Week 5: Two More Cities Announce Community Events

/

In the week of the year that, statistically, is the coldest of winter, hardy souls are still lacing up to go kilt skating.

The weather is not just cold on the knees; it also has an impact on the reeds of bagpipes.

And yet, across the country, people still celebrate their Scottish heritage by taking to the ice in kilts and tartans. For the second year in a row, Jane Marcuse sent us a picture from Pointe-Claire, Quebec.

And we have now received the first photo from Vancouver.

As the Township of South Glengarry prepares for its community kilt skate on February 27, Charlie MacRae holds his own Home Edition kilt skate at a hockey rink in St. Andrews — braving flying pucks as well as frosty weather.

While further up the Ottawa Valley, the Armstrong family plays hockey in their kilts.

On Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway, Heather Theoret takes a spin on the ice at the Dow’s Lake Pavilion.

In the meantime, Rianna Crawford, Youth Director of the Scottish Society of Ottawa, issues a challenge to get people out on the ice for the Home Edition. Watch for a younger demographic in the Home Edition gallery in the weeks ahead.

For the second year in a row, the Home Edition of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate is proving very popular. It was initiated in response to the Covid social distancing protocols, but in recent weeks, as public health officials relax some of the measures, two cities that had originally cancelled their community events in favour of Home Edition have announced new dates for their community events.

The St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg has organized a community kilt skate at The Forks on Family Day, Monday February 21 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

The Scottish Society of Ottawa has rescheduled a cancelled January event for Saturday, February 26 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at the Lansdowne Park Skating Court.

The first community kilt skate of the 2022 season begins later today in Concord, New Hampshire. Watch for pictures from that event in the days ahead. The schedule for community events is as follows:

Lots of news and pictures in the coming days. And even in those cities that have scheduled a community kilt skate, the Home Edition is still on. Please send your own photos and videos to kiltskatemedia@ottscot.ca, or tag them #TartanUp #kiltskate2022 #ScotlandIsNow #ottscot.

See you on the ice!