Author Topic: Glasgow, KY Highland Games  (Read 7213 times)

Mary

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Glasgow, KY Highland Games
« on: June 10, 2011, 11:09:38 AM »
As usual, last weekend was sunny and HOT, HOT, HOT! In the upper 90s on Saturday and high humidity had all of us diving into the cooler for water, mopping and wearing wet rags. It's odd to me how it's held EARLY in June, but the Glasgow games are always in the 90s and 100s!

The chief of the games was the Chief of Clan MacTavish. Although he seems to have missed a number of venues he was to preside over, he seemed to enjoy himself riding around in a golf cart, visiting the tents (not ours!) and holding court at the luncheon/dinner. They had about 8 members or so there with lots of banners, pics of Scotland and flags.

The games only had one pipe/drum band this year. They are facing the same financial crunch as many of the games and, instead of cancelling for a year or so as some are, they down-sized the bands to save some funds and held the games. I think they also pretty much cut out highland dancing except for the really young ones.  The athletics were in full swing and much enjoyed by us from the tent.



Thomas and Shirley Thompson came down with a WONDERFUL wooden shield of our logo. I will include a picture along with our sincere thanks --- it's really a neat item and was much admired by visitors as well as us!



There were about the same number of clans in attendance as last year --- maybe a few less, but still a good showing. I think the crowd was down because of the heat warnings -- hard to see anything with the sweat running in your eyes!  ;) But those who were there seemed to be having a good time - it was a great excuse to hit the home-made root beer, cream soda, etc. vendor who had THE BEST drinks ever! And the ice cream vendor down the hill was doing a bang-up business too!

We enjoyed our weekend get together as usual. There were fewer of us there this year due to gasoline prices and the fact that we are saving our money for the trip to Estes Park in September....but we had 9 of us ready for the parade of tartans (which got cancelled due to a sudden severe thunderstorm that blew many of the tents down and ended the games early!). We would have had a fine showing!


Now the bad news...... on Sunday night, the musicians (Albannach and some others) were at their cabins enjoying the evening with some food and drinks. One of the local "groupies" was there - apparently a person who is usually around Albannach running water to them during breaks and always at Glasgow to see them. He was at the cabins that evening with the bands and got drunk, loud, and belligerent. Jamesie and Jacquie suggested it was time for him to go home - it had been a long, hot day and they would be going in soon. He took offense and stabbed Jamesis twice and another member got a slash across the leg. James was taken to the Glasgow hospital and then moved to Louisville, KY hospital for treatment. I have looked on their site for an update but couldn't find any. I will include the article from the Glasgow paper here:

Glasgow Daily Times, Glasgow, KY
June 6, 2011
Fan stabs band member

By AMANDA LOVIZA
Glasgow Daily Times

GLASGOW — A Scottish band member in town for the Glasgow Highland Games was stabbed late Sunday night outside his cabin at Barren River Lake State Resort Park.

Albannach drummer Jamesie Johnston, of Glasgow, Scotland, was stabbed twice by James E. Null, 42, of Glasgow, Ky., after Null had been hanging out with the band.

According to Jacquie Holland, another member of Albannach, members of several bands were unwinding with friends and acquaintances at a cabin after three days of performances at the games. No one realized how drunk Null was becoming until he became belligerent.

Johnston tried to get Null to leave after his behavior became unwelcome, and Null allegedly stabbed Johnston in the midsection and the leg. Albannach drummer Colin Walker was also scraped with the blade.

Johnston’s liver was punctured, and after being admitted for a brief stay in the T.J. Samson Community Hospital emergency room, he was transferred to University of Louisville Hospital. Walker did not go to a hospital.

Null was charged with first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault, minor injury, according to Kentucky State Police Detective Tim Adams, who responded to the scene with Detective Erik Salman, who will be the lead detective on the case.

Null is being lodged in the Barren County Correction Center with no bond.

Johnston was alert and smiling, but expressing a lot of pain, at T.J. Samson, holding the hand of Aya Thorne, another drummer with Albannach. Thorne said the wound was a terrible sight to see, but Johnston will be OK.

Bobby Lee Hurt, vice-president of the Glasgow Highland Games, said nothing like this has ever happened at the games before, and it was terrible that something happened to a member of Albannach.

“I wish this hadn’t happened … They’ve always been a great group of guys, friendly, peaceful and very entertaining,” Hurt said.

Camden Simon, who has known Johnston for 10 years, was at the park Sunday night and said he was concerned and in disbelief when he heard about the incident. The members of Albannach are very good people, said Simon, who went to T.J. Samson to see the band members, and they are trusting enough to let a lot of people hang around them at concerts and festivals. Null has been hanging ­out with Albannach at the games for years, he said. Saturday he passed band members bottles of water in between songs while they performed.

“In this type of situation, you know it was someone else,” Simon said. “In this case, it was Jamesie (Johnston) trying to do the right thing.”

All the Albannach members and friends who gathered in the emergency room at T.J. Samson agreed that Johnston would be just fine, even if his recovery is difficult.

“Everybody is concerned, but it looks like he’s in good hands,” Simon said.

Albannach is a Celtic percussive rock group from Glasgow, Scotland, comprised of Johnston, Thorne, Holland, Walker and Donnie MacNeill. The group has traveled to the Glasgow  Highland Games on and off for 10 years.