Horses and their riders were dressed in rich colors and fabrics as they charged their competitors, lance in hand, for a cheering crowd.
The jousting demonstration was one of many events that took place at the 10th annual Scottish Gathering and Games on April 2. Hundreds arrived at Stramler Park to experience and share in the Celtic traditions. Musical highlights of the day included the widely known “The Wicked Tinkers,” and local bands “Banshee in the Kitchen” and “Whiskey Galore.” Scottish dancing took place, and the crowd even joined in during mini lessons.
Different athletic events took place the entire day. The Scottish Heavy Athletics tournament included putting the stone, hammer throwing, caber toss, and throwing the weights.
“The events are awesome,” said Cash McCallum, a Heavy Athletic competitor. “My favorite part is drinking Guinness afterward. That’s what we are all really here for anyway.”
Another form of entertainment was from 7-foot 3-inch George the Giant. George has been in movies like Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” and has appeared on television shows like “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” where he performed some of his many dangerous thrill skills. He snaps his tongue in a mousetrap, jumps with bare feet on top of broken glass, and sticks long, sharp nails into his nose.
“Every time I perform I do something that can get me really hurt,” he said.
He has stripped his throat, sliced his mouth, burnt and cut some of his inner organs while performing, but nothing has stopped him. He has been in the Guinness Book of World Records twice and still holds both of the records, however, one was taken out because it was too dangerous for anyone else to attempt. This record was for swallowing the longest sword, which was 33 inches long. The second record is for swallowing 50 swords at one time.
“I love what I do and I do what I love. My father once told me if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life, and I hate to work,” he said.
The crowd for George the Giant’s show was filled throughout the entire day. His mixture of dangerous stunts and humor kept them all coming back. George ended his show with humor when he said, “If you enjoyed the show, remember my name is George the Giant. If you didn’t, my name is David Blaine.”
Vendors selling everything from medieval costumes to the infamous haggis were at hand for the visitors. Visitors could even look up their family history at the Genealogy tent. People shopped all day to the tune of roving pipers circling the park.
“I haven’t even got past the vendors yet, and I’m already happy,” said first time Scottish Games attendee Jen Williams.
As the games ended, visitors were invited to stay for the dinner, entertainment and a Ceilidh, which included a lot of dancing and a lot of drinking.
According to Herald Yule, Kern County Scottish Society chieftain, this year’s festivities were better and larger than in the past. Although an exact number of attendees was not available, 5,000 tickets were sold to the event, compared to no more than 3,000 in the past.
“It was excellent. Absolutely the best ever,” said Yule. “The people that came kept the spirit up because they are interested in heritage. There is nothing else in this county like it.”