The Flags Unfurl in Fergus

There are some advantages to hosting a kilt skate in the home of one of North America’s great Scottish festivals.

The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games has been a major tourist attraction in central Ontario since 1946. They are preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the festival by inaugurating a winter event: Fergus’s first annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate.

They brought the saltires and the banners out from winter storage and displayed them on the ice of the Centre Wellington Sportsplex.

Since the event’s organizer is a figure skater, she organized a synchronous routine to highlight the flags.

And then skaters were free to wave their banners as they made their individual ways around the rink.

Both the saltires…

And the lion rampants.

As you’d expect, there were lots of pipes and drums courtesy of the Fergus Pipe Band.

And lots of Highland dancing, courtesy of the Blue Bonnet Lassies School of Highland Dance.

Everyone is welcome to bring their musical instruments — including Robin and Marilyn Aggus who play together as “Scotia.”

Fun for the whole family

A supportive environment to learn to skate.

Or just get together with old friends and family.

Thanks to Mike Robinson at The Wellington Advertiser for many of these photos. We look forward to reading their coverage of the event.

A big shout out, as well, to Austin Cardinell and the folks at radio station The Grand at 101 for supporting The Great Canadian Kilt Skate in Fergus, and to Steve Cole of the Fergus Festival board who also provided some of the photographs.

With 75 years of the Scottish Festival and Highland Games behind it, we’re sure that Fergus has many more years of kilt skating ahead.