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Highland Games go off without a hitch

The Dunedin High School pipe band played and took home a first-place trophy for the third year in a row.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published April 10, 2006

DUNEDIN - If not for the palm trees, it could have been a spring day in Scotland.

Saturday, bagpipes wailed, Scottish flags snapped in the wind, white tents edged fields of soft green grass, and there were more kilts than one could count.

It was Dunedin's 40th annual Highland Games and Spring Clan Gathering, a festival that celebrates the city's Scottish heritage with pipe band competitions, athletic events and Scottish food and drink.

Because of construction of a new community center, the event was moved to the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and School.

Sandy Keith, president of the Dunedin Highland Games, wouldn't speculate on how many people turned out, but he did say the event was well-attended.

"It was a super venue," he said. "It went really well."

After four decades of relative calm, the games were temporarily overshadowed by controversy last week when Dunedin High officials announced last Monday that the school's bagpipe band couldn't play at the event.

Officials cited safety concerns after adult demonstrators brandished signs at a military tattoo, held at the school April 1. The group was expressing disapproval of the policies of band director James Dykes, who they accuse of weakening the role of the piping program over the last few years.

Piper parents were aghast.

Then community leaders got involved and school officials reversed their decision later in the week.

The pipe band showed and played.

Afterward, Dunedin High principal Paul Summa praised the performance and said he was happy all was calm.

He also said many parents and members of the community at the games approached him.

"They wanted to let us know they are supporting us," he said.

Summa said he was eager to put the controversy behind and finish out the rest of the school year.

But it may not be easy.

State Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin, was among the leaders who helped persuade school officials to allow the band to play. Saturday, the former mayor of the city for nine years donned a kilt and traveled from Tallahassee to Dunedin for the games.

"We've made some good progress, but we still have a long way to go," he said, referring to the controversy. "I am supporting Dunedin's heritage and what I call the signature piece for Dunedin."

On Saturday, members of the New World Celts, many of whom were involved in the original protest, promised not to create any conflicts. The organization is dedicated to promoting Celtic culture, arts and music.

"We just want the kids to play," said Mike Dunlap, president of the group's Dunedin chapter.

Instead, members sampled beer and Scottish whisky, listened to the music of a Celtic rock band and received massages from Mike's wife, Lynda Dunlap.

"I'm working out their Celtic knots," she said.

They also cheered for their favorite athletes.

Late in the afternoon, a hoard of kilt-clad revelers gathered to egg on the big, the brave and the burly for the toss of the 100-pound Dunedin Stone.

One of those was Virginia "Frenchie" Bisiaux.

Stout and stocky, her locks whipping in the breeze, she moved to pick up the Scotch whisky-christened rock.

In what she called her signature move, she planted the boulder firmly into her breastbone and balanced it there, hands free, for a painful few seconds.

The throng exploded with applause, whistles, and cheers of "Frenchieeeeeeeeeee!"

Then the toss.

Aye, it was a good toss, but not enough to beat the 7-foot, 9-inch lob by a barefoot Stephanie Kaufman.

The two were among five women this year to join the brawny men in the games.

Another nontraditional participant was Haley Brinton, who plays the bagpipes in the City of Dunedin Pipe Band. At age 11, she is its youngest member.

"I practice until I get tired," she said. "It takes a lot of blowing and coordination, but I love it."

She said her friends think it is "really cool" she plays the bagpipes.

Other children competed in events like the Highland dance competition.

Sisters Natalie and Katherine Wilson, ages 10 and 6 from Palm Harbor, waited anxiously to see if they would go home with medals.

"I think I will get a medal because I didn't make any mistakes," Katherine said.

On a final note, the Dunedin High School pipe band took home a first-place trophy for the third year in a row. And it received the Stirling Castle Award, given annually by Dunedin Brewery, to recognize the person or organization that best promotes Scottish culture that year.

[Last modified April 10, 2006, 01:54:16]