Marva Loy Eggett

Nebo Reporter

Grab your kilt (or jeans) and head down to the 27th Annual Payson Scottish Festival and Highland Games! This free, community-sponsored event is fun for the whole family. Come celebrate Scottish traditions in all forms: dance, music, food, and entertainment!

The excitement begins Friday night with food and entertainment at the park. Prepare for fun on Saturday with Highland Dance, Highland Athletic, and bagpipe competitions. Listen to Celtic music and enjoy entertaining Scottish dances ranging from a sword dance to an Irish jig.

Don't miss the activities for children, Scottish Sprint 5K and fun run, parade, traditional ethnic food, vendors, and clans. Come and enjoy the fun, family atmosphere of the Scottish Festival. Be sure to check out the schedule of events.

There are many booths to enjoy at the Scottish Festival! You will find everything from Scottish attire to Clan histories, as well as delicious foods. The Clan booths are great way to learn about your Scottish heritage and up coming Clan events. The Vendor booths have Scottish artwork, clothing, jewelry, books, and swords. These are just a few of the items that you may find at the Payson Scottish Festival. The Food booths will fulfill your hunger and, if you like, allow you to experience authentic Scottish cooking such as haggis and tatty pies.

There are three major competitions that will be held throughout the day on Saturday.

The athletic competition is a continuation of the ancient Celtic competitions that were once used to determine both status in the clan, and leadership positions both on and off the field of battle. Some of the more well-known events include the Caber Toss and the Sheaf Toss.

The dance competition consists of traditional highland dances such as: The Highland Fling; The Sword Dance; and the Seann Triubhas. They are judged upon on their timing, technique, and general deportment.

The music competition consists of three events: The bagpipe bands play their competition sets, which are a group of songs that meet the requirements for their skill level. They are judged on how well they play their music, and how well they sound together as a band.

The individual bagpipers perform a song of their own choice for one of the judges. They are judged on their technical execution of the song, and how well their bagpipes are tuned.

The snare drummers and the tenor drummers perform a song of their own choice for the judges. The snare drummers are accompanied by a bagpiper, and the tenor drummers are accompanied by a bagpiper and a snare drummer.

Centrally located in the park, the Bandstand will feature a wide variety of performers throughout the day. The performances will begin at 10:00AM and end around 4:00PM. The performances typically include Scottish Folk Dancing, Irish Dancing, Musical Groups, and Singers. There is plenty of shady bench seating for the audience members to enjoy their favorite performers.