Monthly Archives: May 2015

Summer Highland Games Across the United States!

Highland Games season is upon us, and this summer brings a wealth of celebrations across the country. From Milwaukee to Monterey, Chicago to Colorado, join in the festivities and celebrate in true Scottish style around the United States!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 2015

May 23-24: Alma Highland Festival and Games – http://www.almahighlandfestival.com/

June 2015

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Newport Celtic Festival & Highland Games

June 6: Milwaukee Highland Games – http://www.milwaukeehighlandgames.com/

June 6: The Allegany County Celtic Festival – http://www.alleganycountyceltic.com/

June 12-14: Newport Celtic Festival and Highland Games – http://ncfhg.com/

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

June 13-14: Blairsville Scottish Festival & Highland Games – http://www.blairsvillescottishfestival.org/

June 19-20: Chicago Scots – http://www.chicagoscots.org/

June 27: Ohio Scottish Games – http://www.chicagoscots.org/

July 2015

July 9-12: Grandfather Mountain Highland Games – http://www.gmhg.org/homepage.shtml

July 25-26: Seattle Scottish Highland Games – http://www.sshga.org/

August 2015

July 31-August 2: Colorado Scottish Festival – http://www.scottishgames.org/

August 1: 166th Annual Highland Games in Livonia, MI – http://www.highlandgames.com/

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The Highland Games presented by the St. Andrew’s Society of Detroit

August 1-2: Monterey Scottish Games – http://www.montereyscotgames.com/

August 15: Maine Highland Games – http://www.mainehighlandgames.org/

August 22: Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games – http://www.liscots.org/

August 29: Green Hill Highland Games – https://www.facebook.com/GreenHillHighlandGames

Both the American Scottish Foundation and the Association of Scottish Games and Festivals are members of the Scottish Coalition USA, a collective of six national organizations who seek through collaboration to strengthen the Scottish American Diaspora.

For the most up-to-date news regarding the Highland Games, please visit the Association of Scottish Games & Festivals‘s website and Events Calendar here.

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New Chicago-Keflavik Service from Icelandair Coming in 2016

Opening up new opportunities for travel between the US, Iceland, and several destinations in Europe – including Scotland – Icelandair recently announced a new year-round service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Keflavik International Airport. 

Flights will begin March 16, 2016 with four weekly round-trips to Iceland on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with connections to more than twenty destinations across Europe.

Image via Guide to Iceland

Image via Guide to Iceland

“We are excited to return to Chicago as a bigger, better airline that can best serve the dynamic market of this world-class city and its nearly 10 million inhabitants. Chicagoans will now have a refreshing alternative when traveling to Iceland and beyond, and Icelanders and Europeans will have direct access to the vibrant and historic city of Chicago. This is an exciting and significant moment for Icelandair and we look forward to welcoming Chicago aboard,” said Birkir Holm Gudnason, CEO of Icelandair.

Image via Bootsnail.com

Image via Bootsnail.com

Icelandair offers service to Iceland from Boston, Chicago-ORD, Denver, Edmonton, Newark, New York-JFK, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.; and seasonal service from Anchorage, Halifax, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Portland, OR and Vancouver.

 

Image via Iceland Magazine

Image via Iceland Magazine

Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to more than 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe.

For additional information about Icelandair’s fares to Iceland & beyond please visit them at www.icelandair.com or by calling (877) I-FLY-ICE.

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Causes to Support: Royal Gurkha Welfare Trust UK

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The American-Scottish Foundation asks our Members and Friends to consider a donation to the Gurkha Welfare Trust UK.

The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth.

This year, the Royal Gurkha Rifles celebrate their 200th anniversary of distinguished service to the British Crown.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust is the main beneficiary of Gurkha 200. It will be organising a number of special events. These will include a Beating Retreat, Cocktail Party and special Dinner, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, in association with the Brigade of Gurkhas in June 2015 to mark the occasion.

Sadly, Gurkha pride in this remarkable milestone is offset by deep concern following the disaster in their homeland of Nepal.

In August, many will see the 1st & 2nd Battalion of The Royal Gurkha Rifles Pipes & Drums as they perform at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

For US donations you can support by donating via the following link and selecting The Gurkha Welfare Trust from the menu: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/helpnepal?code=Nepal

For UK donations and to learn more visit their website at http://www.gwt.org.uk/

We keep them in our thoughts and hope we can assist them at this difficult time.

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May is Whisky Month – Celebrate With These Exciting NYC Events!

May is Whisky Month, and we’re thrilled to see the variety of events taking place in the upcoming weeks to celebrate! Take a look at the calendar of whisky-related events below and start planning your festivities! 
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Friday, May 8th, 2015

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

  • Balcones at Rôtisserie Georgette, 5:30 pm | $50

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Friday, May 15, 2015

Saturday, May 16, 2015: WORLD WHISKY DAY
Monday, May 18, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
  • Whiskey 101 at The Flatiron Room, 7:00 pm | Tickets $85

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Brandy Library

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Ward III

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The Flatiron Room

 

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New York Tattoo: Friday, May 22nd and Saturday, May 23rd

ASF Members and Friends have been extended special pricing for the New York Tattoo presented by Pipefest on May 22nd and 23rd at the historic 69th Street Armory.

The New York Tattoo is “a spectacularly fast-paced show – bringing together the best military music and Celtic traditions.” 

The 2015 cast includes the talent of Lesley Craigie, Alan Brydon, The Vatersay Boys, Celtic Heritage, Flight & Things, Shot of Scotch, Celtic Cross, Rachel McLagen, Mise Eire Irish Dancers, Saffron United Pipe Band, Drum Major Charles Chuck Kaba, NYPD Brass Band, and more.

The New York Tattoo welcomes all members of the American-Scottish Foundation, with a special 10% discount rate for members, families and friends on the Friday or Saturday. 

This discount is only available until May 15, so be sure to take advantage while you can! 

To book, please visit their homepage here.

NYTFlyer

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Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop Visits the Grange with Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School

Alexander Hamilton’s home, The Grange, at St Nicholas Park, received a visit from Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop during her visit to New York for Scotland Week 2015.  

The Grange reopened to the public in 2012 after extensive restoration by the National Parks Service and the ASF is proud to be working with National Parks and the New York Parks Department on the Scottish heritage of the gardens and links to Scotland.  The Grange was built by John McComb, and his work has been spotlighted within the ASF project “The Scots Who Built New York”.

The Grange is named after Alexander Hamilton’s ancestral home in Scotland. The plantings in the gardens follow many of the original elements layed out by Hamilton in his diaries.

During the visit, Secretary Hyslop met with the pupils of Stephen T. Mather High School, and joined them in the planting of shrubs in the Hamilton Gardens.

Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School, located in New York City, is a Career and Technical Education high school for hands-on skills-training in the specialized building arts and landscape trades, focused on high-quality craftsmanship and historic preservation.  Students work directly in the trades of carpentry, masonry/plastering, decorative finishes and landscape management. To learn more about the school and their community, visit their website here.

The Mather School is partnering with the National Park Service on various projects including the First Bloom Garden project and The Grange is one of the National Park sites they will be involved in.

To learn more of the restoration and of the work of John McComb, visit the ASF website here.

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Secretary Hyslop and ASF Chairman Alan Bain with students of the Mather High School

Mather Logo

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