Another Glorious Sunny Day
for the Annual BC Highland Games
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
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THE HONOURABLE Iona Campagnolo, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia was on hand to officially open this year's B.C. Highland Games.
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COQUITLAM - Once again the Celtic sun gods were shining brightly when the annual B.C. Highland Games were held at the Coquitlam Town Centre Stadium on June 24.
Colleen and I arrived early for our volunteer job in the information tent at the Games. This gave me an opportunity to visit the merchant booths before it got too busy. One of the first tents I head to upon arrival is to Austin Gourmet to get my fix of delicious bacon on a bun and a coffee.
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MANNING THE INFORMATION BOOTH are Mike Paul of the Scottish Cultural Centre, Colleen Carpenter of The Celtic Connection and Darryl Carracher, manager at the Scottish Cultural Centre
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GREG BOWLES and Linda Hazelton of Black Pudding Imports holding up bottles of Irn-Bru
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Although the Games get underway at 9 AM, the opening ceremonies don't take place until 12 noon on the main stage. This year British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo was on hand to officially open the B.C. Highland Games. Each year, the 78th Fraser Highlanders fire their cannon with a loud bang and declare the Games open.
The Vancouver City Police Pipe Band was an impressive sight to behold as they proudly marched past the main stage in their traditional full Highland dress uniforms. They are the oldest pipe band in Canada.
Something new at the Highland Games this year was a mass Highland fling in front of the main stage. Shona Mooney also added a great deal of interest as she performed on the main stage.
There were lots of activities to keep the kids occupied, and as usual, there were a great variety of dogs who are always kept busy checking out all the other dogs and the crowd of people.
One very popular event which is always sold out is the whisky tasting event. This year, just to pique the interest even greater, there was a $1,000 bottle of whiskey for the tasting.
Two very hard-working people at the Games were Drew Arnott, who was in charge of advertising, and Aileen McLeod, who was in charge of the stage and general entertainment. They both deserve a lot of credit for ensuring everything ran smoothly.
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ROBERT DICK of Addictive Sportswear with one of his t-shirts at the B.C. Highland Games.
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MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS standing at the Moray, Nairn and Banff tent at the Games.
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TWO HARD WORKING people at the Games were Aileen McLeod and Drew Arnott .
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