You won't find any cabers being tossed around the NH Scot office on Green Street. Nobody serenades you on the bagpipes as you march through the door, and the yard is curiously devoid of sheep or other livestock.
Loon Mountain is where you'll find all of that from Sept. 21 to 23 during the annual New Hampshire Highland Games Festival, which is celebrating its 37th year this fall. And though none of the artifacts spend any time within the Concord city limits, none of it would be possible were it not for the work of what is essentially a skeleton crew.
NH Scot has just two full-time and three part-time employees, but thanks to a deep pool of volunteers and a strong sense of tradition, the games go off without a hitch every year, even if they go off about 60 miles north of the group's home base.
“Most Highland games in this country, and even in Scotland are run by well-intentioned volunteers out of a community,” Derek Davidson, NH Scot's managing director, said. “We treat our volunteers well. Some of them have grown up with the games.”
The same is true of the organization's staff. Davidson has worked there since 2006, but has played bagpipes for more than 42 years. Annette Zamarchi officially joined less than three months ago but has been on the group's board and volunteered at the games for almost a decade.
That network of dedicated volunteers and board members is why the games succeed, Davidson said. There are more than 300 volunteers over the course of the weekend, and the board's full complement includes 16 members, many from other New England states and New York.
“We are located in New Hampshire, and New Hampshire is certainly part of our name, but we really do encompass all the New England states,” Zamarchi said.
The games themselves feature a decidedly international flair. One of the highlights of the weekend is the Masssed Bands, where nearly 30 pipe bands from throughout the United States, Canada and Scotland – a total of almost 1,000 pipers and drummers – join forces as part of the opening and closing ceremonies.
The Heavy Scottish Athletics include participants from Iceland, Scotland and Poland – several of whom are former Olympians – and this year an appearance will be made by Magnus Ver Magnusson, a celebrity veteran of World's Strongest Man competitions.
There will also be dancers from five different provinces in Canada.
The setting is no coincidence, either. What began as essentially a “large family reunion” in 1976 quickly developed into a relationship with Loon, which bears some striking resemblance to the homeland of many of its visitors.
“My mother is from the Highlands, and I remember you could look out and see the dew hanging in the air, and it's exactly the same at Loon,” Davidson said. “Some fall mornings you can look out, and it's emblematic even of Scotland.”
NH Scot works to provide events unique to these games, which is essentially what led to Magnusson's appearance, as he will be working with the athletes in New England Disabled Sports, a group that provides opportunities for athletes with various disabilities. There is also a drum major competition featuring more drum majors “than any festival other than the World Championships,” Davidson said.
“We are one of only a few, if not the first Highland Games to include New England Disabled Sports,” Davidson said.
The weekend features no shortage of Scottish music and dancing, highlighted by evening concerts. There are also whisky tastings, sheep dog trials (on Friday only), living history reenactments, and a variety of workshops and demonstrations. (A complete schedule of the weekend's events is available at nhscot.org.)
The theme this year is “Year of the Family,” and included during the weekend are genealogy seminars and a Clan Parade, which will feature more than 70 clans (or families) displaying their unique tartans.
Don't take the familial theme the wrong way, though: Although the events are rich in Scottish history, heritage is hardly a hindrance for anyone interested in attending. Regardless of your background, there's plenty of eye and ear candy – and even some candy candy – to keep you enthralled.
“The games are not necessarily mainstream, so one of the messages we try to get across is you don't have to be Scottish to enjoy it,” Davidson said. “You don't have to love bagpipes to have fun.”
Said Zamarchi: “It's a three-day festival that incorporates a lot of different performances. It's a fair for all ages. It's our small community we try to share out with the world.”
The community may be small, but the logistics of the weekend certainly aren't. Davidson estimated the average annual crowd to be somewhere between 23,000 and 25,000 over the course of the weekend, all of whom descend upon the town of Lincoln and its neighboring communities.
Parking is not allowed on site – the tents and festivities take up essentially all of Loon's open parking lot space – but buses run on regular schedules from the games to local hotels and back.
A lot of time and energy goes into planning the yearly celebration, but NH Scot is trying to carve out a spot in people's minds for more than three days a year. It has contributed more than $1.5 million in scholarships to local students and are considering other events throughout the year to both raise interest and funds.
One potential event is a Halfway to Loon weekend that would feature ski racing in kilts, music and food, among other things, Zamarchi said.
“The goal is to preserve the culture and heritage, and to do that we are discussing being more than just one games,” Zamarchi said.
In the meantime, those games remain a passion for the staff at NH Scot, no matter how many times they've been there and done that.
“There's nothing that sounds better, whether you are staying at Loon or walking onto the site early, than hearing a piper warming up somewhere,” Davidson said. “Every year, and it happens at different spots, at some point it will strike me and I'll look around and say, 'We did it again. We're responsible for all these people being here, and they're all celebrating the same thing.' “
