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Highland Games at Westerner Park

Jun 20, 2018 | 2:07 PM

The official kick-off to Highland Season in central Alberta takes place at Red Deer’s Westerner Park this weekend.

On Saturday, June 23, it’s the 71st Annual Red Deer Highland Games where you can celebrate Celtic Heritage and be a Scot for a day!

Chairperson Jennifer Meyn says those who attend can expect to have a lot of fun.

“It’s about dancing, piping and drumming and ‘heavy’ competitions, as well as the food, drinks and entertainment,” explains Meyn. “It’s just to bring in a bit of Scottish heritage to our area. Highland Games have been all across Canada for several years and it’s just a way for people who are Scottish to enjoy a little bit of their culture.”

She adds that even if you’re not Scottish, it’s great to come out and watch.

“It’s a lot of entertainment,” states Meyn. “We do have the Celtic Jam Jars coming, we have sheepdogs coming and we also have a kid’s area with a few Scottish fun games in it. It’s just fun to see the dancers, to see the heavies, the bands and listen to some bag pipes for the day.”

As far as food is concerned, Meyn says Westerner Park will even have haggis burgers and Scotch pies on the menu.

“You can also have some Scottish Ale that we’ll have at the entertainment tent,” says Meyn. “We have the Frasers coming out, they do the black powder and we also have a vendors market plus the Red Stags coming out as well.”

She says the licensed event also includes parking with the price of admission.

In addition to some Scottish history being re-enacted, the Red Deer Highland Games are also planned to feature Medieval Spinning Demonstrations, Tug-of-Wars and a Shortbread contest among others.