Tartan Day 2007!

This year, Tartan Day, April 6th, also happen'd tae be Good Friday --- the day when Christians across the world solemnly mark the events leading to our Saviour's Crucifixion. Because Tartan Day 2007 takes place during the otherwise religious ceremonies of Holy Week, culminating with Easter Sunday, the organizers of New York City's largest Scottish-themed celebration, Tartan Week New York, chose to delay the party until the week following Easter, which would be April 9th through the 14th. Officially, the festivities per se kicked off on March 31st.

Accordingly, our Tartan Saturday Afternoon Parade had tae be set for April 14th, concluding Manhattan's Scottish ceremonies. Oddly enough, the day proved to be remarkably sunny --- so much so, in fact, that the entire event concluded well before the end time of 4 pm --- making this year's event one of those rare "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" moments that could only happen in New York City. So, for the benefit of those o' ye wha' actually blinked, be grateful yer auld Uncle Fergus is here, tae tell ye what ye missed!

As always, representatives from our major hosts, the American Scottish Foundation, the Caledonian Club of New York, and the St. Andrews Society of the State of New York, were among the participants; familiar Pipe Band friends also greeted us, principally Andy McDicken's Clan Gordon Highlanders of Locust Valley, with the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, starring Commander Bob Small; Jonathan Henken's Mount Kisco Scottish Pipers; big auld Ox Gara and the Manchester, Connecticut Fire and Police Pipe Band (I should mention, by the way, that our big auld Ox is a Member in Good Standin' of the Regimental Drum Majors' Association); those ad-hatin' Shamrock & Thistle Pipers from Ocean County, NJ; and the Atlantic Watch Pipers & Drummers. Also representing our town: the Staten Island Pipe Band; the Morris County, NJ Police Pipers; the Essex Shillelagh Pipers of West Orange, NJ; and the Middlesex County, NJ Police/Fire Pipers. Aye, but we had quite a ton o' 'em --- from the Pipes & Drums of Carnegie Mellon University to the Syracuse, NY Scottish Pipe Band; from Cumberland, Ontario's Sons of Scotland to the Cold Spring, NY Fire Department Pipers --- why, there weren't a failin' bagpipe in the whole bloomin' bunch, say I!

Among our visiting out-of-town full-fledged Pipe Bands: Maryland's own Pipe Band of the Brigade of Midshipmen; Bethlehem, PA's Mackay Pipers; Florida's Palm Beach Pipes and Drums, marking their 27th year; England's Royal Navy Piping Society; the Fairfield Gaelic Pipers from County Waterford, Ireland; Ian McNeill and the Ringwood Pipe Band; the Edinburgh Academy Cadet Force Pipe Band; the Brian Boru Pipe Band from King of Prussia, PA; Saskatchewan's City of Prince Albert Pipes & Drums ... and --- returning for a second straight year aboard the big double-decker bus that served as the Parade's jury-rigg'd 'reviewin' stand' --- hot Scottish band Scocha! Another Scottish-based rock band, Glasgow and Finlaggan's own Albannach, also hopped on the big bus.

Among the out-of-towners with significant Pipe Band connections were the Marion County Sheriff's Department Pipe Band, from Ocala, Florida; the Maine St. Andrew's Pipe Band; California's Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Pipe Band; the Anah Temple Shrine Highlanders (also from Maine); and even our old friends from the Jaffray Pipes and Drums of Pakistan, Captain Jaffar Hussain, Founder and Pipe Major!

There were Scottish Terriers in abundance, too. Our pooch representatives featured: the Greater New York West Highland White Terrier Club; the New York Westie Play Group; the Northern NJ West Highland White Terrier Club; and the Greater New York Scottish Terrier Club --- all under the watchful control of Scottish cinema star Velvet MacGregor!

There were still others in our line o' march: representatives from New York's University of St. Andrew's Alumni Club; the Clan Ross Association of the U.S.; the Clan Grant Society of the U.S.; the Dutchess County, NY Scottish Society; America's Clan Macpherson Association; the Clan MacCallum/Malcolm Society; Clan MacLeod Northeast; Chief Robbie Currie and Clan Currie USA; the American Clan Macneil Association; Clan MacFarlane; the Royal Swinton Society; and the New York Celtic Dancers --- in all, we had 1865 participants joinin' us for a rather sunny Saturday afternoon!

Leadin' the way for us were members of St. Andrew's Royal Scottish Honour Guard of Detroit, escortin' this year's Parade Grand Marshal, George Reid, Presiding Officer for the Scottish Parliament, and one of the many Scotsfolk who were right there on that fateful July 1st, 1999, when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II declared the Scottish Parliament open. Mr. Reid, formerly a top correspondent for BBC News, among others, has served as a Constiuency Member of the Scottish Parliament since 2003, representing the Region of Ochil. Serving as Parade Announcer and Master of Ceremonies was Bill Reid (nae relation, mind ye!) Founder and Owner of East of the Hebrides Entertainments.

Next year, our Tartan Saturday Afternoon Parade marks its 10th Anniversary. That first year, there was one Pipe Band, the Gordons of Locust Valley, only about 100 or so participants; and our first Grand Marshal was actor-filmmaker Cliff Robertson. Frankly, we hope Cliff'll return to join us to mark our Parade's first decade of service to Scottish fans all across the Tri-State Metro Area. The Bagpipers' Paradise has happily supported this Parade for every one of its 10 years --- count on us tae be in on the next 10, say I! Slainte!

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