The Sweet Home Highland Games and Clan Gathering, featuring more new events and clans, will bring a little Celtic fever to Sweet Home next weekend.
The third annual games will be held on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 at the Outdoor Events Center on Long Street.
It will feature a variety of entertainment, demonstrations, vendors, clan information and more.
Among highlights, Irish folk singer Red McWilliams will return, and he is bringing many friends to the Saturday night ceili, a Celtic party, to celebrate with him.
While attending the games as a performer last year, McWilliams met a woman from Clan Donachaidh.
The woman, a kilt repairer, had come to Sweet Home from Tacoma last year to replace a torn kilt, event chairman Bob Teter said. They started dating and talked on the phone constantly.
He flew up from his home in Texas to see her several times, Teter said. He proposed to her, and they were married in March. McWilliams moved to Tacoma.
“He’s coming pretty much as a gift to the festival,” Teter said. “He loved doing it for a number of reasons.”
First, he’s Irish and so is the event founder Greg Downs, Teter said. Second, for a small festival, Sweet Home was top-notch, and it’s where he met his wife.
McWilliams and 200 or so friends are planning something special at the ceili to celebrate the anniversary of the couple’s meeting, Teter said, but he’s not sure what it is.
Among entertainers will be the Tacoma Scotts Pipe Band, harpist Janet Naylor of Eugene, the Highland Dance Group of Portland and the Irish Step Dance group. Folk singers are trading performances for booth space.
A kendo teacher will demonstrate authentic swordfighting techniques, Teter said. He explains that the sword fighting in the movies is not how people really fought.
The games have 21 clans planning to attend, Teter said. That’s up from 14 clans last year.
Vendors will bring a variety of commercial products, from small flags and clothing to a history of names. They will also provide a variety of food, including traditional Celtic foods.
The festival is adding a highland wrestling exhibition, Teter said. This is like Sumo wrestling. Opponents lock their hands around each other and attempt to take each other down. Whoever ends up on top wins.
Teter is working on bringing an archery exhibition this year.
A Kirkin of the Tartan will be held on Sunday morning. The non-denominational church service will include Gaelic hymns.
The children’s games are planned again this year.
Teter is estimating the attendance of 40 athletes this year, including women’s divisions. Divisions include novice for first-time competitors. More experienced athletes can compete in the amateur and open divisions.
The cost and risk for putting the festival on is being split between Downs and the Oregon Scottish Society.
When Downs of the Sweet Home Gym founded the event, Teter said, he mainly wanted to start athletic events and make sure they keep going.
Last year, he realized how big the event was getting and approached the Oregon Scottish Society in November to find out if the organization would take it over.
Teter had joined the Society and become involved in the games. He was elected to the Society’s Board of Trustees then appointed chairman of the festival.
The Society does not want to lose money on the event, Teter said. Last spring, its Oregon Heritage Festival made money for the first time, and the Society wants to continue without losing money.
It agreed to take on part of the festival’s cost, see how it goes this year then re-evaluate it in September, Teter said. This year, organizers are anticipating an attendance of about 2,000, up from about 1,700 last year.
The festival is selling buttons prior to the games. The buttons cost $1 each and come in five styles, including the art work of contest winners Jaeric Cvitanich at the pre-school level and Robert Rubidoux at the grade-school level. The buttons will help publicize the event. They are available at The New Era, Sweet Home Gym and the Chamber of Commerce.
The festival also is sponsoring a window-decorating contest among businesses to advertise the games. Three persons from the Oregon Scottish Society will judge window decorations the Thursday before the event. The winning business receives a $75 cash prize, two tickets to the games and a certificate. KGAL is giving away six tickets.
“I’m really excited about it,” Teter said. “We’ve got more entertainment, more variety, and we spent half as much.”
Missing from the lineup this year are the popular Wicked Tinkers. Teter expects they’ll be back in a future event.
For more information about the event, to volunteer, to purchase buttons or to find out about competing, persons may call Teter at 367-4591.