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Seattle Scottish Highland Games, Enumclaw WA King County Fairgrounds, Expo Center--45224 284th Ave SE, Enumclaw, WA 98022 Traffic and parking requires a lot of patience . . . I'm not sure how early you'd have to come to avoid the crowds. These are country roads, challenged by the amount of traffic of events at the Expo Center. They have large parking areas, some regular lots and some grassy fields, but not enough for the number of vehicles. There is some parking along Warner Ave (aka 456th St), and there's a wide paved path all along it (in fact you might hike/bike all the way from Enumclaw). Some private residences also offered space to park. Parking costs range from $5-15 or so. The fairgrounds have some camping parking facilities as well. Map. Schedule, and info from the Scottish Highland Games 2023, Enumclaw WA Performers played on several stages (pictured below are those I managed to catch). The Seattle Knights performed a humorous take-off of Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore Herding dogs performance Opening Ceremony was held at 12:30pm in the Main Grandstand and included a flag ceremony, National Anthems, parading of the pipes & drums, the clans and dogs. "Walk Through Time"--Viking exhibits & Royal enactors Highland Games  Clan Booths--just a few shown below, at less crowded times Vendors--cutlery, clothing, crafts, jewelry, lessons, massage, memorabilia . . . following are a few Indoor Hall of Vendors & Celtic Arts Showcase I had hoped to catch speakers/presentations on "Scottish Music: It's Not Just Bagpipes", or "Gaelic--Scotland's Other Language", but at the time I got to the place they had changed the program offered to "Scotland: An Archaeological Tour." That probably would have been interesting, but there was so much to try to see and do, I didn't stay for it. Another speaker was to present about historic women's clothing. If I had known there was a booth on tracing your Scottish roots, I would have come prepared with some surnames. Food--Scottish options as well as typical fair food: there were a great many tempting choices, below are some Facilities for the Festival The King County Fairgrounds at Enumclaw Other events . . . Enumclaw Pro RodeoBBQ, Brews & Brats (with live music and family friendly happenings) Eugene Scottish Festival--27 May 2023, Irving Grange 1011 Irvington Dr, Eugene, OR 97404
The Place & the Parking At first I accidentally mistook the residential care next door for the Grange. There was a wonderful handicapped spot to park there, but I was informed that they could not accept any of the event parking. I can see why! The 2 handicapped spots at the Grange were long taken by the time I could arrive a half hour late. An attendant told me some had come as early as 7am to be sure to get parking. The overflow parking was in a rough field nearby: totally inappropriate for a person in a wheelchair, and it was full, anyway. Like others, I started to wander the nearby neighborhoods to find a place to park, and none of that was going to work, until I happened upon Arrowhead Park. What a Godsend! I was afraid someone would park too close to me in the park's tiny 2-vehicle parking lot, but there was plenty of room to park along Arrowhead St, off of Irvington, and I could park on the curb and deploy my ramp very nicely. Outdoor Booths--lots of clan booths, of particular interest for culture, geography, family & other history Kid Activity Booth Outdoor Food Vendors Sheepdog Demonstration Team Sport Highland Games--I had printed a schedule, planned ahead how to see the most, but the schedule had changed when I got there, so I was wheeling best I could back and forth to try not to miss anything I hoped to see . . . I wasn't entirely successful. Description of events from Highland Games in Detroit: Outdoor Performers  On Stage Indoors Dance participation--taken at a walk for beginners Indoor vendors Food inside Irving Grange #377, 1011 Irvington Dr, Eugene, OR 97404, which has some beautiful paintings. Warm up with something Scotch at home. 30 Things Scotland is Famous For. 10 Cool Facts about Scotland 10 Great Scottish Writers Hamish MacBeth Mysteries by M.C. Beaton 25 movies set in Scotland Scottish Recipes Scots at Oregon Renaissance Faire, Canby OR The third weekend of the Oregon Renaissance Faire in 2023 was to focus on Scotland, but much of all 3 weekends had Scottish elements. More about the Oregon Renaissance Faire in Canby: Portland Highland Games, Gresham OR—Mt Hood Community College 3rd Sat in July July 14-15 2023, no athletics this year; music, dance, entertainment, fanfare (gym & main field) Held for over 60 years . . .  I didn't make it to these games in 2023 . . . maybe another year. Kelso Highlander Festival and Scottish Games--Tam O'Shanter Park, Kelso WA, 9-9-23 I was impressed by the venue as well as the festival in Kelso. I was anxious to get good photos of Scottish dancers, and the crowds were much more manageable, even while they had some great booths and activities. Tam O'Shanter Park--2115 Tam-O-Shanter Way, Kelso, WA 98626
Parade--kids along the route made a grab for candy thrown Highland Games: sheaf toss, weight for height, stone put, weight for distance, hammer throw; I knew I had some previous photos of the caber toss, so I turned my attention to other activities. Opening Ceremonies included posting of flags, piping bands, clans, as well as singing of national anthems, prayer... Clan Booths Various Booths Food Beltaine: "Celtic Fusion band from Portland OR . . . both instrumental and vocal . . . original and traditional . . . Celtic, folk, rock, and classical sources." I loved their music & humor, and obviously many others did as well. Audience participation encouraged. Fort Vancouver Pipe Band It was fun to watch the fancy drumwork, beside enjoying their concert. Tacoma Pipe Band performed as well, but I was tired and needed to go before they took the stage. The two bands combined for the Opening Ceremony, which see above. Dance Competition Playground Tam O'Shanter Park--2115 Tam-O-Shanter Way, Kelso, WA 9862 This family and community friendly park/venue has many baseball and other athletic fields, as well as picnic places. Facilities pictured below. More Scottish Festivals in the Pacific Northwest Oregon Scottish Festivals/Highland Games Portland Highland Games (Gresham) Albany Scottish Highland Games Eugene Scottish Festival Athena Caledonian Games McMinnville Scottish Festival Douglas County Highland Games (Roseburg) Washington Scottish Festivals/Highland Games Tacoma Highland Games Kelso Highlander Festival and Scottish Games Prosser Scottish Fest and Highland Games Bellingham Scottish Gathering Skagit Valley Highland Games & Celtic Festival (Mt Vernon) Seattle/Pacific Northwest Highland Games and Clan Gathering (Enumclaw) Spokane Scottish Highland Games Intrigued by this appealing food cart, we gave Winston’s British Fish and Chips a try. The cod was tender and delicious, the Brit "chips" were tasty, the tartar sauce very good--those were the highlights for me, the rest went along. More Books & media to go along with Scottish celebrations.
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Wheelchair WomanI've been in a wheelchair for 30+ years. It poses some challenges for traveling. Maybe others can benefit from my experiences. Archives
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