Then for Christmas one year, Trenda gave me a practice chanter for the bagpipes. They are on the pricey side, so I had to save up for awhile. "We bounced around and enjoyed it so much," he says, "that I decided I had to get a kilt. Plus, I've made so many good friends."įrom that first accidental encounter, Pete has also jumped in with both feet. It has really been a whole-hearted acceptance of my Scottish heritage. More than that, she says, "it instigated my love of Scotland. I've always loved quirky parties, and that's just what this is," she says. Kara still loves working at the festival. I remember her hopping on the back of a cart, with that velvet cloak swirling in the wind. "The picture I have in my head of Kara is one year when she was about 14, and it was quite cool, so she had on a velvet cloak. It changed how he viewed history, made him love history."ĭaughters Liz and Kara got more involved with volunteering at the festival. He always liked the re-enactments of the battles. Son Spencer "loved playing with the weapons. Their oldest daughter was a ballerina, "so she got involved with the Highland dancing, and did very well," says Trenda. Over the years, it has provided a lot of involvement for the Barney family. "All who come are embraced by the richness and warmth of Scottish culture."įor a complete schedule of events and more information, visit The festival is always a lot of fun - and a lot of work, says Trenda, who served as president of the association in 2008-09. "The Festival & Games are a great family event," says current association president Brooke Montgomery. You don't have to be Scottish to enjoy the festival. The festival offers a full array of Scottish culture, traditions and demonstrations, including bagpipe bands, Highland dance, gathering of the clans, Highland athletics, traditional music and food. The festival will take place this weekend at Thanksgiving Point. Throughout the year, the association sponsors several events, the biggest of which is the Utah Scottish Festival & Highland Games, now in its 37th year. But there's just something about Scotland that grabs us." I have German heritage that I'm proud of, too. "But we have Campbell, Steel, Douglas, Ramsay and a whole bunch of other clan connections," she said. Trenda is most closely connected to the McPherson clan Pete is connected to the Kerrs. They've become so entrenched in all things Scotland "that we can't imagine life without it," she says. Pete learned to play the bagpipes and now plays with the Salt Lake Scots." "Our kids were young enough that they got involved. "It's been a family affair ever since," she said. She got involved and after her term as treasurer stayed on the board to help with events. She convinced me I could do both."Ī short time later, the treasurer of the Utah Scottish Association has to resign, and the group called Trenda to see if she could fill in. I was doing research on some of the clans. "I was more into genealogy at that point. "She asked me if I'd like to get involved with the Utah Scottish Association," Trenda said. Little did they know how much it would change their lives.Īs they walked around the festival, Trenda met a woman and got to talking about Scottish family connections. Since both Trenda and Peter Barney have Scottish heritage, they decided to stop and take a look. The Barney family was coming home from vacation, driving up I-15 just outside of Payson, when they saw a sign advertising the Payson Scottish Festival going on that very day.
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