May 22, This was our tent at the very first Blue Ridge Celtic Festival, Chetola Mountain Resort, Blowing Rock, NC. Our thanks to Donovan Murray and the management of Chetola Mountain Resort for a great event.

June 12-13, Potomac Celtic Festival, Leesburg, VA. The good folks at Clan Keith hosted us. Thank you, convener Charlie Austin and Charlie Keith. We had a terrific time with you all.

July 8-11, We were again tolerated by Dunedin Scottish (Fran and Darrell Mcdonald) at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Linville, NC. As at Chetola in May, we enjoyed the music of Clann an Drumma and the company of some fine Scots, like the Mcdonalds and, (pictured above with Randy) Joe McKenzie of Glasgow, Scotland, and Bruce descendant Vizi Lange, Vice President of Ways and Means at the Houston [that's in Texas, y'all] Highland Games and Celtic Festival. We'll be back to Grandfather!

July 24-25, Virginia Scottish Games, Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA, We were with Bruce International, whom we thank, and Randy won a prize: a flask full of Glenfiddich 12-year-old single malt, in the drawing held by Clan Grant, who were next tent over! Many thanks to Mick and Connie.

Saturday, August 21, Triad Highland Games, Bryan Park, Greensboro, NC. Here we convened for Bruce International. The photo above shows Randy at our table. We tried, but couldn't get in to visit the nearby Guilford Courthouse Battlefield Park. Randy's ancestors (and Carolyn's, too, we think) were among Gen. Nathaniel Greene's mountain men (highlanders?) who stood against Lord Cornwallis in March 1781 and helped force the surrender at Yorktown the following October.

Sunday, August 22, Books-a-Million, Roanoke, VA.  In the photo above: at left is our good friend Boyd Lucas of Clan Lamont (who came kilted and on his day off to help us), in the center is Steve Wasilewski, General Manager of the Books-a-Million store (Thanks Steve) and Carolyn.

Wednesday, September 8th, It was a dark and stormy night, but it stayed not these brave Scots from their monthly society meeting. They made us welcome and after our talk, lined up for us to sign their freshly purchased volumes. We enjoyed every minute of it, and hope that they did, too. Thanks Saint Andrew's Society of Richmond Virginia!

Saturday, September 18, Mother Nature (Ivan) prevented us from attending the Scottish Games and Highland Gathering, Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant SC. We carefully watched the weather reports and forecasts and decided that the games would probably be cancelled, or that no one would attend since it was expected to rain, as it had all week. Of course, Saturday turned off beautifully, and we missed a great day at the games! Drat! We plan to be there next year... if the 'canes don't threaten.

Saturday, September 25, Williamsburg Scottish Festival, Jamestown Beach Campsites, Jamestown, VA, where we were with the Bruce International North America tent. At 1:00 pm there was a special presentation to the Bruce organization: an original brass rubbing from the tomb of Robert I, King of Scots (a.k.a. The Bruce) in Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland. In the topmost of the three photos above, you will see Mrs. Telford ("Pat") Eggleston to the left of the rubbing; Allen Bruce with the microphone; Carolyn Bruce; Col. Telford ("Ted") Eggleston, USAF Ret., who created the rubbing and presented it to the Bruce organization; and holding the sword is convener Ron Bruce. The second photo is of Allen Bruce, who is Lieutenant to the Chief of the Name of Bruce. The third shows Allen holding a replica of The Bruce's great sword in comparison to its image on the rubbing, both having been taken from The Bruce's sword now in the possession of the Chief.   [click for more info]

Saturday, October 2, we convened the Bruce International tent at the Middle-Tennessee Highland Games in Murfreesboro (south of Nashville), TN. As you can see in the photos above, we chatted with visitors to our tent (Carolyn is shown in the left photo with newly met Turner/Ingram cousins, Melissa, Eddie, and Sylvia Vaden), and presented a book to David Irvine, 26th Baron of Drum & Chief of the Name. The baron and his wife, whose name is Carolyn, too, were both thoroughly charming and we are happy to have met them. Also, Bruce International won the annual drawing for free registration at the next year's Games!

Saturday, October 9, Radford (University) Highlanders Festival, Radford, VA. The school holds a big homecoming party each year and invites all its neighbors. We had a tent on the edge of the vendors' area, sold some books and met some Scots we hadn't met before. Our son Ian Bruce hosted us while we were in the area and stayed with us at our site all day Saturday. We appreciate his hospitality and his company.

Saturday/Sunday, October 16-17, Stone Mountain Highland Games, Atlanta, GA. WOW! Our biggest success so far, Stone Mountain was a real blowout for us! The weather was perfect, the crowds were outstanding, and we manned our own tent in the vendor section of the field, all of which combined to create our first partial sellout! We left the event on Sunday with a mere three Rebel King, The Har'ships, and had been taking orders for Rebel King, Hammer of the Scots since noon! In addition, we sold most of our Clann an Drumma cds and some Rebel King/Clann an Drumma T-shirts. We were so busy, we didn't even have time to eat all day Saturday. To remedy that for the next day, a couple of ladies from the McKenzie tent brought us plates full of edibles a wee bit past noon, for which we were thoroughly grateful. Our thanks to the McKenzies! And thanks to all our other friends who dropped by to say hello and aid our efforts, including Alan Bruce, Richard Bruce, Mel and Beth Gay, Ron McKenzie, Mark and Dorothy McLain, Frank and Susan Shaw, and Nancy Miller, who escorted Ramsay Clan Chief James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie, and Lady Dalhousie to our tent. We appreciate all your support.

Saturday/Sunday, October 23-24, Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival, Richmond Raceway Complex (Former State Fairgrounds), Strawberry Hill, Richmond, VA. In spite of the cold, windy, and mostly overcast weather on Saturday, we were warmly treated by Clan Fraser, who hosted us at the clan tent. Thank you, Donald and Maggie Fraser, Gordon Symonds, Louise Butler, and Bob Titcomb! We sold fairly well during the afternoon, but by evening, with rain forecast for the next morning, we chickened out on coming back Sunday. As at Grandfather Mountain, we were accompanied to Richmond by our eldest grandchild, Kacie Ouellette, and her friend Amber Lucas. They worked well as our minions, greeting people as they entered the field and passing out our literature. Thanks, girls.

2004 Events Yet to Come:

Wednesday, November 3, at 7:30 pm, Scottish Society of Tidewater Monthly Meeting, Central Library, Virginia Beach, VA. We are scheduled to speak and will have books on hand for anyone who wishes to buy, though many members already have. Don't forget the "gifting season" is upon us, soon, and books make excellent presents (hint, hint)! We shall be happy to dedicate and/or autograph your "Rebel King" books, too, of course.

Saturday, November 6, Foothills Highland Games and Celtic Festival, Hendersonville, NC (south of Asheville). This will be our first venture into the Foothills Games, to which we have been invited. Look for us among the vendors, and at least stop in to say "hello." We are looking forward to meeting some new friends there.

This is the last scheduled event until after the holidays. Now we must hole up and work on book three: Rebel King, Banok Burn. Watch for it in 2006, early... we hope!

KEEP CHECKING THIS SITE! We'll be adding events as they are scheduled!