SCOTLAND — The sounds of bagpipes, drums and battle cries filled the misty air at the Edward Waldo Homestead in Scotland on Sunday morning. Starting at 9 a.m., attendees from near and far gathered to celebrate the 31st Annual Scotland Highland Festival.

Over the course of the day, the event featured dancing, Scottish cuisine, swordplay, sheep dog demonstrations, storytelling and athletic competitions such as the caber toss.

Revellers were also entertained by the music of Edinburgh-based band North Sea Gas, as well as American singer Charlie Zahm and, of course, a small army of bagpipers.

Another main feature of the event was Clan Village, where representatives from dozens of Scottish clans gave free history lessons to all interested parties.

Bill Redford of the Innes Clan Society first got involved in these events because of his father, a first-generation U.S. citizen.

"I think it’s always important to look back to where you came from," Redford said. "Ultimately, we’re all standing on the shoulders of everyone who came before us."

This sentiment was on full display at the opening ceremony, when after the national anthems of both Scotland and the United States were played, all of the clans’ tartans were presented and blessed by the Rev. John Burton.

Beyond being a celebration of heritage, the event also serves the practical purpose of being a powerful joint fundraiser for a diverse array of community organizations.

By collaborating with numerous partners to facilitate the event, the Highland festival also raises funds for those groups. As such, while the Boy Scouts and church groups handled the gate and cleanup, the Young Marines helped attendees navigate a sometimes-swampy parking lot.

"I think that this is a really important event for our town and for a lot of community organizations," said event treasurer Joanne Todd. "This has become a fundraiser and a supportive event for all of those groups."

This year’s event drew an estimated crowd of 2,800. According to event organizer John Spencer, that was the perfect amount.

"This is about as large as we want it to be," Spencer said. "We had as many as 6,000 people and that was a disaster."

According to Spencer, the original inspiration for Scotland Highland Festival came as a response to the Ku Klux Klan giving Scotland a bad reputation in the 1980s.

"I wanted to change the image, and this worked pretty well," Spencer said.

Spencer believed a Scottish festival would be perfect for the town of Scotland, which was named by Scottish immigrant Isaac Magoon after he purchased 1,950 acres of land here in the year 1700.

The connection between the town and the country of Scotland has remained close over the years, with a Scottish land preservation company Highland Titles even gifting each of the town’s residents one square foot of land each last year.

Consequently, the Scotland Highland Festival is sure to return next year.

"It was important for me to find my heritage," Spencer said. "And I think it’s an important thing for everyone to do. It settles questions for you. You pick up feelings about your family’s past and who you are."