David Radley and Scottish Festivals

Fergus Scottish Festival: And it at the heart of the dozen or more Scottish festivals that take place every summer in Ontario, according to Toronto Star. Our motto is ‘it Scotland, without the airfare,’ says David Radley, president of the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, taking place Aug. 7 to 9, in the small town north of Guelph, about 100 kms west of Toronto. The Gaelic phrase means remember the people from whom you have come. This three-day blitz of all things Scottish is one of the largest and longest-running competitions of its kind in North America. Like other Highland games, from Kincardine to Durham, its biggest draws include pipe and drum bands that stir the soul and come from around the world to compete, highland dancers doing the fling or sword dance, and heavy events which include a Scottish version of the hammer throw and of course the caber toss, which sees big men competing to see who can toss a large tapered pole or caber the farthest. Founded in 1946, it sells about 20,000 tickets each year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.