Let's pack the kilt and head to New York City! The 10th Annual New York City Tartan Day Parade will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008. The Tartan Day and a big parade celebrate Scottish history, culture and the many great contributions Scots and Scottish Americans have made - and continue make - to the US and the world.
This year's parade promises to be the largest and best to date! In 2007, there were more than 1800 proud participants in the parade, including:
- Pipe Bands
- Individual Pipers
- Individual drummers and Drum Majors
- Scottish Clans and Societies
- Scottish Terriers
- West Highland Terriers
Marchers in this year's parade will travel to New York City from all over the United States, Canada, Ireland, and Scotland. From even further away, two pipers from Switzerland will be in the parade as will the Patiala Pipe Band from Pakistan. (You can see a picture of this Pakistani Pipe Band at http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo519980.htm.)
The Grand Marshall of the Tartan Day Parade will be Lawrence Tynes, kicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is the first Scottish-born player in the NFL.
Tynes will swap the Giants uniform for his kilt as he kicks off the Parade, leading more than 2,000 bagpipers, clans and Scottish enthusiasts up Sixth Avenue through Rockefeller Center on April 5, 2008.
Tynes, born in Greenock, Scotland, moved to the United States with his family as a ten-year old in 1989. His soccer kicking skills were discovered and leveraged to football as he went on to play for Troy State University. Today, Tynes is the starting kicker for the NFC Champion New York Giants.
A concert of traditional and contemporary Scottish music will be held at the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square, MacTalla Mór, the Red Hot Chili Pipers and the Pentland Caledonia Pipes and Drums.
The Annual Tartan Day Post Parade Party will be sponsored by the Belhaven Brewery and the Brooklyn Brewery. Music will be supplied by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and the Tartan Specials.
You can read more about New York City's Tartan Day Festivities at http://www.tartanweek.com.
Well I won't be travelling to New York on Saturday, but will wear my kilt to the Western Michigan Genealogical Society monthly meeting on Saturday.
Cheers
Roger
Posted by: theKiwi | March 30, 2008 at 02:57 PM
In Los Angeles, we will celebrate on Friday, April 4 at California State University - Northridge at 11 am with sheep dog demonstrations, athletes tossing the caber and stone, and the Granada Hills High School Band with pipes and all in kilts on the green in front of the Library on campus. Lunch to follow. Come and wear your kilt!
Posted by: Nellie Lowry | March 31, 2008 at 03:23 AM