The 2nd Annual Penticton Scottish Festival, in true Scottish fashion, started early and kept on going strong through heat and wind on Saturday July 4 at Penticton’s King’s Park. While audiences sought the shade, the Highland Dancing competitors were on their toes under the hot sun. So too were the Stock Dogs, displaying their quick responses to commands. Tough men and women grunted and groaned their way through the Caber Toss, aiming 50 – 100 pounds of timber to flip over axis and lie at a “perfect 12 noon”. Other heavy events included the Hammer Throw, Weight over a Bar and the Stone Put, with one stone landing in the audience bleachers. No one was injured, and barely fazed, a reminder that Scots have tough skulls and brave hearts. Individual competitors in the pipe and drum lined up for their turn to perform in front of the judges, kilts and music flapping in the gusts of wind. The skirl of the pipes and brisk rat-a-tat of the drums roused lazy onlookers to the heart-swelling Massed Bands competition near the end of the day.

Article and photos by Penelope Johnson