Community Corner

Get Your Scottish On At This Saturday's Celtic Festival

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Christ Espicopal Church on Washington Street

A tremendous is coming to Toms River Saturday, and it’s not your average set of pipes and drums. Instead it’s a full-fledged celebration of all things Scottish, whether you’re tossing cabers, hammers or stones. So dig out your tam and starch the pleats in your kilt because it’s going to be a celebration indeed. Here are five tips for navigating the Highlands as they set up at the on Washington Street.

1. Tickets bought today are less than tickets bought tomorrow. Save two bucks by stopping by Christ Episcopal Church to buy tickets before 4 p.m. It’s only $8 for general admission, $5 for seniors, and children under 12 are free. However at the gate the general ticket jumps to $10. Reach the ticket office at 732-349-5506.

2. Bring a chair. This is an all-day event, and you’ll want to kick back and watch the games, dancing and music from a comfy perch. The hosts, the Pipe and Drums of Barnegat Bay, suggest you kindly bring a chair and seat yourself among the large field surrounding the Christ Episcopal Church at 415 Washington Street.

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3. Know your tartan. Each plaid represents a different Scottish clan. Not only that, each clan has its own emblem and motto, such as Clan Fergusson’s “Dulcius Ex Asperis,” which means “Sweeter after difficulty.” Many of the vendors scheduled will be a great source of information on which clan is which, so make sure to pick up the one you most identify with.

4. A special treat for the day is the scheduled Highland games, or Scotland’s own brand of field events akin to the shot put from Olympic games. But instead of the Greek’s shot put and discus, the Scots threw hammers, stones, burlap sacks and tree trunks. The latter, known as the caber toss, doesn’t measure distance thrown but is more a skill of angle. If the athlete can get it high enough to make this giant caber go head over heels and land on its end before dropping directly away from the thrower, he’ll score higher than the poor guy who only got his caber to flip around 90 degrees with it pointing toward him.

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5. If you’re intimidated by foods from foreign lands, many of the treats at the festival might be familiar. Popular food vendors will be shilling out some amazing fish and chips, for example. Grab the malt vinegar though and not the cocktail sauce. Those hoping for more of a Scottish culinary experience can feast on mutton pies and haggis.

For more information, check out the event site:  http://www.tomsrivercelticfestival.com


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