Itasca festival brings Scottish culture to the suburbs

The festival organized by Chicago Scots will feature a knobbly knees contest along with dance performances and food competitions. Daily Herald File Photo

Those who attend the 30th annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games this weekend in Itasca will be immersed in Scottish culture -- food, music and contests among kilt-wearing athletes. Daily Herald File Photo

A bit of the British Isles comes to Itasca this weekend with the 30th-annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games.

The festival includes Scottish-themed live entertainment, music, games, contests, food, drinks, animals, children's activities and a Celtic marketplace on Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, at Hamilton Lakes in Itasca.

The event is presented by the Chicago Scots, an organization that is part of the Illinois St. Andrew Society, a Chicago-based nonprofit group. The society operates the Scottish Home for seniors and the soon-to-open Caledonian House memory care facility, both in North Riverside.

"Part of the 'Chicago Scots' mission is to continue to educate people on the Scottish culture," said Carey Smith, director of programming for the Chicago Scots.

To that end, the Scottish Festival and Highland Games will offer up a weekend that immerses visitors in that culture.

Scottish food, along with American culinary selections, will be for sale. For competitive-minded eaters, there is a haggis-eating contest Saturday afternoon. Haggis, a pudding made from sheep internal organs, is featured again during the haggis hurling contest, wherein women hurl frozen bags of the stuff while balancing on a whiskey half barrel.

Whiskey, along with beers, ciders and other distilled spirits, will be available in the whiskey and spirit tent, Smith said. A whiskey master class from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday will give whiskey connoisseurs-in-training a chance to sample and learn about the subtle differences in whiskeys.

The Highland Games' Heavy Athletics contests offer visitors a chance to witness kilt-wearing athletes competitively toss cabers, which closely resemble wooden telephone poles, as well as sheaves of grain, clachneart stones, weights and hammers.

The weekend also will include a British car show, a rugby tournament, bagpipe-and-drum competitions, Highland dance contests and a shortbread-baking challenge, along with a men-in-kilts "knobbly knees" contest.

Dog breeds common in Scotland will show off their agility skills at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Smith said cattle, Clydesdale horses and a falcon also will be at the festival.

The children's area will have inflatable rides, face painting, balloons, mini-golf, contests and scaled-down versions of some of the athletic events, Smith said.

The entertainment stage will feature performances by Jon Langford and Sally Timms of the Mekons, Celtic rock band Cleghorn, Celtic folk rock band Enter the Haggis, and the Chelsea House Orchestra.

Smith said Scottish families and extended families plan to attend in large numbers.

"We have a whole clan section," she said. "We have 31 clans registered this year. People travel from all over, and they set up tents."

During the two-day festival, Smith said organizers expect to draw 10,000 to 15,000 visitors.

For more information, visit chicagoscots.org.