We do have a great number of upcoming events. I hope to see you all come out and partake of the festivities and, at the same time, show your Scottish heritage and pride.

First off is our annual Society picnic to be held on September 15. James and Evalynn Bolles have graciously opened their home to us for the picnic. More information is available on the website and on the front cover of this issue.

Next we have the upcoming Neptune Festival parade on September 30th. Work is coming along on our mini-float. I want to thank all those who have come forward to help out and build our modest entry. Anyone who wants to be a part of the fun can come out to my place and help decorate it.

One special feature is our Thistle Making Contest. The contest is open to all members of the Society. Rules and prizes are listed on page 8 of this issue and on the web site.

We are still moving along with our planning for Tartan Festival 2002. Anyone who would like to be a part of this event, please call Rita or me. We will keep you informed as to the schedule of meeting dates.

I hope to see you all at our picnic and at our regularly scheduled monthly meeting in October.

Larry

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Byllee-Jacque Fraser

Bylee-Jacque Fraser, 76, died May 14, 2001, at a local hospital.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, she retired as a self-employed gourmet cateress and was a member of Thalia United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women. She was a former chairwoman of the Junior Woman’s Club and a member of the Thalia Civic League, St. Andrew’s Society, the Scottish Society of Tidewater, the Historic Hope House Association, and the Friends of the Francis Land House. She attended ‘36’ grammar schools, Seward High School, Seward, Nebraska, and was a graduate of Concordia Teacher’s College, Seward. She was a vocalist with several of the ‘Big Bands’.

Survivng are her husband, Donald M. Fraser; two daughters, Lindsay Shepheard of Virginia Beach and Dr. Stuart Shepheard and husband, Dr. George Wilson of Norfolk; and a grandson, Nicholas Lockridge Wilson of Norfolk.

A funeral was held at the Thalia United Methodist Church, and burial was at the Princess Anne Memorial Park Mausoleum. Donations are invited to the Nicholas L. Wilson Educational Fund, c/o First Virginia Bank, Pembroke.

Byllee-Jacque is sadly missed by members of the entire Scottish community.

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Mr. Charles R. Bruce
Mr. & Mrs. Steven L. Long
Ms. Darlene Strickland
Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin P. Wallace (reinstated)

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My daughter, Darcie, is doing wonderfully after her near fatal car accident at the end of April. As a front seat passenger, she incurred three skull fractures and a broken vertebra in her neck. While at Sentara Norfolk General, she spent four days in ICU, two days in a step down unit, then was transferred to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters for seven days of rehabilitation. Her speedy recovery was nothing short of miraculous-no one expected her to be released so quickly, not even her doctors. She shows no outward signs of any physical or mental disabilities. Since being released from the CHKD, her doctors have suspended her outpatient therapy and she’s been allowed to remove her neck brace after two months. She’s still under the doctor’s watchful eye and has many restrictions on what she can do this summer, but lately she’s been Irish country dancing with me.

Darcie, her mother, brother, twin sister, and I wish to extend our deepest, heartfelt THANK-YOU to everyone who kept her in their thoughts and prayers. All of the support and concerns expressed have made this unthinkable ordeal bearable.

Again, THANK-YOU all,
Scott F. MacGregor

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Debbie Clark, Al and Joyce Cowan, Scott MacGregor, Rosemary Wareham, and Patricia Young, six members of the Scottish Society, came together on a summer Saturday for an enjoyable road trip. The day began in the wee hours with everyone struggling to wake up and organize the party van. In a short time we were off, with Debbie at the wheel of the party van, on our odyssey to the northern reaches of Virginia, home of the Virginia Scottish Games. Our time on the road passed quickly with the group enjoying many a Scottish song and music plus everyone’s good sense of humor that kept the jokes flying. What a fun way to pass the routine of such a long journey.

Arriving at the Games and being lucky enough to park onsite courtesy of John Bellassai and the Clan Gregor tent, we ventured forth and made the Clan Colquhoun tent our base for the day. We enjoyed some of the best weather in years with temperatures in the upper 70’s, plenty of sun, a good breeze, and low humidity. With the lack of discomfort, plenty of visitors to the clan tents, and mostly the enjoyment of good friends sure made the day go by all too quickly. It was nearly five o’clock before we noticed the first tent starting to break down. As in previous years, there were plenty of things happening, from the overflowing pub tent, a large number of spectators braving the sun to watch the highland athletics, the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds strolling down vendors row, the many highland dancers giving excellent performances, and of course, the many sounds of the bagpipe competitions. Several of our local highland dancers were competing and several Trad na’ Trad pipe band members were seen.

Many thanks go out to Joyce and Al for providing a wonderful lunch spread. We had such a great time during the day that we didn’t miss not sticking around for the evening Ceilidh. We all climbed back into the party van for the return trip home. After hearing several negative traffic reports, we avoided the interstate and took the back roads to Fredericksburg where we stopped for dinner at the Cracker Barrel.

After the break for dinner, we topped off the gas tank before venturing onto the interstate for the final leg of our journey. During this time, we nearly burst our sides with all the comments and laughter. Debbie did a great job of handling the road and bringing us safely home-thanks. We ended our memorable day around midnight with all of us looking forward to doing it again.

Side note, promoting Scotland’s turbulent history and the kilt can occur at anytime and place, as experienced that morning while waiting at the corner for the party van’s arrival, I became engaged in a conversation with a total stranger about what Clan was represented by the tartan I was wearing.

Further Party Van Possibilities

Some thought has been given towards organizing future bus trips to desired regional Scottish events such as the Alexandria Christmas Walk on the first Saturday of December. A bus trip would allow our many Scottish friends without transportation to join in the festivities. Those individuals who usually drive could forgo the burden of driving-and parking-and enjoy the trip’s pleasures and company of friends. The thought is for a day trip leaving Tidewater about 5:30am and returning about 9:00pm. This schedule would allow everyone to enjoy all the seasonal sights and sounds of Olde Towne Alexandria for the day from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

The Scottish Society will host this bus trip and welcomes all our friends from the many local Scottish organizations to join us. There’s also plenty of room on the bus for the storage of flags, chairs, and coolers. Costs per person would be $25.00 and seating is limited to the first 43 paid participants.

If you would be interested in participating in the bus trip, contact Scott MacGregor by e-mail at mcgregr@exis.net. Scott also welcomes all suggestions towards making the trip a more memorable event.

The Scottish Society of Tidewater has been invited by the organizers of this year’s parade to provide escorts for the ladies of King Neptune’s Court. 8 volunteers and 8 alternates are needed, dressed in their finest Highland Dress, to make themselves available for this honor. This is a great opportunity for the Society to show its community spirit and have some fun.

Volunteers will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. Hurry and get your name to Larry McCauley by phone (471-4952) or email at lmccaule@bellatlantic.net.

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Following the Tartan Day Celebration, area dancers had a busy month of April with the Virginia International Tattoo. This was the third year the group has performed in this outstanding event which requires ten days of rehearsals and shows. The girls were permitted some time off from school to participate. Tidewater Pipes and Drums were joined by pipers from Trad na’ Trad to perform in the massed bands with visiting Canadians.

Some of the local Scots organizations were represented in June at the Multicultural Alliance’s ‘Word Bazaar 2001,’ with Tidewater Pipes and Drums playing the prelude for Opening Ceremonies, Scottish Dance Theatre performing on stage and the Scottish Country Dancers of Tidewater conducting audience participation dances on the grass.

The Tidewater Scottish Festival sponsored it’s ‘Beach Bagpipes’ dance competition the following day at the 24th Street Park. Area dancers all placed very well. Class trophies were won by Tara Munoz, Rayna Lawson, Denise Erickson and Leah Bernick (Walt & Jane Brown & Ginny Zaun’s granddaughter). The Dancer of the Day trophy, danced in honor of Bylee-Jacque Fraser, was won by Denise Erickson. Scottish Dance Theatre dancers placed 1st and 2nd in the Group Choreography Competition, much to their delight.

Dancers met with more success at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games where Elizabeth McKay Goodwin again danced solo at the ceilidh. At the Alexandria Games, those medals and trophies just kept rolling in. Young Jimmie Moore won his class trophy there. He is a youngster you will be hearing more about. At present, he is one of three male dancers in the group.

The next big community project is the Neptune Festival Parade that the company has been working on for weeks. Shannon Turner, the resident engineer/dancer, has designed a ‘Nessie’ float and I.D. America has sponsored it.

Summer draws to a close and dancers look forward to Williamsburg and Richmond games with full participation of the group. Eleanor Unger, Nancy McKay and Shannon’s parents, John and Carolyn Burnham, are part of Dawn Kinkaid’s (a retired dance company member) dance committee at Williamsburg. New classes will be offered in September for beginners with Elizabeth McKay Goodwin and Eleanor Unger instructing.

From Eleanor Unger

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Leah Bernick, granddaughter of Society members Ginny Crofford Zaun and Jane Ramsey Brown, won several medals in the Highland Dancing Competition at two recent Scottish games-the Grandfather Highland Games July 14 -15 and the Virginia Scottish Games in Alexandria two weeks later.

‘I have never been to either of these games before,’ Leah said. ‘Just being able to attend was a thrill. But the medals I won are especially important to me.’

In the contest at Grandfather Mountain, fourteen year old Leah competed against as many as twelve girls in the Beginner Age 13 and Older category. She took home a first place medal for her performance in the Scottish Lilt, and second place medals in the Flora MacDonald’s Fancy. In addition to these Scottish national dances, Leah also took second place medals in three of the four Highland dances in which she competed: the Sword Dance, the Sean Triubhas, and the Highland Reel. She also placed fourth in the Highland Fling.

At the Alexandria games, Leah danced for the first time in the Novice Level of competition. No once expected her to win against this more experienced group of dancers, not even her admiring grandmother. However, at the end of the day, Leah was awarded a first place medal in Seann Triubhas and a second in the Scottish Lilt.

Leah’s long-term goal is to reach the Premier Level of competition by her sixteenth birthday. ‘I love Highland dancing,’ she says. ‘It is teaching me a lot about my Scottish heritage and gives me the opportunity to teach it to others.’

From Walter & Jane Brown

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The address may not mean much to some potential buyers, but the new owner of Glengyle House on the shores of Loch Katrine will have snapped up not just a home, but a piece of Scotland’s history.

The building, labelled unpromisingly as Lot 1a in a collection of properties being sold by West of Scotland Water, is better known as the birthplace of the clan leader and one-time outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor.

The Loch Katrine portfolio is made up of a number of residences on the side of the loch that now supplies water for Glasgow and inspired Sir Walter Scott’s first major work, The Lady of the Lake. The six houses, some of which are on the open market for the first time, were used by water workers. Most are in poor condition and need substantial upgrading. However, one of the perks for future owners is the right to fish on the loch.

Glengyle House was the birthplace in 1671 of Rob Roy MacGregor, who farmed at Balquhidder and also operated as a cattle dealer. His dealings brought him wealth until 1711, when he persuaded a group led by the Duke of Montrose to advance him £1,000 for investment in herding.

His chief drover made off with the letters of credit, leaving MacGregor to face a charge of embezzlement. When he failed to answer the charge-or the ensuing arrest warrant-he was declared an outlaw. He took revenge by raiding Montrose’s cattle and Lowland estates whenever possible.

In the 1715 uprising, he mustered the Clan Gregor to fight for the Jacobites and was charged with high treason. He was captured twice, but escaped each time. In 1725, following his decision to turn himself in to General Wade, he received a Royal pardon.

In keeping with its association with turbulent clan history, Glengyle House also has had a chequered past, having been burned down in 1715 and again in 1748. In the 1930s, the Class B listed building was divided up to provide accommodation for workers.

Also for sale is Glengyle steading, a range of stone farm buildings; Brenachoil Lodge, a former Victorian shooting lodge which is split into four residences; Stronachlacher House, an Edwardian building which has been a hotel, staff residence and meeting rooms; and three smaller buildings.

The portfolio is being offered as a whole or as separate lots, ranging from offers over £50,000 to £210,000.

From www.thescotsman.co.uk, August 6, 2001

Scotland’s population has dropped closer to the five million mark despite more people coming to live north of the Border. Although the number of people coming into the country has outnumbered those leaving, figures published by the Office of the Registrar-General for Scotland reveal more Scots are dying than being born.

As the countdown began to the nationwide 2001 census in late April, the statistics were a reminder of the demographic time bomb caused by Scotland’s aging population. Although immigrants to Scotland outnumber emigrants by 800, there were 5,700 more deaths than births in the first six months of 2000.

Scotland's population is still ‘relatively stable’ at just over 5.1 million-22,000 lower than its recent peak in 1995, but 18,000 higher than a decade ago.

The Lothians, Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, and the Borders were the main centers of population growth, while the Western Isles, Shetland and Dundee are among the areas on decline.

West Lothian’s population went up by 1.3 per cent to 156,690, while East Lothian’s went up by 0.9 per cent to 91,280. The biggest declines were in two island areas-down 1.4 per cent for the Western Isles and 1.3 per cent for Shetland. In the cities, only Edinburgh saw its population increase-by 0.4 per cent to 453,430. Aberdeen had a decline of .07 per cent to 211,250; Dundee went down 1.2 per cent to 142,700, and Glasgow went down by 0.3 per cent to 609,370. Highland, which includes Inverness-Scotland’s newest city-saw its population level unchanged at 208,600.

Willie Dunn, the deputy leader of West Lothian Council, said he was not surprised by the position at the top of the growth table. ‘We’ve known for some time that West Lothian is the place to be. We’ve got very high employment levels, a good quality of life, and much more affordable housing, especially compared with Edinburgh. Many firms of Edinburgh’s western fringes are choosing to move further out here because of the benefits.’

Although the Western Isles and Shetland suffered the biggest population losses, the number of emigrants tells a different story. The estimated total number of people leaving the Western Isles in early 2000 was 182, while number leaving Shetland was 304. This compares with the estimated 1,342 people leaving Dundee in the same period.

Tavish Scott, the MSP for Shetland, said ‘The rural economy is always a fragile one, especially when it relies upon the oil industry, which is prone to fluctuations... The numbers could tell a different story over a longer period.’

From www.thescotsman.co.uk April 25, 2001

The rubbish tip next to a public care park went largely unnoticed, except by those who were unwittingly dumping on history. It was only when Steven Birch, a scallop fisherman doing a distance learning course on archaeology, came ashore to root around in a remote part of Scotland’s west coast one day three years ago that the site was identified as an important time capsule of early life.

The scale of exactly how important became clear when it was confirmed the dump was once used some 9,5000 years ago, making the site one of the earliest dated human occupations in Scotland.

A team from Scotland’s First Settlers, an Edinburgh University project, has been excavating the shell midden at the front of a rock-shelter at Sand, near Applecross in Wester Ross. Results of radiocarbon dating show that people were living at the site during the Mesolithic period, about 7500 B.C. It follows confirmation that an encampment at Cramond, near Edinburgh, has been dated to 8500 B.C., which proved that there were inhabitants in Scotland some 500 year earlier than previously thought.

Although no human remains have been found, discoveries at the site have helped archaeologists build a picture of life in the area. The early inhabitants did not grow crops or keep cattle, but were nomads who moved from place to place, using rich resources from the land and sea for clothes, food and tools.

The team has discovered bones from red deer and birds, bevel-ended tools used for processing shellfish such as scallops, mussels, clams and limpets, and an antler harpoon for catching a wide range of fish, including cod, mackerel, haddock, herring and salmon. There are also stone, bone and antler tools, and evidence of fine shell beads and other items that may have been used for jewellery, such as a boar’s tusk.

From www.thescotsman.co.uk May 29, 2001

An American lung disease expert has sounded a warning over bagpipes. Robert Sataloff says people who take up the instrument are more prone to infections and to developing large stomachs.

The doctor, who works at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, believes the bag acts as a perfect breeding ground for spores that can be breathed in by pipers. His study shows that the problem comes from the glycerine and honey products used to cure the instrument’s skin. They make for a better sound, but they also act as culture mediums for bacteria and fungi.

Dr. Sataloff says people who breathe in air from bagpipes often infect themselves and develop pneumonias. He also believes players can experience other ‘strange problems’. The academic explained: ‘They are more likely to have an hour-glass belly in which they develop funny-shaped distended stomachs filled with the air from playing the instrument. Bagpipe players can make awful funny noises-you tend to know when you are standing next to someone who plays’. ‘If bagpipes start to experience changes in their ability to breathe and play, or if they develop voice fatigue, these may be early signs that they have lung problems because of the bags.’

Roddy Macleod, director of piping at the Piping Centre in Glasgow, said he had not experienced any problems during the 25 years he has been playing. ‘I obviously have a large circle of friends who play and I haven’t noticed these problems being too prominent. I think perhaps in days gone by the curing with honey and glycerin was used. But there are different kinds of products on the market now, and there are many pipers who don’t use skin bags and use man-made products instead’.

As far as Macleod was aware, most of his piper friends were in good health and he said the pastime was known to be good for the ardiovascular system. "I had a check-up at the doctors recently and he said I had the lungs of a man who was 6 foot, 6 inches, and I am only 5 foot, 10 inches."

From the BBC April 2001