The Boulder County Fairgrounds became home to the Colorado Tartan Days festival over the weekend.
“The event has been going on for about 20 years and kicks off the festival season. It's a way to honor the things Celtic people have done, including the Scottish, Irish and Welsh. From discovering penicillin to inventing the TV, Celtic people have contributed immensely to our world,” said Corri Waggoner event organizer and president of the Colorado Tartan Day Council.
This is the festival’s eighth year at the fairgrounds. Previously, the event took place at Roosevelt Park and moved around to different localities before that.
The two-day festival features everything from jewelry and handmade tools to demonstrations of Renaissance-era fighting, blacksmithing and archery.
Doug Johnston set up a tent representing his heritage and the Clan Johnstone. “I grew up on a dairy farm in central New York,” he said, “and had a cousin who did our family genealogy. That’s where it started. Then, I ran into a Scottish festival doing volunteer work and started learning more about my heritage and what these festivals are all about, and I have been involved ever since.”
Johnston had set out a tray of traditional Scottish shortbread cookies, along with his family recipe.
Lynna LePage was dressed in traditional royal attire, representing Mary Queen of Scots. Members of her “court” were also dressed up, discussing the history of the Scottish royal family.
“We’re walking history,” LePage said. “I’m not a Disney princess, but I’m a living descendant of the Scottish royal family when they existed. If you want to know about history, this is where to come.”
LePage not only participates in Scottish festivals around the region, she also does charity events. “We want to educate and give back to the communities,” she said.
The event represented about 22 different clans. There was a parade of clans on Saturday to kick off festivities and to proudly show individual banners.
“This is something different than what they do in Scotland. The Scottish are proud of their ancestry and history, but they don’t do this several times a year like we do and they might only represent a half dozen clans. We’ve got more than twenty out here, and we do this four or five times each year,” said Michael Thomas from Clan Murray.
Waggoner did make some changes to this year’s event. Notably, the main stage that had long hosted well-known Celtic music groups was replaced with a smaller stage and local musicians.
“I think it brings uniqueness to the event,” Waggoner said.
Rocky Mountain Scotty Rescue was one of several nonprofits to set up a booth. The group hoped to educate people about the breed and brought several dogs to greet visitors.
“Really, it’s a weekend of all things Scottish,” Waggoner said. “I tell people that Scotland's greatest export is her people.”
