“Yesterday was like the Highland Games in Scotland. It made me feel right at home.”
That was the opinion of an elderly Scot on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games. It was offered with a smile.
Hugh Henderson, of Errol, said he had watched the forecast for Saturday and was ready for wet weather.
Actually, what the festival got was a torrential downpour that was the despair of organizers and volunteers who work hard every year to put on a great show.
Festival President Bill Rowe said late Saturday afternoon that for the first time since the games were moved to the Sportsplex 13 years ago, a Saturday had some events cancelled. Prior to that, rain had hit hard only once, and that had been on a Friday night half a dozen years ago.
Saturday’s downpours were the worst one oldtimer had seen in 18 years of attendance, and Rowe added it is the first time in years that organizers were forced to cancel the opening ceremonies.
Rowe was not happy, particularly since, he noted, the long range weather forecast had been “a slight chance of rain.”
Instead, late Saturday, it was raining so hard that cars were pulling over on the main street of Fergus and again between Fergus and Elora on County Road 18. At one point during the day, it even hailed.
Still, the Highland Games has been hit by bad weather before. At the Victoria Park venue, there was rain seven years running.
Rowe said it is frustrating but, “We had a pretty good crowd – considering. It was just not the show that we were hoping to put on.”
He said on Monday there are no figures yet for total attendance, but the Thursday night Johnny Reid show had good attendance, and so did the Friday night Tattoo.
Rowe noted that the tug-o’-war competition slated for Saturday had to be cancelled, and the piping and massed band competitions were moved to Sunday.
Still, he said, “People who came for the day to enjoy it are still here.”
Those people packed all the entertainment tents, and also the Fergus arena, which was quickly switched to accommodate hundreds of Highland dancers for their competitions.
Meanwhile, people made the best of the weather. Some started a mud slide on the grass that entertained viewers, and there was even some fun mud wrestling that took place.
The dancing continued warm and dry, and the Heavy Events had the professionals competing during good weather intervals so those were finished on Saturday, even though, as Steve Clark of Fergus noted, “We had to change shirts three or four times.”
The women’s, masters, and amateur Heavy Events were concluded on Sunday, which attracted a better than average crowd for that day.
There were struggles on Saturday during the Heavy Events, but the professionals did their part. A muddy field was treacherous, and one competitor fell during the caber toss, but came away uninjured.
Mud was a handicap for everyone. When the weight for height competition was well underway, the iron ball nearly had to be dug out because it went so far into the ground.
Gregor Edmonds, of Scotland, finished in first place. Larry Brock, of North Carolina, was second, and Sean Betts, of Oklahoma, and Harrison Bailey, of Pennsylvania, were tied for third place.
The top Canadian was Jason Johnson, of Regina.
The caber is long held as one of the premier attractions at the Highland Games, and this year that event was won by Steven King, of Scotland.
In the Masters event, Warren Trask, of Alma, emerged victorious once again. He won the over-40 competition last year as well. Kevin Fast, of Coburg, was in second place, and Wade Goldthorpe, of Bracebridge, finished third.
In the women’s competition, Josee Morneau, of Winnipeg was the winner, and Heidi Lowry, of Almonte, was second. Kellie Miller, of Colorado, finished third.
In the amateur event, Brian Austin, of California, was first. Josh Goldthorpe, son of Wade, finished in second place, and Dean Curtis, of Guelph, was third.
For Henderson, the visitor from Scotland, Sunday was perfect weather. He and his wife visit Canada every year to see their daughter in Sarnia, and the whole family was at the Scottish Festival. He said the rain Saturday was minimal to what he has seen, and two years ago in Perth, Scotland, the entire games was cancelled because it rained so hard.
“I’m glad [the organizers] are able to get the events done,” he said of Sunday afternoon. “In Scotland, we’re so used to this. We get four seasons in one day … They put on a good show here.”
Starr Lambley, of Guelph, said those who came to have a party Saturday certainly did so. “Everybody was volunteering – and making this our party last night,” she said, adding of the rain and wind, “This is European weather.”
The rain was something of a relief for St. John Ambulance personnel. Lee Roche said they had “some work” during the festival, but for the most part, their time was easily passed.
“A lot of people played pretty safe,” he said. “The rains slow things down to a nice pace. People slow down and relax a little more.”
