Scotland County Highland Games

The Scotland County, North Carolina Highland Games, or SCHG, are a Scottish event held in Laurinburg, North Carolina, United States. Each year, the games are held the first weekend of October at the John Blue House and Grounds in Laurinburg. The event was started in 2009 after the Flora MacDonald Games in Red Springs, North Carolina were discontinued.

The event fits the area, as Scotland county was settled by Highlander Scots and continues to have one of the largest concentrations of Highland Scots in North America. The games serve as a premier celebration of Scottish and Celtic cultures in the Upper Cape Fear and Pee Dee regions.

The day begins with an opening ceremony and then the Parade of Tartans. The Parade of Tartans is both a ceremony and honor and includes every clan attending the Games. Each clan sends representatives to parade around the field to “announce” their presence and support. Several piping bands also take part. The games typically attract more than 40 different clans each year.

The games include a wide range of athletic events, a number of which are traditional and uniquely Scottish. Events include the tossing of the caber, Scottish hammer throw (the hammer is actually a heavy metal “stone” attached to a shaft), and the sheaf toss (Throwing a 20-pound bag of straw straight up using a pitchfork)

The SCHG also provide competition for kids in attendance. Scaled-down versions of events are set up by age groups.

In addition to the athletic competition, a fan favorite is the exhibition of sheep herding with border collies on the playing field. The crowds is captivated by the skill of the collies as they respond to their master and herd the sheep across the field into a defined area.

The Scotland County Highland Games hold a full spectrum of EUSPBA sanctioned pipe band and individual piping and drumming competitions. Band competition includes grade III, IV and V bands.

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