All Roads for Pipe Bands Lead to Maxville

Provided by the Glengarry Highland Games
All Roads for Pipe Bands Lead to Maxville
78th Fraser Highlander's Pipe Band at the 2015 Maxville Highland Games. (Photo courtesy of the Maxville Highland Games).

The Glengarry Highland Games is renowned for hosting the largest pipe band gathering in North America and this year will not disappoint as fifty-seven bands converge on Maxville on July 29 and 30 for the North American Pipe Band Championships. Bands will be coming from 6 Provinces and 8 States including Alberta, Florida and New Mexico. An impressive six bands will perform in the Grade One Competition for the title of North American Pipe Band Champion.

In addition to the band competitions, there will be over 300 pipers and drummers competing in the solo competitions on Friday and Saturday. Bands Director, Gilbert Young is pleased to present four eminent judges, Hal Senyk and Jamie W. Troy from British Columbia and Tom Kee and Brian Morgan from the eastern United States. Senyk and Troy will handle solo piping and bands, while Kee and Morgan will look after snare drumming and bands and solo bass/tenors.

The massed bands performance on Saturday evening will be an awesome sight as 1600 pipers and drummers play and march in unison across the infield. The sound and the sight of the massed bands is one of those moments that cannot be replicated or forgotten.

The Kilts Will Be Running At The Games

What a better place for a Kilt Run than the Glengarry Highland Games. Competitors in this year’s inaugural Kilt Run will form up at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30 in front of the packed grandstands and take off on a winding 5 kilometer run outside the Games site returning to finish on the infield just before the massed bands take to the field. What a magical moment to enter the infield at the Games with kilts flying and fans cheering.

Runners can register online until Sunday, July 17 through the Running Room events page.

https://www.events.runningroom.com/applications/?raceId=13413&eventId=39871&vrindex=3

Race costs are $40 which includes admission to the Games, an event shirt and bib. Of course all runners must wear a kilt and for those who need one, the Games have a few to offer. Contact run@glengarryhighlandgames.com. The race is open to those 13 years and older. No dogs or strollers in the race, please.

On July 30, participants can register and pick up their race kit between 12:30 and 3:00 pm at the “Up The Glens Kilt Run” booth at the main gate.

To date more than 50 people have already registered with runners from Missouri, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Due to the schedule of the closing events of the Glengarry Highland Games, runners will have one hour to complete the official course. Participants who require longer will be detoured to an alternate finish but will not register an official time.

For those who want to be involved without running, there are numerous positions available both on and off the course. Register at the Running Room site to become a volunteer.

To get ongoing information on the Kilt Run, check out the Games Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GlengarryHighlandGames or http://uptheglens.squarespace.com/

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