Let the games begin! That was the call of the Kern County Scottish Society on a sunny day at Stramler Park.
There was plenty of food, games and drink for attendees.
Curtis Neil, director of the board of the Kern County Scottish Society and the one in charge of the Scottish Games, said that it cost about $58,000 to put on this year’s event.
Neil, who has been on the board for about 13 years, said, “The games are a combination of Scottish and Irish folklore and history.”
According to Neil, some of the profit from the games is used to sponsor scholarships throughout the county. Information on scholarships can be found by contacting the Kern County Scottish Society at 393-6765.
Kelly and Ron Palmer have been members of the Kern Scottish Society for the past 10 years. They came to the games in complete Scottish attire.
Ron, who was born in Scotland, said that the “planning for the next year’s games is an all-year thing, and the planning begins the day after the games are over.”
The Palmers said that there are Scottish societies all over the world, including Hong Kong and South Africa.
Kelly stated that she makes the costumes that she and Ron were wearing, and that she takes her time to make sure that they are authentic.
The sale of souvenirs was big business with swords, pouches, and knives being the big sellers during day and night.
Attendees could even look up family history by surnames to see if they had an ancient coat of arms. Clan booths provided information about clans from Scotland and Ireland.
Debbie Whalay, better known as Spirit, and her friend Jimmy Walker camped out overnight for the Scottish Games and helped out as volunteers.
Walker said he enjoyed getting to meet new people, and the games were a lot of fun. Whalay said she like talking to the people, and she liked working at the main gate and at the food tents. It was Whalay’s first time at the games.
Althea Williams, who was attending the games for the first time, said she enjoyed the games, food, and having good laughs with her friends. Williams said she would come again.