The Hector Festival puts all things highland front and centre

PICTOU - Pictou will be filled with music, stories and highland dancing this week in a celebration of the Ship Hector.
The Hector Festival kicks off today at the deCoste Centre in Pictou, featuring ceilidhs every night of the festival, with different performers each time.
The ceilidhs will also feature excerpts from the play Highland Dreams, which tells the story of Alexander Cameron, one of the Hector settlers, said Darlene MacDonald, manager of the deCoste.
"Each scene is a story in itself," MacDonald said. "Alexander Cameron was on the Hector and was one of the first settlers, he settled in Loch Broom. We'll read excerpts from his diary, from a 16-year-old to a 75-year-old man."
The final ceilidh of the festival takes place Saturday with a stage-packed presentation.
A highland dance competition will also be held throughout the day Saturday and Dr. Alan Marble, a noted genealogist, will be on hand Wednesday through Saturday to discuss family research.
The RCMP Pipe Band, along with Old Scotia Pipes and Drums and the Colchester Legion Pipe Band, will perform on Sunday afternoon during the closing events. A massed bands display is also part of the afternoon.
Again this year, a Settlers Village and an Encampment by the 84th Regiment of Foot will be set up at the site.
The village will have over 40 costumed settlers awaiting the arrival of the Hector settlers. Visitors will be invited to partake in some of the food that was common during the period, including items like chowder and bannock. A commentary on the landing is broadcast during the re-enactment and will be read in both English and Gaelic, beginning at 3 p.m.
"This is our 22nd year doing the Hector Festival, and the fact that we're still doing it after all these years is just amazing," MacDonald said. "The interest in the Scottish heritage in Pictou County has never been diminished."
Tickets for the daily ceilidhs are available through the deCoste Centre box office and at the door prior to show time at 8 p.m. Call 485-8848 for further information or visit www.decostecentre.ca