Clan tent suggestions needed

[MizzouScotsman]

I have a little bit of experience and love to share.

Here are some photos of our tents (we do 3 10x10 tents put together).



If you want, give me a pm and I'll answer any question that you may have to the best of my ability.

[Ozark Ridge Rider]

Talk to your neighbor, the Clan Gregor rep in Missouri. He does a great job and will steer you the right way.

Dan

[Stan]

Great help from you all, and thanks. Dan thanks for the Missouri Clan Gregor rep. info, I'll look for this persons contact information some where, because I don't know who that Clan Gregor person is.

Stan L.

[bonniegraham]

Great suggestions here, and an interesting post to follow.
As a relative newbie to hosting a tent, I've thought a lot about my tent "philosophy." We see all different kinds of tents and I want to be sure that the Graham tent I host reflects what I look for when I attend games and celtic festivals.
I can add a few ideas here.
*Have fun! If YOU are having a great time your clan's tent will be a place people want to be.
*Be prepared. The old Boy Scout motto works here. Is your tent paraphernalia easy to pull together so you won't forget something? Do you have a list or spreadsheet? Do you wait 'til the last minute to pack?
*Variety of experience is important. Your tent should reflect some aspect of the different things that attract folks - sports, history, heritage, food, MUSIC.
*Music hasn't been mentioned at all. Let's bring music back to the tents! Your clan has songs that reflect your history and heritage. Sing them, or at least have the words handy so tent visitors can sing them together. One of my favorite memories of past games is Grahams singing Killiekrankie together. We could do it because I had the words printed out in a song book. Look at Haughs of Cromdale's lyrics. I bet your clan is there.
*Find a way to make your tent different. Your clan has unique heritage that should be highlighted. I make authentic, home-made Graham Crackers for the Graham tent and can relate the history of Sylvester Graham (1870's health nut) if you are interested. I created a few things only found at our tent such as a sign post with mileage to Edinburgh, Belfast (where my Ulster Scot Grahams are from), and Mugdock Castle (near Glasgow).
*Most Important - Connect. Wear a name tag and have extra name tags handy for any clan member who shows up who wants to help. Keep that guest register filled out so you have the email you need next week when the games are over. Send your tent visitors a copy of the photo you took of them. Find knowledgable clan members to help you at the tent so you can get away for a bit to visit vendors and other clan tents. I like what has been said previously about engaging visitors with something other than the big push to JOIN UP. Help them with their clan heritage...have a copy of "Tartan for Me" on hand. It links all known Septs to their Clan by last name.

I LOVE hosting our Graham tents in western NC. Hope to see lots of you next week at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games!

[Bluescelt]

All good suggestions in previous posts. Most people stopping by your tent want to learn and share so try to absorb as much history of your clan as you can. Visual presentation draws people in. I took a high resolution panoramic photo of Loch Tummel when in Scotland and printed it out on a 120"x36" banner which I hang in the tent. It gives those who haven't been there a good feel of what it's like and has been a good addition to the tent. It's always good to have photos of your chief if you have one. Another trademark of our branch of Clan Donnachaidh is we make a homemade batch of shortbread for every games. People have really responded to this.

[Ron Abbott]

I don't see the Scots on the forum rushing to advise what is displayed in their clan tent/s at the games held throughout Scotland......

This a very much a new world thing!
The last Games I visited....two years ago was when back home on holiday. The Lochearnhead Games.

The MacGregors, McLarens and MacNabs were there with the MacGregor's sons wearing their blazers and brigade of guards regimental ties. The range rovers were parked next to them, and the only tents I saw were either for the traders, the showground tinkers or for the clan chiefs having their fancy picnics.

[McMurdo]

Ron Abbott There are games going back quite a long way in Scotland, thats where the tradition comes from.
The Braemar Gathering:
http://www.braemargathering.org/
Harpenden:
http://www.harpenden-lions.co.uk/highland-gathering
Here is a list of other Highland gatherings in Scotland:
http://www.shga.co.uk/visitor-events.php

I have hosted a tent before, what we did was to have homemade shortbread for the visitors to our tent, it was a huge hit and brought many more people to our tent. Of course the woman selling shortbread was none to pleased with us as ours was better and it was free. Nonetheless it did help with traffic through our tent.

[Jock Scot]

I don't see the Scots on the forum rushing to advise what is displayed in their clan tent/s at the games held throughout Scotland......

This a very much a new world thing!
The last Games I visited....two years ago was when back home on holiday. The Lochearnhead Games.

The MacGregors, McLarens and MacNabs were there with the MacGregor's sons wearing their blazers and brigade of guards regimental ties. The range rovers were parked next to them, and the only tents I saw were either for the traders, the showground tinkers or for the clan chiefs having their fancy picnics.

Highland Games are of little interest for me, but Ron does paint a fair picture of a Games in Scotland, some may be a tad more grand, but assorted Clan tents are not a feature at any Games that I have ever been to.There may be a "Host Clan" tent though, where a Games is held in MacOnion territory for example, then they will have a tent. We have a Highland Games in Inverness in a few weeks time where some sort of "World Championship" is involved and as I intend to go this year, I shall be interested to see if a more "colonial" style of games happens.

[Nathan]

I have a little bit of experience and love to share.

Here are some photos of our tents (we do 3 10x10 tents put together).



If you want, give me a pm and I'll answer any question that you may have to the best of my ability.

Clan Donald Missouri has the best display I've seen! Way to go, Chuck! I'm still taking notes a year later and really like the clan crested lawn chairs. One thing we're missing compared to some other clan tents is merch to sell. Around here, a lot of clan societies make more revenue selling hats and t-shirts etc... than they do selling memberships.

Some shots of my clan tent:




The experience of a diaspora community is always going to be different. I have Canadian friends who live abroad and form Canadian clubs and look for excuses to get together and do Canadian things like watch hockey etc... When you live in the midst of a place where everyone is Canadian, it makes no sense to make a big deal about it, but when you're a minority away from the homeland, it's different.

I'd say that I've gotten far more into the Scottish community since leaving Cape Breton as a way to connect with others and combat a certain degree of homesickness. Back home, most people are Highlanders, so nobody gives it a second thought. Nobody wears a kilt to a ceilidh, feis or mod except for some pipers or Highland dancers, but if they travel to the Antigonish Highland Games, the kilts will come out.

Clan tents provide a home base for people who are curious about their genealogy, clan history and kinship. A MacDonald living in Scotland could just pop over to a museum or castle or the Armadale centre on Skye to get his fill of this information but many North Americans will have to settle for talking to the enthusiast at the clan tent. C'est la vie.

[Father Bill]

Jock, Nathan, you both hit the nail square on with your last posts. It explains both sides of the difference - in Scotland it's not a big deal, it's just what is. Here with a massive Scottish percentage of the population, it seems to a lot of folks to be something that's missing from their lives - a gap, so it's a need that has re-created (with unfortunately, some misperceptions included).