Chicago Celtic Fest reviewed

[auld argonian]

So...we got over to Grant park today...rather early today...and got to Celtic Fest.

First off: a kilt "census". Granted that there were five full pipe bands there and they, of course, were kilted...guys, I have to say that I am truly disappointed...besides me and daughter I must have seen only four guys in tartan kilts and three guys in Utilikilts...this is not counting heavy games participants...also one delightfully tall and slim young lady in a kilt and jacket...but out of that number of people, it was rather discouraging. One young teen aged guy had on a Black Watch kilt but no sporran...he asked where we got our sporrans and I told him "the internet" and then proceeded to tell him about some of the internet vendors but I realized that he thought that we had purchased them from one of the vendors who were at the fest and that he wanted to get one right there, right now...oh, well.

Which brings up another point...there were no kilt vendors at the fest at all. KCW was there with me last year and we both remember 21st century Kilts and their kilt business suits...but this year: nada. Guess that in spite of the large atttendance, it must not be worth it for a kilt vendor to set up there.

Sunday's heavy games was interesting...one participant with a prosthetic arm, one guy in a wheelchair and...I hope that Red Lioness is reading this because it might get her interested in trying it...one twenty-ish young woman. I had to go back and check out a band but the guy in the wheelchair was in the running in the hay bail toss when I left. When I got back they were on the caber toss and I hate to say it but the young lady was having a tough time. Shows a good spirit, though, that these games were so inclusive.

I'll get some pics up when I get a chance to download the camera...but I am still pretty disappointed at the lack of kilts among the attendees...the kilt may be gaining ground elsewhere but it looks as if it's definitely losing groound here in Chicago.

Best

AA

[Red Lioness]

That's so odd; I was at the Indy Irish Fest today, which is what, 3 hours southeast of Chicago and there were plenty of kilt vendors to go around! In fact, Military Park is extremely small, maybe two acres at best, and in addition to five or six traditional tartan kilt vendors, there were two more flogging Utilikilts. There were also plenty of women's long tartan skirts and kilt-related T-shirts.

The best one? 'We kilt the last guy who called it a skirt!'

There was also a fairly good number of festival-goers who were kilted, more men than women and even a few youngesters. I only saw one person wearing a homemade quasi-kilt and only one lady wearing hers backwards. ( I did tell her it was on backwards. She tried to turn it around, but when she couldn't she just shrugged it off. )

There were even a few little lads who had obviously liberated a few of thier dad's spare kilts for the event. I truly wish my camera had been working when I saw a seven year old boy with a kilt reaching his ankles and his father's tam drooping down around his nose. So cute!

I know! All the kilties came to Indy this weekend! Must be Gaelic Storm fans.

Hey, I'd be up for trying heavy games! I don't know how good I'd be at the caber toss; I'm secure enough in my womanhood to admit that men really do have greater upper body strength. But I'd be up for everything else!

[Blu (Ontario)]

... the kilt may be gaining ground elsewhere but it looks as if it's definitely losing groound here in Chicago...

I don't see kilts "gaining ground" in my area either... And I don't much care.

IMHO the most important kilt at Grant Park was was yours. You had a fun day and that's all that really matters.

You have to just wear your kilt to suit you and forget the rest!

[binx]

Wow, that many UKs? They may also have been at the Oklahoma Scottish Festival in Tulsa. Quite a drive, though. The Wicked Tinkers were there. There's always plenty of kilts and vendor booths at the St. Louis Scottish Games coming up next month. Been going there the past three years, but have only seen one UK so far. They have a big turnout for the Calling of the Scottish Clans on Friday night.

binx

[Wompet]

slight hijack:

Hey, I'd be up for trying heavy games! I don't know how good I'd be at the caber toss; I'm secure enough in my womanhood to admit that men really do have greater upper body strength. But I'd be up for everything else!

A pic of the women's events at Fergus. Like I said there, those women were doing a better job than the most of the guys you see at the games. And they didn't have bulky builds, nor were they big/tall without bulk - they were about 5'6"-5'7" (the tallest might have been 5'9").
Or as my farm-raised 5'0", 100 lb mother said after hearing about the sheaf toss - "Pitch a 16 lb bale of hay into a 20 foot loft with a fork? I could have done that when I was 16!"