![['Eighteen-year-old Susie Aljoie was the only female competitor during the Scottish heavyweight games at Tartan Field Saturday for the 53rd annual Festival of the Tartans. Aljoie, who is from Middleton, Nova Scotia, began taking part in the heavy weight games about two years ago. Sueann Musick - The News']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/heavyweight-girl-1130275.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=compress%2Cformat%2Cenhance)
The 62nd Annual Festival of the Tartans is fast approaching and will run from July 17 to July 21, with events such as the Kilted Golf Tournament, the Antique Car Show and New Glasgow’s Highland Games.
The Festival of the Tartans marks Scottish heritage in New Glasgow, Pictou County and Nova Scotia. It is the town’s longest running festival and this year will feature numerous and varied events. The Festival will kick-off the week with the Official Welcome and Tartan Tea on Wednesday, July 17 at the waterfront gazebo located beside Glasgow Square Theatre, 155 Riverside Parkway at 12:30 p.m., providing an extra day of Scottish heritage for everyone to enjoy. Also on July 17, the annual Antique Car Show will be held at Glasgow Square Theatre parking lot from 6-9 p.m. The car show will feature recorded music 50’s 60’s and 70’s and live piping music.
For those looking forward to seeing a great display of tartan and kilts, there is the annual Kilted Golf Tournament at Glen Lovat on Thursday, July 18 at 1 p.m. Also, Thursday evening at Rotary Park grab your lawn chair for the Fiddle Concert starting at 6 p.m.
On Friday, Glen Haven Manor will roll out the red carpet and host their annual Festival of the Tartans Garden Party at 2 p.m., which is beautifully presented with the sights and sounds of Scotland for the residents and the public to enjoy each year. Bring a chair and come listen to some traditional Celtic fiddle music Rotary Park at the festival’s first ever fiddle concert on Friday, July 19 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 20 marks the opening of New Glasgow’s Highland Games at Scott W Weeks Sports Complex, on Park St, beside the Bluenose Curling Club, which hosts a number of events throughout the day. There will be Scottish Highland Dancing starting at 8:30 a.m., Heavy Weights Games starting at 9 a.m., March of Pipes at 12:30 p.m., Opening Ceremonies at 1 p.m., Bagpipe Quartet Competition at 1:30 p.m., Pipe Band Mini-concerts from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and a Mass Pipe Band at 4 p.m. There will also be a genealogy tent presented by the Pictou County Roots Society, a festival beer tent, bouncy castles, food trucks and more.
The official closing of the Festival of the Tartans and the annual Kirkin’ O’ The Tartans church service will take place at Loch Broom Church on Sunday morning, July 21 at 10 a.m., with a reception to follow.
