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Scottish Festival returns to MC this weekend

One year after the coronavirus pandemic cancelled it, the Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Games returns to the Maryville College campus this weekend, May 15-16.

The premier East Tennessee celebration of Scottish culture and history will feature the beloved clans, games and athletes from years past, but with health and safety measures put in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19. Physical distancing and masking will be required on the festival grounds.

“Maryville College had a largely in-person school year, due to comprehensive COVID-19 safety measures,” said Dr. Bryan F. Coker, Maryville College president. “In that same spirit, we are working with the Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival to plan a safe and responsible event, which allows this valuable tradition and partnership to continue. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the festival organizers.”

The two-day festival will feature 50-plus clans, 30-plus vendors and local and national performers. Entertainment will be offered on three separate stages, including vibrant cultural and educational presentations. New to the festival in 2021 is Celtic rock band Seven Nations, known for its distinctive fiddle and bagpipe “rollicking” style and flair for folk, dance and fusion-rock.

The sold-out Scotch tasting seminars will feature a bit of history and humor. The Border Collie demonstrations are guaranteed to amaze onlookers with their herding abilities and intense gaze.

Competitions include the hammer throw and caber toss, as well as piping and drumming by bands from as far away as Texas. Clan challenges include the kilted mile run and battle axe competition, just to name a few.

Keith Austin, vice president of the board of directors, expects this year’s event to have a solid turn out.

“We expect to see a lot of interest with the addition of so many new and loved vendors, performers and truly original Celtic musical entertainers,” he said. “It’s always a much-anticipated event and we’re excited to be able to hold it this year while also following COVID-19 precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Multiple ticket pass options are available from $15 to $35 depending on the day and time. Festival goers can save time and money by buying online. First responders, seniors, veterans, active-duty military and students will receive a discounted rate with ID.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”