RURAL HILL NEWS RELEASE

Contact: 704.875.3113 or office@ruralhill.net

IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE…NATIONAL TARTAN DAY APRIL 6, NATIONAL SCOTS, SCOTS-IRISH HERITAGE MONTH, AND APRIL IS FOR ARTS!

April 3, 2009 

HUNTERSVILLE, NC:  April is a month for celebration.  The Catawba Valley Scottish Society and Rural Hill, Center of Scottish Heritage, invite everyone to celebrate National Tartan Day April 6 and April as National Scots, Scots-Irish Heritage Month.  Also, remember that April is for the Arts at Rural Hill and throughout northern Mecklenburg County.  

A national holiday for all Scottish Americans, National Tartan Day is April 6, 2009.  The volunteers of Rural Hill and the Catawba Valley Scottish Society invite you to wear your tartan to celebrate. Need a tartan to wear?  In 1981, a Carolinas Tartan was designed by the Scottish Tartan Society and was adopted as the official tartan of the Catawba Valley Scottish Society. Scarves and other clothing are available for purchase through the gift shop at www.ruralhill.net. 

National Scots, Scots-Irish Heritage Month honors those of Scots/Scots-Irish ancestry and recognizes their contributions in America’s history and its success. Of the original thirteen governors of the American Colonies, nine were Scots/Scots-Irish.  Of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, almost half were of Scots/Scots-Irish descent.  From the framers of the Declaration of Independence to the first man on the moon, Scottish-Americans have contributed mightily to the fields of the arts, science, politics, law, and more. Today, over eleven million Americans claim Scots and Scots-Irish roots, making them the eighth largest ethnic group in the United States. These are the people and accomplishments that are honored through the month of April and on National Tartan Day. April 6 has a special significance for Americans of Scottish descent because the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence, was signed on April 6, 1320, and the American Declaration of Independence was modeled on that inspirational document. 

In addition to national recognition, the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed April 6 as Tartan Day and April as Scottish Heritage Month in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.  There are many signs of those early Scottish settlers still found in the metropolitan Charlotte area. The flag of the City of Charlotte is the St. Andrew's Cross, the flag of Scotland, with the City of Charlotte's seal in the center. The most notable historic parallel is the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Although not signed until May 20, 1775, the influence and independent spirit of those Scottish Barons set an example that reverberated across the centuries.

April is for Arts is a month-long celebration of the diversity of arts and culture in North Mecklenburg County made possible, in part, through a grant from the Arts and Science Council.  Please join us at Rural Hill as Scottish Heritage celebrations continue April 17-19 with the Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games.  The fun begins with The Call o’ the Clans on Friday, followed by a Scottish Country Welcome Dance.  Saturday and Sunday offer Amateur Scottish Heavy Athletics and a variety of competitions that anyone can enter.  The Professional Scottish Heavy Athletics Events including the 16 lb Stone, 22 lb Hammer Throw, 28 lb Weight Throw, 56 lb Weight Throw, 56 lb Weight Toss for Height, Turning the Caber, and Tossing the Sheaf.   Note: Professional athletes are by invitation only.   Sanctioned competitions include Individual Piping and Drumming, Pipe Band Competition, Carolinas Open Highland Dancing Championships, Scottish Country Dance Demonstrations, Scottish Fiddle Competition and Scottish Harp Competition.    There is a new Children’s Activity Village including the popular “Passport to Scotland,” music, storytelling, weaving, face painting, and the smaller versions of the heavy athletics competition.  Also new this year is a Scottish and Celtic Music Concert on Saturday evening.   Other activities and demonstrations include crafts, Scottish and Celtic music and dancing, the Scottish American Military Society, the Highland Cattle and more.  There will be more than 90 Scottish clans, family societies and heritage organizations to visit and discover your Scottish heritage and genealogy. 

Complete Festival and Games information is available online at www.ruralhillscotttishfestivals.net or www.ruralhill.net.

Rural Hill is located at 4431 Neck Road (off Beatties Ford Road) in Huntersville, 28078.  The former homestead of Major John and Violet Davidson, the 265 acre site is maintained and promoted by The Catawba Valley Scottish Society (CVSS).  Rural Hill features annual events such as the Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games, The Rural Hill Amazing Maize Maze and the Rural Hill Sheepdog Trials.  CVSS is a non-profit organization supported through membership and donations.  For more information on events or for financial support accepted securely online, please visit www.ruralhill.net. 

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