Grab your kilt and your clan and get to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games for “blaring bagpipes, astounding athletes and tons of tartan.” The four-day event begins with sheep-herding demonstrations and only gets more Celtic from there. Brawnier participants may enter heavyweight competitions such as “turning the caber” and “tossing the sheaf.” In the caber toss, athletes flip a telephone pole-sized log end over end. The sheaf toss involves lifting a 16-pound sack of hay over a 20-foot bar. Not an athlete? Grab a traditional meat pie and enjoy Scottish dance, music and various other cultural offerings. The games take place Thursday through Sunday, July 10-13, at McCrae Meadows on Grandfather Mountain. $15-$30 day passes, $75 weekend passes. gmhg.org. Photo by Hugh Morton
Smart bets: Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
![parade_tartans](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/parade_tartans-1100x742.jpg)
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