Schedule of Events

Friday, July 30, 2010

SATURDAY, July 31, 2010

Tartan Ball

The Tartan Ball will be held on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at the Maxville and District Sports Complex. A  social hour will begin at 6:00pm, dinner will be served at 7:00pm followed by a dance at 9:00pm.

Tickets: $50.00. Call 1-888-527-1850. For more ticket information please use our feedback form.

Scottish Fiddling 

Celebrating the Year of the Fiddle

Kimberley Fraser

Cape Breton fiddler  Kimberley Fraser,  first began to impress audiences at the age of three with her step-dancing talents. Soon after that she took up both the fiddle and the piano.

Though still in her early 20s, Kimberley’s career is already a distinguished one. She has traveled the world, from Victoria to Afghanistan, bringing Cape Breton music with her wherever she goes. She has played with Cape Breton’s finest, including Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Gordie Sampson and the late John Allan Cameron. Internationally, Kimberley has shared the stage with such notables as Alasdair Fraser, Lunasa and Martin Hayes. Kimberley is also in demand for her piano skills, accompanying various Cape Breton fiddlers at home and abroad.

A graduate of St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Kimberley has an honours degree in Celtic Studies and a minor in Jazz music. Education is important to her, reflected in her dedication to teaching Cape Breton music both at home and abroad. She has been a long time instructor at the renowned Gaelic College in Cape Breton as well as the Ceilidh Trail Music School in Inverness, Cape Breton where she has worked along side such notables as Buddy MacMaster, Brenda Stubbert, and Jerry Holland. She has conducted workshops in the US and Scotland and She joins a long list of distinguished musicians who have studied contemporary and folk music at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

For more information, visit her website at kimberley@kimberleyfraser.com

www.kimberleyfraser.com

MacLeod Fiddlers

This talented group of young Glengarry musicians has been playing together for the past several years and has evolved from the MacLeod School of Fiddling, under the direction of Ian R. MacLeod.

This group has played for many functions near and far.  Aside from entertaining locally for charities, fundraisers, at nursing homes and dances, they have also performed at The New Hampshire Highland Games, The Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival in Philadelphia and The Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling and wowed crowds with their high energy shows.

In December of 2005, the MacLeod Fiddlers launched their debut CD entitled "CEILIDH TIME". Now in July 2010, they have released their second album “GLENGARRY ROOTS”. Like the first, this recording exemplifies the unique style of fiddling that can be found in Glengarry. The tunes are all played with youthful energy and enthusiasm  guaranteed to lift your spirits.

This very capable group can be seen on Friday afternoon in the Arena (Fiddlers) Hall between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm as part of the ‘Youth Fiddlers Showcase’ and again on Saturday between 2pm and 5pm at the “Fiddlers Ceilidh” in the Arena (Fiddlers) Hall.

Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society

The Glengarry Highland Games welcomes 11 musicians and a dancer from The Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society from the County of Moray in Scotland; the Society is dedicated to the playing and promotion of Scots Fiddle Music.

Originally formed in 1936, the group took a break during the war years, but  reformed under the leadership of Willie MacPherson, an eminent local fiddler and composer. The Society has recorded a CD featuring many of his compositions and his son Fraser is an enthusiastic Honorary President of the Society.  The current musical director is  Bill Brian, who arranges much of their 500 sets of music.

Music played by the ESRS is predominantly Scots with added variety from Irish and Scandinavian sources.   The Society’s annual rally is held each year in September and features guest musicians from across Scotland.  This is a rousing night, popular with players for the frequently challenging programme of music and with the local audience for its energy and spectacle.

In April the Society organizes and hosts a music festival. This features a series of competitions for various age groups. There is a wealth of young fiddling talent in Moray and the tutors use the opportunity for developing the performing talents of the youngsters

Throughout the year groups of players attend Rallies in other parts of the Scotland and play at local venues for various social gatherings, sporting and other musical events. During the summer months the Society plays for Ceilidhs in tourist locations.

The Society has made a number of foreign trips over the last 12 years, to Northern Ireland and to Denmark where they have played concerts, participated in music festivals, and developed many friendships as a result.

Representatives of The Elgin Strathspey & Reel Society  will be performing on Friday afternoon in the Metcalf Center, Friday evening at the Tattoo and on Saturday they will be taking part in the Fiddle Ceilidh in the Fiddlers’ Hall in the Arena.

For more information on the group, visit their website.

The Cape Breton Fiddlers’ Association

In February, 1972, a CBC documentary entitled The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler was produced by Ron MacInnis. put for the premise that the traditional Cape Breton violin music was in a state of decline, and that it would soon disappear entirely! Reaction to this documentary was swift and disbelieving.

Led by Father John Angus Rankin and motivated by a letter sent out by Frank MacInnis, a group composed of interested and determined Cape Bretoners met to discuss the possibility of forming some kind of a fiddlers' festival. This dedicated group of people decided to proceed with the concept; thus, the very seed of the Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association began. In July 1973Because of the efforts of this determined group, the first Festival of Cape Breton Fiddling was held in Glendale in July 1973. Over one hundred and thirty proud Cape Breton fiddlers arrived in Glendale that weekend and gave one of the greatest concerts ever witnessed in Cape Breton; several thousand people attended.

The  Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association was born and its work continues today. The Association's main mandate has been to preserve and promote traditional Cape Breton fiddle music. Since its inception, it has provided workshops and opportunities for its members to learn new tunes and techniques, it has published tunes written by its members, and it has provided venues for musicians to perform for thousands of people. Its membership has increased to include both local, national, and international members.

Cape Breton fiddle music is alive and flourishing both on the Island and throughout the world; and the Cape Breton Fiddlers' Association is proud to have played a significant role in this resurgence.

Fiddlers form Glengarry and Cape Breton have joined together over the years and we are glad to have them again this year.   They will join with the Glengarry Massed Fiddlers in the pre-concert and will  be performing on Friday afternoon in the Metcalf Center and on Saturday they will be taking part in the Fiddle Ceilidh in the Fiddlers’ Hall in the Arena.

Visit their site capebretonfiddlers.com.

The Glengarry Strathspey & Reel Society

Although the fiddle was still being played in Glengarry in the mid seventies, the music was not the Celtic style of the past.  In September, 1977, The GS&RS was formed by Allan MacPhail to revive the music of his ancestors - the Celtic/ Glengarry music.  Allan asked some musicians known to him and of course, related to him, to come together as a group to be prepared to play when asked.  These founding members were Cliff Britton, Catherine Olive De Freitas, Lorne Lawson, Alana MacPhail, Duncan (the Farmer) McDonald, Hugh Allan MacMillan, Allan MacPhail, Donald Joseph MacPhee, Lucien Ranger and Rev. Bruce Ross.  This project would require regular practising and choosing music that would be true to the music of their Glengarry ancestors.   The group was an immediate success and played throughout our area, in the states, and in Cape Breton where the tartan jackets are still remembered and the fiddlers’ talents respected.  Their first record, “The Violins of the Glengarry Strathspey & Reel Society” sold out quickly as did their second, a tape, “A Glengarry Gathering.”                 

In 2008, in celebration of their 30 th anniversary, they released a CD entitled Tapadh Leat.  The intent of the CD was not only the celebration of their anniversary and a thank you to their supporters, but also, to celebrate the continuance of the tradition of fiddle music as played in the Glengarry style.  Although they do not perform as much as in past years, they still get together for the their annual Fiddle Workshop, the Glengarry Highland Games, and the Kirking of the Tartan.   Some members will play with the massed fiddlers and the group  will open the fiddlefest in the Fiddlers’ Hall in the arena on Saturday afternoon.

Clans

Space is still available for clans that wish to attend this event. An application is available for download or can be completed online. Letters will be mailed to interested clans along with an application and a copy of the entertainment brochure. Prior to the Games, 2 admission tickets and a parking sticker will be mailed to clans who completed an application.

A clan parade will be held in front of the Grandstand, led by a pipe band at 12:00 noon on Saturday, July 31, 2010.  It is requested that clans participating in the parade dress in their tartan

For more information please use our feedback form.

Meals

Dining room service is available on both days in the rink area of the Sports Complex. (Information subject to change).

Friday, July 30, 2010 - 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Hot buffet - Menu includes lasagna (vegetarian or meat), caesar salad, rolls, dessert, beverage.
Location: Sports Complex
Cost: $12.00 per adult, $6.00 per child 10 years and under

Saturday, July 31, 2010 - 11:00am to 6:00pm

Cold buffet - Build your own sub.  Menu includes sub buns, cold meats, salad and all the trimmings, dessert, beverage.
Location: Sports Complex
Cost: $12.00 per adult, $6.00 per child 10 years and under

For more information about the meal service, please use our feedback form.

Junior Heavyweight Events

Events include:

• Sheaf Toss
• Hammer Throw
• Caber Toss
• Discus Throw
• Shotput
• Tug of War

Age Groups: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010

Location: Behind the Sports Hall of Fame Building

Registration: 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Competition: 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Demonstration in front of Grandstands: 11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Highland attire is encouraged and parental supervision is requested.