This page might take a little while to load, depending on your connection speed. All of the full-size images are around 30k in length, and were taken at the Pleasanton Highland Games and Gathering in Pleasanton, California on August 31 through September 1, 1996.
 Why is there always a chain link fence between a hammer thrower and the spectators? The head of a Scottish hammer weighs weighs either 16 or 22 pounds (light or heavy hammer) and it's on the end of a 50-inch cane shaft. Imagine the results if a spectator were to be struck by one of these...
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 The hammer is thrown standing style with the thrower facing away from the throwing area. He usually takes it three times around his head. At the moment of truth, he releases the hammer; and measurements of distance are made to determine the winner.
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 Steel spikes, built into the hammer thrower's shoes and driven into the ground, keep the thrower from moving his feet--- for if he does move them, it's a foul and his throw is disqualified.
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 Throwing the weight for distance is another test of a Scot's strength. The total weight is either 28 or 56 pounds; winner is the athlete who throws it the farthest. It's thrown from behind a curved wooden block, or trig--- and a step over the trig disqualifies the thrower.
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 The field is smaller, the action is non-stop, and the kind of Five-A-Side Soccer these honorary Celts play is as good as you'll find anywhere!
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 The Avenue of the Clans is always a popular spot for Scots and spectators alike. About 75 clans made appearances at the Caledonia Club's Games in Pleasanton in 1996.
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 These pipe band members are marching through the crowds toward the band judging area.
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 Spectators always crowd the band competition area. For most band members, the competitions are the high point of the weekend.
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 The 1996 Highland Dance competition at the Pleasanton Games saw more than more than two hundred competitors from all over the United States, Canada and Scotland.
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 There's music for all tastes at the Pleasanton Games. These traditional musicians are warming up for Scottish Country Dance.
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 Grandstand shows are always a popoular crowd-pleaser. Here, during closing ceremonies on September 1, the combination of brass and pipes, coupled with country dancers onstage, bring to an end another spectacular Labor Day weekend.
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 A full grandstand is only one small indicator of the popularity of the Caledonian Club's closing ceremony shows. A shame it can't go on forever!
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Why is there always a chain link fence between a hammer thrower and the spectators? The head of a Scottish hammer weighs weighs either 16 or 22 pounds (light or heavy hammer) and it's on the end of a 50-inch cane shaft. Imagine the results if a spectator were to be struck by one of these...
The hammer is thrown standing style with the thrower facing away from the throwing area. He usually takes it three times around his head. At the moment of truth, he releases the hammer; and measurements of distance are made to determine the winner.
Steel spikes, built into the hammer thrower's shoes and driven into the ground, keep the thrower from moving his feet--- for if he does move them, it's a foul and his throw is disqualified.
Throwing the weight for distance is another test of a Scot's strength. The total weight is either 28 or 56 pounds; winner is the athlete who throws it the farthest. It's thrown from behind a curved wooden block, or trig--- and a step over the trig disqualifies the thrower.
The field is smaller, the action is non-stop, and the kind of Five-A-Side Soccer these honorary Celts play is as good as you'll find anywhere!
The Avenue of the Clans is always a popular spot for Scots and spectators alike. About 75 clans made appearances at the Caledonia Club's Games in Pleasanton in 1996.
These pipe band members are marching through the crowds toward the band judging area.
Spectators always crowd the band competition area. For most band members, the competitions are the high point of the weekend.
The 1996 Highland Dance competition at the Pleasanton Games saw more than more than two hundred competitors from all over the United States, Canada and Scotland.
There's music for all tastes at the Pleasanton Games. These traditional musicians are warming up for Scottish Country Dance.
Grandstand shows are always a popoular crowd-pleaser. Here, during closing ceremonies on September 1, the combination of brass and pipes, coupled with country dancers onstage, bring to an end another spectacular Labor Day weekend.
A full grandstand is only one small indicator of the popularity of the Caledonian Club's closing ceremony shows. A shame it can't go on forever!