TARTAN and the sound of bagpipes are only days away as the 12th Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival comes to town.
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While festivities officially started last Sunday with the Scottish Concert, this coming Saturday is the day many associate with kilts, crowds and bagpipes.
It all starts at 9.30am with a street parade off Farquhar Street going around Central Park. Six pipe bands, marching clans and Mounted Police and Australian Light Horse make for a colourful display.
The opening ceremony at 10am kicks off a day full of entertainment.
Saturday is truly family day and a chance to bring the younger generations out for some good old fashioned fun.
New this year for the whole family is a Scottish themed dog dress-up parade.
Specifically for children there is a kilted dash, Highland dancing, tug-o-war and plenty of stalls to satisfy even the most curious.
The Vanguard re-enactment group is always popular with all ages and children often get the chance to get up close and personal with some of the medieval fighting gear throughout the day.
"Seeing the kid's have fun, that's what it is all about," chair of the event, LT Col (Ret.) Eric Richardson OAM said.
"With free entry to the park all day, families can afford to bring all their kids."
And while the children are eating shortbread, mum and dad get to try their luck with the caber toss and the tug-o-war.
It's not just entertainment though that Eric cites as an important component of the festival.
He hopes that seeing all that Scottish paraphernalia will spark an interest in family history for visitors.
"We plant the seeds of curiosity," he said.
The many clan stalls in Central Park on Saturday will no doubt provide a rich incentive for folk to follow their Scottish ancestry.
Clan of honour this year is Clan MacRae and they will of course be out in force but whatever your family name, if it has Scottish connections, there is likely to be someone who knows someone you can speak to to find out more about it.
More than 5000 people are expected to descend on Wingham on Saturday coming from as far afield as Tasmania and possibly even WA.
Other festival events include a Genealogy Fair at Wingham Services Club on May 26; the Braveheart Poets Breakfast at the Wingham Anglican Church Hall on Friday May 27 at 7.30am; and from 10am an historic bus tour; a Grand Scottish Ball at Wingham Services Club on Saturday May 28 at 7pm and to close the event a popular luncheon and Ceilidh/Concert will be held on Sunday May 29 at Wingham Services Club from 12 noon.
For further information go to the Manning Valley Historical Society website www.manninghistorical.org.
