"The Mac Dhubhaich"
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The newsletter is published quarterly and sent to all members of the Clan. It
is a wealth of information! There are historical articles of general
interest about Scotland, her people and the Clan, as well as current news.
Each of the ten regional conveners reports on activities in their area. There
are genealogical queries and tidbits, flowers of the forest, interesting
websites and books, Scottish jokes, MacDuff items for sale, listings of new
members, and all sorts of other interesting things. This award winning
newsletter is edited by Kim Marzke. This page will
offer selected samples from the newsletter.
MOUNTAIN STATES REGION - Winter 2000 Hello fellow Rocky Mountain Highlanders! I'd like to introduce myself; I'm James Alexander (Alec) Macduff, your new Rocky Mountain States Convener, voted in at the July annual meeting. My father is James D. Macduff, the Pacific Northwest Convener. I was the Pacific Coast States Convener several years ago. My wife, Tatiana, her two daughters, Rhonda and Sabrina, and I, have been living in Colorado for almost four years now. I have been involved with anything Celtic. In addition to our Clan MacDuff membership, we are also members of the St. Andrews Society of Colorado. This past year we attended the Burns Supper, and our friends and fellow clansmen, Don and Arlene Burt, recently attended the annual St. Andrews Ball. We hope to see more of Clan MacDuff members at some of these functions. It's always nice to support other Scottish organizations. we will attend the Burns Supper this January. If you'd like m! ! ore information give me a call or e-mail. We attended several games this year, but were especially pleased to represent Clan MacDuff at the High Plains Scottish Irish Festival in Evans, Colorado. I recommend this festival to anyone who likes a small, cozy atmosphere with very little commercialism. We plan to have a booth there again next year. In fact, we plan to attend most, if not all of the festivals/games in Colorado. The first Highland games of the new year are in May, at the Kiowa Celtic Festival. I'd like to thank Merrill Creech for representing the Clan at one of the recent games in New Mexico. We can use some help at some of the other mountain states as well. Tatiana and I are looking forward to seeing all of you at the Estes Park Games for the annual meeting. Beannachd leibh! (Blessings to you!)
MIDDLE ATLANTIC REGION - Winter 2000 Hello to all the Middle Atlantic MacDuff members. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This year I would like to bring Clan MacDuff to more of this region. So far, for the year 2001, I plan to be at the following Games in our area: February 17 & 18 - Mid Winter Celtic Music Festival at the Valley Forge Convention Center (not to worry - it is inside); May - Elizabethtown PA; Aug - South Charleston WV (this will be their third year - last year was great - Neil Anderson and Friends were there). There will be two more games in Sept with the first one being my home games, the McLane Celtic Festival in Carlisle PA on Labor Day weekend. Then comes the 43rd Ligonier Games. This past year the Glengarry Bhoys were great entertainment. I would like to go to a few more games in 2001, but I need your help. I need to know which ones you would like me to attend and represent the Clan MacDuff. I sure can use ! ! the information on which games you would like me to, and that you would like to come and help me out. I really hate to march in the Clan Parade alone with our colors. Please come and help me out!
NEW ENGLAND REGION - Fall 2000 The games are on again! Weatherwise, New England is a bit behind our brothers and sisters in other parts of the country, but......here we go! We began on May 20 with great hopes for the Rhode Island Scottish Festival in the nice shore town of Westerly. Last year they had a good start. This year, we had miserable rain for most of the weekend. More than just spirits were dampened; the crowd was very sparce and most of the participants packed up early. In spite of the weather, three prospective members stopped by. The Connecticut Convener, Bill Robitaille, manned the tent along with help from Jane and Carl Robitaille and Betty Ann and myself. Now, all of you folks who were at Loon Mtn. last year easily recall Bill Robitaille's masterful control of feeding us! Well, Westerly was no different! Soon, the aroma of a great clam chowder filled the tent and beyond, and we had "friends" we had never met before as well as some of the regulars! The gallons of "made-on-the-site" chowder was very welcome on a chilly, raw day. The MacDuff tent was quickly very popular, despite the bad weather. Thanks so much, Bill! The next games was Southern New Hampshire, but unfortunately we have no report. June 24th brought a gorgeous day and the Western Mass Highland Games. Jane and Carl really organized those games over the past five years. This year got under way a bit differently with Carl and Jane manning the tent. She seemed so pleased to just chat with visitors and not have to worry about a thousand other problems as in the past. John and Gail Kilgore were there with the Historic Highlanders and stopped by a number of times. (I have never been able to figure out how some of those Highlanders can romp around those stony fields and paths in their bare feet!) Alice Tourtellotte and her family also visited. We usually see them at the Scotland, CT., festival in October, so it was really nice to see the whole gang this early in the year! Betty Ann and I were able to help a bit, and Betty Ann kindly tent-sits while the rest of us march in Opening Ceremonies. (She is a great support, my Swede is, to this Scot!) Jane suggested that Betty Ann should be designated the Official New England MacDuff Tent-Sitter!! Three prospective members visited. It was a small crowd that day, but there were 43 clans and the entertainment and workshops were wonderful. I, for one, always enjoy the beautiful sounds of Charlie Zahm wafting down to our tent. August 5 brought us to the Tam O'Shanter games at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. We have enjoyed the games there for several years and were sad last year when they were canceled. This year's organizers decided on a 2-day event, but that seemed to be a large problem as most clan reps had commitments for Sunday and did not stay. The weather was fantastic with large puffy clouds and the tent cooled by a constant gentle breeze. We had five people from a rather small crowd stop by to ask questions and chat. As this goes to press, we will be at the Maine Games at beautiful Thomas Point Beach, a state park on the edge of the Atlantic. Doug and Donna Kilgour will be manning the tent with help from the Glasgows and Robitailles. Doug is our Maine Convener and a very hard worker for the Clan. More on these games next time. As we approach September 14th, all of us here in this region will fondly remember the great time we had with you all last year at the AGM. In closing, we certainly hope that this finds you well, happy, and enjoying the games in your area.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION - Summer 2000 Greetings from the Pacific coast. What have we been up to here? We've had the Bakersfield Games, which is a very enjoyable one day event - small, but a lot of characters with lots of stories dropping by the tent for a chat. It has amazed me, visiting this event for 3 years, how many people originated from MacDuff and Banff and probably do not know each other! In passing, did you know that the Duff House was a prisoner of war camp during WW II - barb wire fences and all? The clan has been represented at the Tri-Cities Fremont Tartan Day gathering. At this moment in time, I am waiting to get a report from our representative Stephen Gunn. Thank you, Stephen, for manning the tent again this year. The family has been to the All Clans Picnic in Fullerton for a wonderful day out. This event, put on by the Clans of the Highlands Loch Prado games organizers, is for small clans to have a social gathering and picnic which normally would be out of the question. It is open to all clan members. Coming up on Memorial Day weekend is the United Scottish Society Games at Costa Mesa fairgrounds; San Diego Highland Games on June 24-25 with their theme "Genealogy and Family History"; and the Loch Prado Games on October 21-22. Jim MacDuff will be out and about as the newly formed Pacific Northwest Convener. He will be going to games in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho as well as working with some Canadian MacDuffs on genealogy research.
DEEP SOUTH REGION - Summer 2000 We attended the Dunedin, FL Games on a beautiful spring day. The MacDuff tent was again very well presented by Bev and Bob Golden. The tent was popular with a steady stream of visitors. The games were well attended. Well done, Bev and Bob! (Now we'll just work hard on getting Bob into a sharp looking kilt, eh?) The North Central Florida Scottish Society held a catfish-fry for their annual meeting - delicious! Plans are under way for the games in Ocala, FL, November 11th. It was wonderful to hear from Larry MacDuff. We met at Loon Mountain at the Clan Gathering, and we are looking forward to G'father Mt in NC july 6-9 this summer. He and brother Chris were great fun! We've discovered that Florida has just about as many games as California and is one of the busiest states in the USA with 'games.' Wow!! Now, to look forward to other Deep South games: Alabama has dates in New Market in mid-June and Montgomery in late September; Mississippi has the Jackson Games on August 25 followed by the Jackson Celtic Society on the 9th of September and the Gulfport Games on October 7-8; Georgia has Savannah on May 11 and Atlanta one week later, with Indian Springs in June and the big Stone Mt Games October 19-20. Florida still has Ft. Walton Beach on May 20; Tallahassee on Oct. 29; Lake Placid on Nov. 4; Castleberry (Orlando area) the 20th of January in 2001; and Sarasota on February 3, 2001 - ahead! Try to visit one or more of these and enjoy. Hope you've signed up for the Clan tour for May 2001!
MOUNTAIN STATES - Spring 2000 It seems to have been a very short year after the birth of our daughter Shannon. Our newsletter columns were either lost in cyberspace as the editor did not get them, or they were left on the desk. The Estes Park games went very well and the weather was very good. We all enjoyed the bands, the friendships, and the wedding held at the Macintosh tent. Clark Poppelton, Utah State Convener, was part of the wedding and it went very well. I was asked to pipe but declined as I was out of practice. I was able to get a piper from Clan Keith and he did a great job. Clark and Leigh Poppelton and daughter came for the second year and I think they had a good time, car problems included. Clark and Leigh are great people, are ready to help, and are two of the most interesting people I know. Ward Weems brought his store to the games and from what I saw seemed to do well selling books. He has quite a variety and I was able to locate some information that I was looking for. There were many clan members who came by to say hello and some for a dram. We were able to sign a few new members, many who were interested in research, so I hope we will be able to assist them.
International Clan MacDuff Tour May 20-June 1 - Summer 2000 The weather in Scotland is beautiful with temperatures in the mid 70s. Spring has sprung with the trees bursting into leaf, and cherry blossom and gorse in bloom. This is a change from the snow of 2 weeks ago. I spent a couple of days in Fife in early May researching routes for the tour to make sure we see as many interesting places as possible in the time. Fife is an area of great contrasts from Standing Stones (2000 BC) to the small town of Falkland, granted to the MacDuff Earls of Fife in 1160, to Glenrothes - a new town built in 1949. Coal mining and fishing were the industries last century. The mining areas have been made into beautiful country parks and fishing villages are delightful holiday resorts. St. Andrews is the home of golf as well as the ruined castle and cathedral, once the largest in Scotland. Falkland was granted to the Earls of Fife in 1160. The outline of the original castle at Falkland can be seen in the grounds of the Royal Palace of Falkland. It was built in the 16th century by James IV and used as the Royal hunting lodge by all the Stuart monarchs including Mary, Queen of Scots. It is an extremely fine example of Renaissance architecture. The Chapel Royal has been restored along with the King's and Queen's bedchambers, which are beautifully furnished. I enjoyed driving around the countryside of Fife in the beautiful spring sunshine looking at castles, cathedrals, churches, villages and towns. I particularly liked the fish and chips in Anstruther on the coast. The Fisheries Museum in Anstruther covers all facets of life as a fisherman from the herring fleets 100 years ago, to whaling, to industrial salmon fishing. I can hardly wait to share these experiences with you.
The Threads Running Through History: A Brief Look At Cemeteries - Fall 1999 I found it somewhat comical yet intensely endearing that my ancestors chose to lug coffins and digging tools up hills so that the deceased would be closer to heaven..... I began looking into burial traditions of post- and pre-Christian Scotland to see if there were any connections. I found no documentation of burial grounds located specifically at the top of hills, but I did find a fierce loyalty and connection to the physical land, the exact spot where an individual had lived and died. .... Throughout our history there has been an ardent connection to the land. I wondered why? The closest answer I could come to is one dating from pre-Christian Scotland. The Scots have always been highly connected to the fairy world. ....... The fairy stories run strong through our history. Old habits and ideas are apparently incredibly hard to break for our stubborn Scots. The old cemeteries are disappearing in underbrush. It is comforting to me to know that there are still places of uninterupted peace. I can imagine that the bagpiper standing atop those windy hills will always be there for those who lend an ear to the breeze and care to listen.
Books "The Scot in History: A Study of the Interplay of Character and History" by Wallace Notestein
Websites
Q. What's the difference between a bagpipe and an onion?
Q. What's the definition of a gentleman? Did you hear about the gentleman who parked his car with the windows open, forgetting that he left his bagpipes in the back seat? He rushed back as soon as he realized it, but it was too late! Someone had already put another set of bagpipes in the car!
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