McPherson Scottish Festival

Imagine lying on a bed of nails, and having weight added on top of you. That was just one of the amazing and interesting sights at the McPherson Scottish Festival and Highland Games that ended Sunday, Sept. 23 2012.

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There were the usual bagpipes and dancers with kilts everywhere.  There was sword fighting and vintage cars, but it was the athletic competition that got a lot of people watching.

In the feats of strength demonstration, a man lay down on a bed of nails. That seems hard enough, but then they put a board on top of him, and crushed a cinder block over him. Then a group of children climbed on top of the board and stood on top of him with the nails still under him. He had a few scratches but no real injuries.

Other feats included bending nails and tearing phone books in half, as well as bursting open soda cans full of soda.

The games themselves were also interesting. One was the caber toss, which is a long pole that looks like a telephone pole. This pole was about 30 feet long, and to make a successful throw the athlete had to throw it in such a way that it tumbled over.

 Weights of various types were thrown, and there was throwing a bale of hay with a pitch fork for distance and accuracy.

This was the 19^th festival along Lakeside Park in McPherson. The weather was perfect for the event, as it often is this time of year in Kansas.

There are more festivals coming up in Kansas and I will try to keep you posted.