LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (NCC News) — The sound of bagpipes filled Long Branch Park in Liverpool throughout the weekend.
The 79th Annual Central New York Scottish Games and Celtic Festival hosted traditional competitions in heavy athletics, highland dancing, and pipe and drums. Board member Colleen Nicholson said the location makes the event as authentic as it gets.
“When people come and they walk through our gates, we truly have turned Long Branch Park into Scotland for the day,” Nicholson said.
Food and merchandise vendors from all over the east coast sold their products at the park, including traditional Scottish menu items like meat pies, bridies, scotch eggs, and shortbread. Bands such as Blackwater and Syracuse Irish Sessions performed at the event.
Although the event celebrates the culture of the Highlands, another European nation benefitted this year. Proceeds from the games will go toward the Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief Fund and the Syracuse Ukraine Center.
The 2022 CNY Scottish Games promoted a tartan called “Ukraine Forever”, created by Scottish-based company, Great Scot. Nicholson wanted Ukrainian representation, saying Scots also know what it is like to be invaded by an aggressor.
“We could think of no better way to welcome them into our community, a home away from home,” Nicholson said.
Details about the 2022 games can be found at http://cnyscottishgames.org
