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“MECKLENBURG DECLARATION” DESCENDANTS TO BE
FIRST-EVER TWIN BAPTISM DURING THE RURAL HILL SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
AND LOCH NORMAN HIGHLAND GAMES
April 8, 2010
HUNTERSVILLE, NC: Descendants of
two signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence will
be the first-ever twin baptism for the Rural Hill Scottish
Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games. Twin girls Ashley
Demming and Reagan Caroline Bass will be baptized during the 9
AM church service in the Davidson Family Cemetery on Sunday,
April 18. Ashley and Reagan are descendants of Major John
Davidson and John McKnitt Alexander, signers of the Mecklenburg
Declaration of Independence. The church service is open to the
public. The Davidson Family Cemetery is located on Neck Road,
across from the Festival and Games site. Free parking for the
church service is available on both shoulders of the road next
to the cemetery, and there is no charge to attend the early
church services.
Conducting the service and
baptism are the Reverend C. Frederic Stanford,
retired Presbyterian Minister and a member of the
Henderson Clan, assisted by Reverend Father Patrick Maclean of
the Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Parents Demming and Holly Bass
from Marietta, GA and paternal grandparents L.D. and Nancy Bass
from Charlotte will also be in attendance. The father and
grandfather will be wearing the family’s Clan Henderson kilts
during the service, with the girls wearing traditional sashes
featuring the Clan Henderson and Clan Davidson tartans.
Family Clans with Chiefs expected
to attend the service include: Alexander sept of Clan
McAlister; Clan MacBean; Clan Davidson; Gillis sept of Clan
MacPerson; Clan Henderson; Clan MacLean; Clan McDougall;
McDowell sept of Clan McDougall; Moodie sept of Clan Stewart;
and Clan Ramsay. Family Clans with no Chiefs include: Clan
Adam; Clan Boswell; McLendon sept of Clan MacLennon; Clan
Murray; Clan Newton and Clan Robertson.
The Mecklenburg Declaration of
Independence was allegedly the first declaration of
independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American
Revolution. It was signed on May 20, 1775, in Charlotte, N.C.,
by a committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County, who declared
independence from Great Britain after hearing of the battle of
Lexington.
The 17th Annual
Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games
will be held April 17-18, 2010. With professional Scottish
heavy athletic competition, amateur heavy athletics,
international as well as regional music talents in Celtic rock,
traditional and contemporary Celtic music, piping and drumming,
highland dancing, Scottish country dancing, harp and fiddle
competitions, children’s activities, demonstrations and our
famous historic encampment, the weekend will be fun for the
entire family. Proceeds support the preservation of Rural
Hill. Admission begins as low as $10 per person and varies
based on the number of days and activities selected. For
complete information on the 17th Annual Rural Hill
Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games, please visit
our website at
www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.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 Rural Hill, Inc. (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 Sheep Dog
Trials. Education programs and tours are available throughout
the year. CVSS is a non-profit organization supported through
membership and donations, and with proceeds from its events
utilized for the preservation of historic Rural Hill and its
education efforts. For more information on events or for
financial support accepted securely online, please visit
www.ruralhill.net.
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