|
NEWSLETTER OF THE SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF TIDEWATER The Thistledown Volume 17, Issue 5 Nov-Dec 2001
|
||||||
|
||||||
| President’s Message | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Have we been busy or what?
I would like to thank all those stout hearted individuals who came out to brave the weather and march with us in our first ever Neptune Festival Parade. It was heartening to see such a warm and lively spirited bunch come out in support of our little Nessie as she made her debut. I want to pass my deepest and heartfelt thanks to all who came out on their free weekends to help put her together. Thanks to our marchers: CG and Nancy Miller, Toni Lohman, Patricia Young and Katelyn, Evalynn and James Bolles, Dr. Robert Titcomb, Scott McGregor and his ‘clan’ and finally the ever youthful endurance of Donald Fraser who showed us youngsters how to march. A special thank you goes to Patricia Young for making our Scotland Banner and Nessie’s Tam; to Debbie Clark for cutting and sewing our Tartan Bunting to adorn the float; to Don Fraser for donating the outdoor carpeting that covered the base; to CG Miller for donating the Tartan that Nessie wore; to Joyce Cowan, Debbie Clark, Cara and Neal Gruber, Linda Lucas, Tim Swanson, and Marcy Burton for coming out on weekends to build, plaster, and decorate our Nessie float. We couldn’t have done it without Roy Haddock and his lovely family who volunteered the his time and his truck to haul our little float up Atlantic Avenue. Further heartfelt thanks go to those of you who volunteered to be escorts to King Neptune’s Court and for enduring the periods of high winds while standing on a float with no visible means of support: Bo Barkley, Stuart MacGregor, Al Cowan, Bob Felty, Manny Willis, Dean Ashman, James Bolles, and Mike Lawler. Providing standby duty were CG Miller, Ham Hamilton, and Scott MacGregor. A lot of what I wanted to accomplish could not have been done if it were not for one individual who supported my hair-brained idea from the beginning and who put up with my driven passion for my Nessie-Scott MacGregor. He gave a substantial part of his time and money to build the towers and help with the carpentry. He came up with great ideas as to how to make things work. What makes his help even more significant and meaningful to me, was that Scott did all of this while attending night school. No Society funds were used to build the float and again, without the help of those who contributed financially, this event would not have happened. We made our float to be able to use it on other occasions. It is hoped that we will have it at the Christmas Walk in Portsmouth and at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I hope that even more of our Society members will turn out for these events. The Scottish Society of Tidewater-you-should take pride in what we have accomplished so far this calendar year:
There is so much more that we want to do! We want to build the Capt. Richard S. Baird Scholarship fund so that every year we can contribute to a worthy scholar. This fund was established thanks to the generosity of Olive Baird in memory of her husband. Please consider a small contribution to the scholarship fund when renewing your membership for 2002. A five-dollar donation from each member would help to build up the fund and assist young scholars in learning about Scottish culture and history. Finally, we need your support for our Christmas silent auction. Come to our Christmas meeting ready to be entertained. Socialize with members, enjoy the food (pot luck of course) and then be ready to bid in the auction. The proceeds from the auction help fund Society activities in the coming year. In closing, I would like to wish you all Seasons Greetings throughout the holiday season. Larry
|
||||||
| Out of the Dreich....Shining Moments | ||||||
|
Come parade Sunday, there was a strong northeast wind howling as we loaded the platform on the truck, added the castle towers, and Nessie's hump and tail before proceeding across town to our designated parade position. We had heads turning the whole route! Once there, we finished assembling the float, adding Nessie’s neck, the skirting, and signs. Mother Nature came through for the parade organizers by starting to mist right at kick-off time. By the time our unit was marching it was a heavy mist blowing out of the north directly into our faces. Ah, some good Scottish weather! In addition to our eight escorts, we had fifteen individuals marching with the float. With the heavy mist stinging our faces, we proceeded forward, passing out candy along the way, and fending off a big monster fire truck to our rear. Behind the scenes, it took some strong determination, personal financing, and plenty of hard work by a number of our Society members to make our debut in the Neptune Festival parade. We initially registered the Society as a marching unit, but we learned in early July that in order to march, we had to have a float. It was a pretty short time frame-two and a half months-and many of our members were heading to Scotland for their vacations. The decision to proceed forward and create the float was not an easy one, but one we felt needed to be made. It also provided a venue for our members to come together.
We spent several weekends building the frame, platform, Nessie’s support structure, and finally...plastering Nessie. Those weekends that we didn’t meet, we worked on individual things at our homes. We tried the larger pieces together at times, but never assembled everything until parade Sunday. Our float was a group effort with everyone contributing in their own way. The castle towers, for instance, wouldn’t have looked as good, if not for Cara Gruber and her group of ladies painting the stones-or Neil Gruber and his brother Joel, who worked on Nessie’s support structure. Joyce Cowan made it out on several occasions to provide assistance wherever needed. An initial goal of our early float design was to make it reusable so that we could use it in other local events, two of them being the Portsmouth Christmas Walk on Sunday, December 30th, and the 2002 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Oceanview. The decision to build the float and the ensuing debates produced another very positive result. It got members talking and expressing what they’d like to see the Society doing. Some members have expressed an interest in participating in more activities and events around the area such as the Thistle contest held at our Society picnic last September, the organization of the bus trip to the upcoming Alexandria Christmas Walk, and the possibility of having meetings year round. The Society is here for everyone’s enjoyment. If you have an idea and/or suggestion for an activity please share it with the Board members. Your suggestions are welcomed. The only bad idea or suggestion is one not voiced. Also, be willing to volunteer and assist in coordinating activities. It’s enjoyable to come together as a group and you get a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. WebMaster's Note: Additional pictures from the Neptune Festival parade can be found on our Pictures page. |
||||||
|
From Scott MacGregor
|
||||||
| Bus Trip Update | ||||||
|
The proposed bus trip to the Alexandria Christmas Walk in December has been cancelled due to insufficient response from the membership and the shortness of time as the event date is rapidly approaching. We intend to organize a trip next year and will place a registration form in an upcoming issue. If there is enough interest and desire within the Scottish Community to look at organizing other bus trips to events like the Potomac Celtic Festival, the Loch Norman Games, the Grandfather Mountain Games, etc., please contact Scott MacGregor at mcgregr@exis.net. |
||||||
|
|
||||||
| New Members | ||||||
Mr. Wayne R. Adamson
|
||||||
| Scotland on September 11, 2001 | ||||||
|
Arthur and I were in Scotland on September 11. We escorted a group of some Songbirds (my choral group) and several of their husbands. The Songbirds had singing engagements in Edinburgh and in Glasgow and the husbands were there to give us moral support. Everyone looked forward to an exciting trip, It was the first time in Scotland for all but one of our group, but the 20th visit for Arthur and me. Most of our group members expected Scots to be dour and unfriendly, but were surprised from their first day to find the opposite was true. Little did they realize that the Scottish spirit would show itself to them in a truly unique way before their journey ended. September 11 was one of our ‘free’ days, so members of our group were in different locations when they heard the story, but the reactions they reported were all the same. The Scottish people opened their hearts to us. Whether they were in a pub, a museum, a taxicab or restaurant at the time it dawned on the world that a terrorist attack had been made, our friends reported that as soon as their American accents were recognized, Scots came up to them and embraced them, offered them tea and solace. One by one, we returned to our hotel lobby in Edinburgh and clustered around the TV set to watch the horror. All telephone lines to the United States were blocked, so those of us who had relatives at the Pentagon or in New York were in suspense. We were scheduled for several activities in the days that followed including a concert. The Songbirds voted unanimously to go forward, otherwise the terrorists would win. Everywhere we went, the Scottish people stood and applauded our stand in the face of such adversity. When realization dawned that the flights into the United States were cancelled indefinitely, church members called to offer us shelter in their homes when our hotel stay was ended. On Friday, September 14th, there was a national day of mourning for Americans. At 11:00 am everything in Scotland stopped for three minutes of silent prayer and tribute. No stores rang up sales, trans, buses, cabs, and vehicular traffic stopped. Church bells tolled. Radio stations and TV stations paused in their broadcast day. Flowers were heaped upon the steps of American embassies-one of which was a few doors from our hotel. The non-denominational church service Arthur and I attended offered special tribute to women because the minister said women bear the greatest brunt of any tragedy and hide their tears from everyone but God. It was very moving. We were able to leave Scotland on a scheduled flight, but landed in Toronto as all European and UK flights that were headed for the U.S. were diverted to Canada. After delays, confusion, chaos, long lines, and short tempers (on the part of airport employees), we returned home safely, but will always cherish in our hearts the outpouring of love and genuine caring that the Scottish people gave anyone with an American accent during those troubled days. I am proud to be an American and a Scot. |
||||||
|
From Art and Anne Korff
|
||||||
|
St. Andrew’s Society of Tidewater to Host Annual Burns Nicht Supper |
||||||
Mark your calendars now A favorite event throughout Tidewater, this year’s Burns Nicht Supper will be held at the Officer’s Club at NAS Oceana. The Highlandaires will once again be providing the entertainment. Watch for further information in late November.
|
||||||
|
On Demand to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth |
||||||
|
Following September’s annual picnic, many members asked Nancy Miller for her chocolate frosting recipe (this was the frosting on the brownie’s that Toni Lohman brought to the picnic in case you’ve been having visions of them every since.) Nancy has graciously revealed the secret for us all:
|
||||||
| News from Scotland | ||||||
|
A major campaign has been launched to find the Greatest Scots of the 20th Century. Over the next four months, the public will have the chance to vote both on-line and via hundreds of post boxes set up in libraries, for the Scot who has made the greatest contribution over the past 100 years. The winners of the vote will be announced next April and will feature in a modern, digital update of the stunning 19th century Frieze of Scots by William Hole, which dominates the entrance hall to the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Several leading Scots have already agreed to support the poll by joining a special selection committee which will scrutinize the votes when the polls close in January. Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, enterprise minister Wendy Alexander, entrepreneur Michelle Mone, Scotland football coach Craig Brown and Channel 4’s Stuart Cosgrove are among those judging the event. The poll has been set up by the Edinburgh-based Scottish Cultural Resource Access Network (SCRAN), the world’s largest on-line library of cultural artifacts, and they have teamed up with ICL, the leading IT solutions company. Bruce Royan, chief executive of SCRAN,, said about 100 categories had been created, including lists of famous Scottish actors, singers, and inventors, but he said people could put up suggestions of their own. ‘One schoolgirl voted for her gran, which was rather sweet’, he waid. As well as having the opportunity to log votes via the Internet, ballot boxes have been put in libraries and secondary schools in order to ensure a cross-section of voters. Royan stated that ‘Once the final names have been decided on, we will make a digital frieze to sit alongside the one in the National Portrait Gallery.’ So far, more than 1000 votes have been cast, with a current top five of Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, Alexander Fleming, John Logie Baird, and Jock Stein. Other more obscure votes have included Dolly the Sheep, Oor Wullie, Henrik Larsson, the Krankies, Britney Spires, and the ‘man who invented Irn-Bru’. The final 100 Scottish heroes and icons will be immortalized online. The final names will be announced at the end of April 2002. People can cast votes for the Greatest Scot of the 20th Century at: http://greatscots.scran.com. From www.thescotsman.co.uk, September 26, 2001 Up to a third of all family get-togethers in Scotland end in tears, according to a new survey. Hot-tempered Scots are also more likely to fall out with relatives than people south of the border. Although families in Scotland congregate on average once every two and a half months, they are not always occasions filled with love and laughter. In a quarter of cases, war breaks out within two hours and four in ten family get-togethers are marred by relatives bickering. The statistics show that Scots squabble more than any other family in the UK, with a third of the meetings ending in disaster in Scotland, compared with one in five in England and Wales. Although more than four in ten people admit to meeting their relatives less frequently, the family is still important for most Scots. Half would spend more ‘quality time’ with their relatives, if distance was not a factor, and around a fifth would see more of their loved ones if time was on their side. Boisterous brothers intent on teasing their siblings are revealed to be the main instigators of family squabbles, whereas 15 per cent of people find fathers most annoying. Although feuding family gatherings are more frequent north of the Border, family events in London often end in violence. A quarter of Londoners admit that the traditional family knees-up always ends in a ‘barney’, with more than one in ten likely to blow their fuse as soon as they set eyes on their relatives. The research, carried out by telecommunications giant BT, appears to dispel the myth that blood is thicker than water. From www.thescotsman.co.uk September 30, 2001
|
||||||
Who would’ve thought four months ago, that our Society would be marching in the Neptune Festival parade alongside a wonderful, homemade float of Scotland and the Loch Ness monster, ‘Nessie’. As an added bonus we were asked to provide eight escorts for the King’s court. The theme for this year’s parade was ‘King Neptune of the Misty Isles’. This venue provided a nice opportunity for some public exposure and recognition of the Society. It’s been noted that our Nessie was easily identifiable with Scotland and there were no less than three Loch Ness monsters in the parade.
