Scottish-Themed Highland Games Come to Oakland County

Oakland County-area residents can don a kilt and tune their bagpipes for the 20th annual Highland Games, which will celebrate Scottish heritage while benefiting a Rochester-area organization June 29-30 at Canterbury Village in Lake Orion.   

Part of the event’s proceeds will benefit Leader Dogs for the Blind, based in Rochester Hills.   

“It’s going to be a blast,” said Franklin Dohanyos of the  Scottish American Society of Michigan, which is hosting the event.   

The two-day event will feature live music, including sanctioned bagpipe solo and band competitions, full-contact jousting, Scottish and Irish dance demonstrations, children’s activities and the unique Scottish athletic events—including the caber toss and heavy stone throw—that are a staple at Highland Games events.  

Dohanyos said the caber toss developed from the Scottish army, where troops would simply toss trees in a straight line across the river. It has since become a sport, where participants aim to score a “12 o’clock,” or a straight line.   

“It’s just a basic demonstration to see if you could be one of the guys in the Scottish army,” Dohanyos said.   

Athletes also will participate in the 16-pound hammer throw and the stone put, which is similar to the shot put seen at track and field events.   

Dohanyos, whose Scottish American Society of Michigan helps those with Scottish heritage explore their roots, says he hopes this event will grow from its recent designation as the Scottish Days at Canterbury Village to one that can stand alongside popular Highland Games in Alma, Saline and Livonia.   

“This is our fifth year being involved with what used to simply be known as Scottish Days at Canterbury Village, Dohanyos said. “Our Society got really involved two years ago and added a lot more for people to do and drove attendance up exponentially.”   

With event promoter Ultimate Fun Productions on board as an organizer, the event has added sanctioned bagpiping this year, where pipers will compete for medals. The event also has added a variety of interactive demonstration and food and vendor booths, Dohanyos said.    

The event will be highlighted by a céilidh, or traditional Gaelic gathering, on the evening of June 29.   

If you go:  

• WHAT: 20th annual Highland Games 
  
• WHEN: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on June 29; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on June 30 
  
• WHERE: Canterbury Village,  2369 Joslyn Ct., Lake Orion 
  
• TICKETS: $10 adults, $7 children 6-11, free for children 5 and under.