Highland Games mark 15 years at Greenbank Farm

Get your cabers ready to toss. A group of Scottish-minded people will get their large poles ready to hurl when they participate in the annual Highland Games, which takes place Aug. 10 at the Greenbank Farm.

Get your cabers ready to toss.

A group of Scottish-minded people will get their large poles ready to hurl when they participate in the annual Highland Games, which takes place Aug. 10 at the Greenbank Farm.

The Highland Games is a one-day festival celebrating all things Scottish. The day features athletic competitions, bagpiping, highland dancing and more.

Oak Harbor resident Fionna Strong, 15, has been dancing since she was 4 years old, attended the Oak Harbor Public Market and the Coupeville Public Market to demonstrate highland dancing and promote the upcoming games.

The games were started in 1998 and were organized by Maureen Lee and her family. She said they had just moved to the island and wanted to organize an event that would add to the culture of Whidbey Island. Lee, her husband Angus, and her children Cameron and Callum, are bagpipers. They also own the Tartan Thistle, which distributes bagpipes and supplies online.

She said her family’s interest in bagpiping goes back generations.

The festival will also have clan tents where people can learn about their Scottish ancestry. Those tents also feature clothing, literature, music and more.

Whidbey’s Highland games is the latest of a series of such events that take place throughout the region. Mount Vernon’s took place two weeks ago and other events were held in Portland and Enumclaw.

Cost for the Whidbey Island Highland Games is $10 per adult, $7 for seniors/military/students and free for children 4 and under.

Lee said organizers are looking for volunteers, especially with set up in the days leading up to the event and tear down Saturday. For more information, call 360-331-4688.