Spreading the News
The trees are nearly bare, which reminds me that it was so when The Gathering 2009 set up office in Leith. A full 6 months later and summer has passed, and what was an idea is now a reality. Anyone who is reading this will tell from the website that much has been accomplished, and we are now well on our way to producing one of the major events of 2009.A lot has happened since I first promoted the idea. In fact the venture nearly stalled at birth, and if it had not been for Jenny’s connections, I am not sure that I would be writing this. Jenny, by the way, is the co-director of the gathering, and has the minor challenge of putting the whole show together. For my part, I just talk it up a storm and hopefully persuade you and many others to be there on the day.
One heartening aspect of promoting The Gathering 2009 in North America is their complete disregard for the possibility of bad weather. To them, Scotland and rain are synonymous. Having attended eight Games there, and only one here…guess where it rained heaviest? In fact the nightmare at their games is the heat. Temperatures at Arlington, Texas…. Pleasanton, California and Oakbrook, Chicago were in the high nineties, which in a kilt is close to meltdown.
Travelling may seem glamorous to many, but it has it limitations. Fortunately, most host hotels are very comfortable and don’t seem fazed by kilts, bagpipes and ceilidhs. Their big pluses are quality of service, crispy bacon and internet access, their downside is basketball on all TV monitors, polystyrene coffee cups and sealed window units. Above all, though, they are great value for money.
We chose Highland Games with a strong clan representation and over the course of the summer I visited over 500 clan tents. Their response to attending The Gathering 2009 has been fantastic and we now have 60 clans indicating that they will be there on the day.
I really enjoyed promoting The Gathering 2009 to such an enthusiastic audience. So to all of you…many thanks!
I also would like to extend special thanks to the organisers of the Games who gave me the opportunity to address their crowds from the podium, and who provided air conditioned hospitality to retreat from the onslaught of the heat. The biggest thank you, however, has to go to all the volunteers who give up so much of their time to staging the games. To think that there are over 500 Highland Games around the world and a minimum of 20 volunteers per game, that’s over 10,000 people……it says a lot for our heritage and their pride in maintaining it!
At the end of November, I am off to Australia and New Zealand, countries which I have never visited before. The one big plus for me is that they all love rugby, and for once Scotland is on equal terms…none of us got pass the quarter finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup!
