But then Denisa saw that they were still needing volunteers to help with the festival. They had an awesome website that shows volunteer positions still open, and the hours each would be needed to work. A few clicks on the computer, and she had two volunteer positions secured. It even felt kinda good to be needed once again! The bad news is we had to set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. in order to make the drive and check in for our jobs that started at 8:00 a.m. Denisa is modeling our stylish volunteer t-shirts, embellished with the very Scottish "McStaff" on the back.
Mark was signed up to help with "Heavy Athletics." That would include several different Highlands games, including the "weight throw"--a 56-pound weight attached to a chain and held in one hand. The athlete can spin twice before they release the weight to fly as far as possible. Denisa is thinking that the other guys in the picture below should be running for cover instead of standing around.
The hammer throwers aren't allowed to spin. So they have long blades fastened to their boots to help anchor their feet to the ground.
Mark also helped with the stone put. This highland game uses a 22 pound stone instead of the metal ball used in track and field's shot put event. This is one of the "masters" competitors, which is another way to say "the old guys."
So this would be a masterful stone put throw. Denisa still has to giggle at watching all these big guys wearing kilts. Some other day she might have called them skirts, but she is more aware of Scottish culture today.
While Mark is down on the football field in full sun lifting heavy things and running, Denisa is fulfilling her volunteer hours in a less sweaty environment. She is a steward at the bagpipe competition.
Her job involves keeping her assigned judge busy, with a constant flow of pipers ready to perform. Each piper will perform a song on the stage, while the judge listens and makes constructive comments and then ranks the class.
There are different levels of expertise and different age groups. This young man was in our youngest group. Notice in the picture below that each contestant has a number pinned to the bottom of each kilt at knee level. It was Denisa's job to find the correct numbered contestants and have them ready to perform at the right place. She thinks she might have a reputation as a creeper, since she has been spotted checking out all the guys' knees searching for their contestant numbers.
Many of the individuals that were competing are actually here because they are a member of the bands in competition. While they are making the trip for the afternoon band festivities, they figure they might as well do some solo work in the morning. The band competition starts as the group marches into the judging area.
Then they will form a circle to play a song, while the judges walk around them to listen. There is not a conductor in this group. But there is a leader, who is the only one allowed to tap his foot to keep the other pipers together.
Our volunteer shifts were around four hours long, so we missed the opening ceremonies and the morning competitions in other areas. But Mark finished in time to see the military appreciation ceremony. It started with sky-divers landing at the center of the field with the flags of the United States and Scotland.
The bagpipe band was led by drum majors with some seriously huge hats. This band is made up of members from many different bag-piping groups. Each group has a unique color and design of plaid kilt. So in the front row alone, we see pipers from four different cities that come together to make one unified band to honor the military.
Military veterans were asked to encircle the field to be honored at this ceremony.
At the same time the U.S. military did an aerial fly-over . . .
that also included a tribute to fallen soldiers when they completed the "missing man flyby."
This main field is encircled by tents erected by many different Scottish clans. We weren't familiar with the clan system, but family ties are obviously important to the many immigrants from Scotland that found a new home in the hills of the Carolinas. We thought it was interesting that some clans seemed to be recruiting, as we read the sign at this tent that said, "YOU may be a member of Clan Grant." There were appropriate genealogy computers available, but we didn't have time to find our Scottish roots today.
We were too busy with trying to check out all the afternoon events scheduled at the festival. After eating our complimentary hotdog lunch provided to all the volunteers, we went to see the border collie demonstrations. Using long and short tweets from a whistle, the handler could control his two dogs to move the herd of sheep wherever he wanted.
He also used voice commands to control the dog's movements when herding these ducks around different obstacles.
Occasionally the dogs would get too zealous and too close to the ducks, but they would drop down into a lying position at their master's command when that happened.
While we watched, the collie successfully herded the ducks through the tube and then over the bridge. The handler has won many contests with the dogs, and he answered questions from the crowd about the training process. Interestingly enough, he never gives the dogs treats to reward them for a successful herding task. These dogs love what they do, and working is the only reward needed.
On the same field we could also watch sheep shearing. This is the "before" picture of a very woolly mother sheep sporting her winter coat. She laid very still while the shearer began working his magic.
She was probably being so docile because she appreciated him removing all that wool on this warm day. In about a minute, the wool laid in a pile, while the ewe modeled her new summer cut.
Another festival activity includes shopping. Mark is checking out the styles and prices at one of the many kilt vendors. He has been hanging around with men in kilts all morning, and this could be a good option for cool summer wear. Too bad they are made of winter wool.
We don't have room in the motor home closet for kilts, so our only purchase of the day was a very full bag of kettle korn.
There were other shoppers checking out the authentic Scottish garments. But this guy seemed to have already made his purchases earlier. All the competitors in athletics and bag-piping wore kilts, and a good number of other festival-goers used it as a good opporunity to get that kilt out of the back of the closet.
We also spent a good bit of time watching the lighter athletics that were taking place on the main field. We were mesmerized by the caber toss. The first order of business is actually picking up that 20 foot pole from the ground while keeping it balanced on the shoulder.
It weighs over one hundred pounds, and seems to be a little top heavy. There are usually a few steps taken to build up momentum . . .
before it is heaved into the air. Hopefully it flies high enough to go end-over-end and land straight in front of the competitor. The judge is the man in the hat walking behind, and he will determine how straight the toss was. A twelve o'clock toss is perfectly straight, while an 11:45 toss is a bit askew.
There are different weights and lengths of cabers for different classes and ages and sex of the competitors involved.
When there was a tie between the two best caber tossers in the heavy weight division, they brought out a special rough cedar pole for the tie breaker. This is the first and second place caber tossers leaving the field with their trophy.
Next door was the sheaf toss, where the object of the game is to clear that bar high above the crowd.
The competitors provide their own pitch fork, which looks like a great tool for doing pre-toss stretching exercises.
The fork is plunged into a 20-pound bundle of straw that has been wrapped in burlap.
Then the sheaf is tossed vertically (hopefully) over the bar. It's a form of Scottish pole vaulting where the individual sends a proxy sheaf over the pole instead of going over it himself.
We visited the musician tents often to get out of the sun, and to enjoy the Scottish music. This group was obviously very popular, as the tent was crowded with fans--including a mosh pit of people dancing with cameras in the air. You will recognize that they have a bag pipe in the band. But you might not recognize the didgeridoo that the guy on the right end is playing. The five-foot long tube echoes a low rumble tone that drove the mosh pit crazy.
The Cleghorn band was also popular. You have to love a band with a lead singer and fiddler wearing a kilt.
We have to say that it was a great day at the Greenville Scottish Festival! We thoroughly enjoyed our time wandering throughout the exhibits in the afternoon. But we equally loved getting to volunteer and see some of the contests up close. The fact that we got free admission, free parking, free lunches, and free t-shirts was just an added bonus!
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