Great Scots! This New Hampshire festival celebrates heritage and connection.
THE CLAN-DO SPIRIT: Scottish clans line up for the opening parade and roll call at the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival in Lincoln, New Hampshire, Sept. 20.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Lincoln, N.H.
You never truly finish a family tree.
That鈥檚 how genealogist Leslie Greene Kittenbrink describes her calling to trace ancestry 鈥� a pursuit that branches and blossoms with every discovery. And to Ms. Kittenbrink and the tens of thousands who gather each September for the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, this event is more than a party. It鈥檚 a way of reconnecting with their Scottish heritage.
On a sunny afternoon, the sounds of bagpipes float across Loon Mountain. What began in 1975 as a picnic among Clan Murray members has grown into an annual weekend festival. It still highlights traditional feats of strength 鈥� the caber toss, stone put, and hammer throw 鈥� but now also includes Highland dancing, sheepdog trials, and parades of tartans.
Why We Wrote This
What began in 1975 as a picnic among Clan Murray members has grown into the annual New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival. Cue the bagpipes.
Clan tents line the grounds, offering history and hospitality. For Stephen Boutwell of Clan Rose, each year feels like a reunion. Visitors often ask him for help tracing their clan connections.
鈥淚t gives me a sense of belonging and pride,鈥� he says. He recalls how his grandmother created a nearly 200-foot family tree on paper, a legacy that continues to inspire him and his father, Bruce.
Ms. Kittenbrink has traced her family into the 1700s. When the clan lacked a tartan, she designed one, drawing on her father鈥檚 work as a textile engineer in Lowell, Massachusetts. Today, three generations wear the tartan proudly 鈥� the past and present stitched together.
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