SCOT LOVERS MEET TO COMPETE IN SEASIDE HIGHLAND GAMES.Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer The best of Scottish tradition, old and new, was on full display Saturday in the Seaside Highland Games Highland Games Athletic games originating in the Scottish Highlands and now held there and in various parts of the world, usually under the auspices of a local Caledonian society. at Seaside Park. In addition to several traditional Scottish bagpipe bagpipe, musical instrument whose ancient origin was probably in Mesopotamia from which it was carried east and west by Celtic migrations. It was used in ancient Greece and Rome and has been long known in India. and drum bands, visitors could listen to Eric Rigler Eric Rigler is known throughout the music industry as "the most recorded bagpiper of all time". He has been playing all forms of bagpipes and Irish Whistles since he was a child, performing solo, with bagpipe bands and other musical groups. & Bad Haggis, a musical group that combined fiddle, bagpipe and electric guitar for a modern twist. And then there was Bren Mills, 31, of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , who accessorized his traditional kilt kilt Knee-length, skirtlike garment worn by men as part of the traditional national garb, or Highland dress, of Scotland. It is made of permanently pleated wool and wrapped around the wearer's waist so that the pleats are in the back and the flat ends overlap in front. with a mohawk and carried a silver business card case engraved en·grave tr.v. en·graved, en·grav·ing, en·graves 1. To carve, cut, or etch into a material: engraved the champion's name on the trophy. 2. with ``Hello Kitty'' in a sporran, a small satchel hanging in front of his kilt. Mills, a programmer/analyst for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography: see California, Univ. of. at the University of California, San Diego UCSD is consistently ranked among the top ten public universities for undergraduate education in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[3] It is a Public Ivy. [1] For graduate studies, most of UCSD's Ph.D. , said he came to the games ``First, not to forget my Celtic heritage, and then for all the cute Scottish girls.'' By noon Saturday, more than 1,500 people had entered the park to enjoy the festival, which continues today from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Many came to see and compete in the traditional games, including the caber toss, in which a contestant lifts a pole at least 18 feet long - and weighing as much as 100 pounds - and hurls it, end over end. There also was hammer-throwing, stone-throwing and the throwing of weights. Elizabeth Watson, 40, of Thousand Oaks and her sister, Heather Morris, 32, of Agoura Hills both had done Highland dancing when they were younger, and now their daughters - Erin, 9, and Megan Watson, 4, and Heather Morris, 10 - carry on the tradition in colorful kilts and coordinating vests. ``We have bagpipers List of Bagpipers Uilleann Pipes
People could buy all sorts of imports, from delicate tea sets to kilts and hand-knit sweaters, as well as see demonstrations of everything from spinning to the making of chain mail. Ted Thompson Ondrak, who with his wife, Janna Duncan Ondrak, owns and operates Drummond Ranch in Acton, brought some of their sheepdogs to show off their skills. ``More and more ranch people are starting to realize that what three or four people on horseback can do, one person and a good dog can accomplish,'' Thompson said. ``Every dog here wants to do it. We're the clutch - their motor's always running.'' There also were numerous opportunities to learn more about Scottish history from the many clans represented, each with its own booth. You don't have to be from Scotland to enjoy all things Scottish. Malcolm Rosenberger's father discovered bagpipes bagpipes Noun, pl a musical wind instrument in which sounds are produced in reed pipes by air from an inflated bag bagpipes npl → gaita sg bagpipes while fighting in Europe during World War II, and he liked them so much he founded the Cameron Highlanders Pipe Band of San Diego County with Rosenberger's grandfather, in 1946. It is the oldest continuous pipe band in California. ``He handed me the (bagpipe) practice chanter when I was 3 years old,'' recalled Rosenberger, 51, of San Diego, who said he eventually decided he liked drums better. His brother, Charlie, 54, however, took up the pipes. Lisa M. Sodders, (818) 713-3663 lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Ian Valasco takes a turn in a Scottish dancing contest Saturday at the 2003 Seaside Highland Games, which continues today at Seaside Park in Ventura. (2) Gary Herbold wears sunglasses tinted with the colors of the Scottish flag. (3) Jamie Hugue warms up for the hammer throw contest in the 2003 Seaside Highland Games in Ventura. Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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