Scottish Games in Highlands Ranch Aug. 13-14

Why drive all the way to Estes Park for a Scottish Festival when we have one right here in our backyard? Check out the 48th Colorado Scottish Festival and Highland Games in Highlands Ranch Aug. 13-14. You can even attend a haggis tasting.

Please note: I will not eat haggis. It isn't going to happen even though (or perhaps because) throughout my childhood my father would annually celebrate his Scottish heritage with a steaming platter of haggis, plenty of whiskey and an eager bunch of his hooligan friends. During this strange event, Robert Burn's poem Ode to a Haggis would be solemnly read, and the steaming mass of innards and oatmeal ( ugh. no wonder the Scottish are so cranky) would be ceremonially cut open and devoured. My mother strictly enforced the rule that this event was held in the garage for numerous reasons, not the least of which was the disturbing eau de haggis.The nicest thing I can say about haggis is that the smell never leaves you.

But if you're curious about the Scottish national dish, please feel free to give it a try at the festival. Or skip the haggis in favor of the event's numerous Scottish athletic competitions, pipe, drum and Celtic music performances and competitions, bagpipers, British dog and car show, rugby exhibitions and other fun stuff.  Adults $17; children and seniors $12; children under 7 get in FREE. Advanced discounted tix can be bought through Aug. 11 (tomorrow) for $15 via scottishgames.org   Highlands Heritage Park, 9651 S. Quebec St., Highlands Ranch, (two miles south of C-470). Aug. 13-14 and 303-238-6524 for info.