnesota Police Pipe Band, PO Box 19067, Minneapolis MN 55419 10. Clann Tartan News From Mary McKinley, president: I still want to know who died and left me responsible for this... I guess it's because I'm the only one who can! Anywho - here's the Clann's doings for August - a busier month for us! Deer River Rendezvous Deer River, MN Aug 1st-August 5th 2007 White Oak Rendezvous occurs at the beautifully reconstructed North West Company fur post originally built in 1798. This is a great event, with much to offer. _http://www.whiteoak.org/index.shtml_ (http://www.whiteoak.org/index.shtml) Perham Pioneer Festival Perham, MN- August 18 and 19 2007 Saturday 10-5, 19 Sunday 10-4 Col. Gaffneyis Regiment will be at the Perham Pioneer Festival August 18 and 19 this year. The Pioneer Festival is located in Perham, MN, about a three and a half hour drive from the Twin Cities. Minnesota Renaissance Festival (RenFest) scheduled for August 25th & 26th. All the usual stuff at the usual times and places. And since I'm still on travel restrictions, I get to sit home. Bah. 11. News from Macalester College Pipe Band From Mike Breidenbach, Pipe Major The Macalester College Pipe Band traveled to the Skagit Valley Highland Games in Mount Vernon, Washington. It was a 2-day event and we took 2nd place both days. However we won the aggregate title over the weekend and we are now officially the Washington State Champions in Grade 3. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HOME TOWN LOCAL HEROES. 12. News from St. Andrew's Society of Minnesota Don Bruce, newly elected 2nd Veep of St. Andrew's sends this months SAS news: St. Andrew's Society is having its August Pub Night at a new and different location. The date is Friday, August 17 around 7:00 p.m. It will be held at McGarry's Irish Pub. McGarry's Irish Pub is in Maple Plain, 10 miles west of the 394 & 494 junction on Hwy. 12. No, it's not as far as So. Dakota for those in the east metro, but it will be handy for those in the western suburbs and Minneapolis. Jack MacKinnon assures us that English is spoken there (and maybe some Gaelic too). It's located at the SE corner of Budd Ave. and Main Street, only 1 block off Hwy. 12. (5189 Main St. East, Maple Plain 55359) The food is fabulous (Shepherds pie $9.95, half pound burger with fries, $7.95, half sandwich and home made soup, $4.95) Good selection of tap beers ($5 for 20 oz. mug). Good selection of Irish Whisky (go figure) and a few Scotches. Even though the Pub has been totally remodeled and it is HC accessible, I bet they've never had real Scotsmen in kilts there. So, let's shake them up a little. For more information on McGarry's go to http://www.mcgarryspub.com/ Other St. Andrew's news: We are planning some new and exciting events for the fall and winter. Watch this space for announcements. Better yet, if you are not a member, join St. Andrew's Society and get the Thistle and Quill newsletter to keep up on everything going on with the Society and be a part of this fun and exciting group. 13. News Clan MacMillan ? North Central States by Jack MacMillan, Treasurer MacMillan Pipe Band in PA Last summer I attended the Celtic Classic event in Bethlehem, PA. A city famous for its steel mills and Christmas festivities, this annual event attracted 260,000 (Two Hundred Sixty Thousand) people over a three-day weekend in September. I introduced myself to Neville Gardner, one of the founders of the festival that started 19 years ago. Neville is the proprietor of Donegal Square, a store that sells gifts, apparel, and accessories from Scotland, Ireland, and the UK, located right on picturesque Main Street in downtown Bethlehem. He also is the designer of the Bethlehem Tartan and was proud to tell me that the police force wears the kilts of his tartan during the event. He told me he helped found the event to promote and preserve the Celtic culture that settled in Lehigh Valley during the 1800s and their influence that helped shape his community. He then, kiddingly, told me that they decided to make it a free festival to attract the Scots! One of the weekend's highlights was the piping band marching into the grandstands and this year's ensemble included the MacMillan Pipe Band. Named after Admiral Donald MacMillan who accompanied Admiral Perry on their voyage to the Arctic in 1905, the band was a crowd favorite as they led the other seven bands in "Scotland the Brave." Reprinted with permission of the author. Editors note: The MacMillan lads just returned from an International Clan MacMillan Gathering in Inverness Scotland and we hope to have a report from them in the September 1 issue of the SNIM. 14. News from Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Twin Cities Branch From the RSCDS ? Lara Friedman~Shedlov The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society Twin Cities Branch will once again be performing at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (our 32nd year!). As of SNIM press time, we don't have exact dates yet but we generally appear 6 out of the 7 weekends, 4 half-hour performances a day at the Bear stage or in front of Bad Manor. Check your printed programs and come do come cheer us on. We always have an audience participation dance at each performance. Specific performance dates will be available on our web site at _http://www.rscds-twincities.org_ (http://www.rscds-twincities.org) as soon as they are available. For those who work in downtown Minneapolis, come have lunch on the plaza of the Hennepin County Government Center (5th street between 3rd and 4th avenues, near the light rail station) and watch us perform on Monday, 13 August at noon. Looking ahead, please put Monday, September 17th on your calendars. If you've been thinking about giving Scottish country dancing a try, join us that evening for our annual kick-off event, BRING A FRIEND NIGHT, 7:30 to 9:30pm at Tapestry Folkdance Center, 3748 Minnehaha Ave S in Minneapolis. There will be a brief introduction to the basics and the opportunity to dance to live music and socialize. There is no charge, so come along and bring your friends, too. Keep an eye on _http://www.rscds-twincities.org_ (http://www.rscds-twincities.org) for further information. 15. Tidbits from a casual Scottish Streetwalker >From J. Scott McKechnie, Exec Director, the SAC, Regional Commish, Clan Donald: We were tooling around my old hometown of Hudson Saturday, July 28, to celebrate my birthday in a casual and relaxed way... When to my great shock and surprize, we saw a notice at a local bookstore for a Scottish Festival at the First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, happening that weekend. (July 28 and 29.) On Sunday, they were to have a Kirkin' with a piper in addition to the outdoor activities. They also had some treats, chow, and a wee bit of highland dancing- in which our own Jeremiah Brummel was involved. Who'da thunk it! It was very modest indeed, just a few tents- most of which were not Scottish in nature- but it's only their second year of doing it. Anyway, I made contact with them, and encouraged them to give notice to the MN Scottish community for next year's event, with the idea that we might be able to help them take it up a few notches. Vendors are welcome, too, as I understand it. Being a hometown boy, I bet the local paper would promo the event as well, as a tidbit of local interest. Just FYI, interesting coincidence for me. Scott (Editor's note: Somebody out there want to take note of this event and follow through? MCSC, SAS, TCSC. . ?? ) 16. Merlin's Rest update: Merlin's Rest Pub is now up and running and we are looking to having our old friends join us for the craic. Here's the website: www.merlinsrest.com Stop by ? "where everybody knows your name." Cheers! The next single malt whisky tasting at Merlins Rest is on Thursday August 2nd at 7.30pm. Check _www.merlinsrest.com_ (http://www.merlinsrest.com) for details. Also, I will be appearing for two days at the La Crosse Irish festival again this year, details at www.irishfestlax.org FYI New email address for Bill: _wbillwatkins at msn.com_ (mailto:wbillwatkins at msn.com) 17. News of interest to Scots-Irish and Irish Readers Speaker on Transitional Justice for Northern Ireland Alan Brecknell from the Pat Finucane Centre will speak at Merlin?s Rest, 3601 E. Lake St., Minneapolis on August 2nd at 7 pm about their efforts to obtain justice for victims of collusion and whether a truth commission could benefit the conflict resolution process in North of Ireland. In addition, Mr. Brecknell is available for interviews, and to speak to individual groups. For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Rebecca McConkey at 612-978-2710 or _rjmcconkey at gmail.com_ (mailto:rjmcconkey at gmail.com) or Mike Whalen at 651-645-9506. Merlin?s Rest August 2nd 7 pm 3601 E. Lake St.Minneapolis, MN 55406, (612) 216-2419 Presented by: Minnesotans for a United Ireland (Note: The SNIM offers this information to our subscribers for informational purposes only and should not be construed as our endorsement of the program.) 18. Famous Isle changes its name. Aye have ye not heard the news? The Isle of Skye is no more. True, true. Check out this web site for all the Info: _http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=659562007_ (http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=659562007) 19. Conference of Celtic Women Update This from Jean Bills CONFERENCE UPDATE JULY _www.conferenceofcelticwomen.org_ (http://www.conferenceofcelticwomen.org) July is slipping away, as is summer; but there is still a savings for you if you register for the conference this month before August first. (The fee goes up $5 each month). This is an appeal for items you may wish to donate for the conference raffle. That is a big boost for the overall income, fun and excitement for the week-end of October 4-6. We already have promises of a week in the mountains of North Carolina, hand-knit afghan, an Irish knit wool sweater, and numerous items from our vendors. If you have something of a Celtic nature for the raffle, please let me know. Phone number and e-mail address below ***. Please look at the web site if you have not done so. Lots of pictures from past presenters, the schedule for this year?s event, hotel details, and information on all of the speakers, singers and musicians for 2007. Maggie Cronin returns after an 8-year absence. She has written a new play which she will preview for us. Maggie is well known in Milwaukee since her last play ?A Most Notorious Woman? was a big hit in the local small stages here in 1999. It was held over for two weeks to SRO audiences. In the meantime, she has starred in a daily soap on BBC television for several years. Betsy McGovern is another well-loved presenter who has not been able to attend for a few years. But Betsy will be with us on Saturday with her lovely voice. It will be great to have her back with Celtic Women again. The fantastic bagpiper of last year, Susan Hyams, returns for an encore, this time with one of the accomplished students in Susan?s school: ?Thistle Dancers and Pipers?, Katherine Forsyth. We told you last month about the addition of Fiona Molloy to our conference program. Fiona will (1) MC the whole conference, (2) she will have an hour to present her wonderful talent on Friday, and (3) she will highlight the Friday evening conference concert along with Sheila Stewart, each sharing half of the program. That will be one memorable evening! I hope you will be there. If you are a Fiona-Fan you should not miss this. Along those lines, let me remind any new-comers: during the conference the speakers and presenters stay on the premises and are readily available to talk with, eat lunch with, get autographs, and sit with in the audience. Many fast friends have been made at the conferences in past years. And they return each year to renew those friendships. ?Being Together? is our theme, always. Late-Breaking-News: I have just heard that Sheila Stewart is being inducted into the British Hall of Fame on December first. What a great honor to add to those she has already received, i.e. the MBE Member of the British Empire. The conference is truly an once-in-a-lifetime event to meet Sheila. 414-257-3770 _jeanbills at mac.com_ (mailto:jeanbills at mac.com) please call for your donation of raffle items. Many thanks! Jean Bills, Conference of Celtic Women Oct. 4-6, 2007 _http://www.ConferenceOfCelticWomen.org_ (http://www.ConferenceOfCelticWomen.org) 20. News of Dana Drazan and the Dancing Drazan Daughters >From the Rocksprings (Texas) Record, Sunday Internet Edition, July 22, 2007 Scottish Highland dancers now reside in Rocksprings - By Roberta Geuea The attractive ladies in our recent parade that were dressed in Scottish Highland attire are Dana Drazan and five of her seven children. The girls are Dallas Ann, Jackie, Julie May, Lorri Ann and Judy Lynn. Their original plan was for Mom (Dana) to play her bagpipes and the girls to perform a Scottish Highland dance as they made their way around the courthouse. Unfortunately, the bagpipes are being repaired in England and did not arrive in time for the parade. The Drazan girls, accompanied by their mother, have traveled throughout this country and Canada to display their talents and have performed for several thousand people at various conventions. While dancing, the girls hold their fingers in a particular position and this is symbolic of the Red Stag. Dallas Ann is rated ?premier,? which is the top of her division. One of their dances uses 17th century swords. The dance over the swords is a representation of a Scottish tradition from many centuries ago when warriors would celebrate a victory by placing their own swords over those of their conquered enemies and dance around. All the girls are students in the local school district and their pictures are seen frequently on the school page acknowledging their excellent attendance, good grades and interest in reading. Dana is originally from the Mason area and her father is a retired state trooper. She served in the U.S. Army, which included a two-year tour of duty in Germany. Her son Josh lives in Mason and older daughter Jessica lives in Minnesota. Her husband owns and operates a large landscaping business. We can look forward to our July 4th celebration next year as Dana has been invited to play her bagpipes at the annual Country Boy?s flag raising, and we will also get to see the girls perform during the parade. AND IN CLOSING If you have coming events, news, or announcements you would like included in future issues, please send the information to us (babsfayth at aol.com) and we will publish in the next issue. Our deadline for the first of the month issue is the 27th of the previous month. Please let us know if you would like to be included in the reminder email that is sent out on the 20th of the month. Please feel free to forward this on to whomever you think might enjoy receiving it. As always, if you do not wish to continue receiving Scottish News in Minnesota, go to www.tartandaymn.org , click on Scottish News in Minnesota, click on subscriptions page, and follow the directions for removing your email address from the mailing list (or adding it if you aren't currently receiving it directly). All the Best, "Babs" Barbara Humphrey Scottish News in Minnesota is a publication of the Minnesota Tartan Day Cooperative and is published 12 times a year. It is intended solely for the information, interest, and enjoyment of members of the Scottish community of Minnesota and the border Scots of Wisconsin as well as others of our Celtic friends. "Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thainig thu" "Remember the men (or "those") from whom thou comest (or "from whom thou'rt descended")" Our sincere thanks to Kevin Myers for seeking out the proper Gaelic for this fine bit of historical challenge. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://tartandaymn.org/pipermail/news_tartandaymn.org/attachments/20070731/22dc9a96/attachment-0001.html