First Presbyterian Church to host 40th annual Scottish heritage events

SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presbyterian Church will host the 40th annual Scottish Festival and Kirkin' o' th' Tartan this weekend, gathering an estimated total of 5,000 people to celebrate and honor their Scottish heritage.

The upcoming festival, which will be held on Saturday at the church in Salt Lake City, is scheduled to run for four hours starting at 2 p.m.

Pastor Jared McClure, one of the pastors for the First Presbyterian Church, said they plan to go "all out" for this year's festival. He said there will be many different activities for the community, including a bounce house, face painting, balloon animals and mini golf, all for free.

"This is a family-friendly event that is free," he said. "... They're going to get to do all these things and win prizes and enjoy themselves. It's just a beautiful time together."

Immediately following the festival, the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band will perform at 6 p.m., paying tribute to the Scottish immigrants who settled in Utah with highland bagpipes. Ian Williams, managing director for the band, said the concert will include pipers, drummers and dancers to round out the night.

"If you haven't been to one of our concerts, you really should come," Williams said. "Best part? It's free!"

The concert will last between one and a half to two hours, according to Williams. McClure said the clean-up from previous Scottish festivals had kept him at the church until 11 p.m., since the Kirkin' o' th' Tartan takes place the following morning.

The Kirkin' o' th' Tartan is a Scottish tradition celebrated on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday of October. Members of different Scottish-American clans will bring their family tartan to the church to be blessed by the pastors of the church.

Williams said 35 members of the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band will perform during the two Sunday sessions held by First Presbyterian, playing at both 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Williams said he personally had performed at 30 of the past 40 events, but the band had been there since the first Kirkin' o' th' Tartan celebrated there in 1986.

Pastor Jamie White with the First Presbyterian Church said she had started teaching at the church five years prior. It was a bit intimidating the first time she began blessing families that approached with their tartans on Reformation Sunday.

However, she said that as she looked into the eyes of the family representatives, she has been able to give them unique blessings that have touched the families far beyond Reformation Sunday.

"They go home and they intentionally frame (the blessing) or think about how it impacts their family," she said. "Or they'll come up and say, 'You obviously don't know all that's going on in my life, but what you prayed for or blessed me with was exactly what our family needed.'"

Both White and McClure will bless the families during the service. Following the Kirkin' o' th' Tartan, the band will play "Amazing Grace," a song that White joked was written for the bagpipes.

"There's not a dry eye in the room," she said.

White said the two Sunday services normally bring an estimated 1,500 people to the church, though she believes last year had as many as 1,700 attendees. She expects that this year, there will be even more.

Nearby businesses have allowed attendees to use their parking garages to ease parking concerns. It will likely remain difficult to find a nearby spot, but that difficulty will be no match for the attendees' determination.

"There will be people in their seats by 8:15 p.m., like as the choir is finishing their rehearsal because they're not messing around and they know the parking's awful," White said.

Honoring legacies

While the events themselves are free for the community to enjoy, traditional Scottish baked goods will be available for purchase. The proceeds from this year's festival will be donated to the Pamela Atkinson Resource Center and other charitable organizations.

Pamela Atkinson, who was an active member of First Presbyterian Church and strong community advocate, died on Oct. 10 at age 93. She had participated in each of the previous Kirkin' o' th' Tartan services, and the church leadership decided "long ago" where the funds would be allocated.

"We're so sad, but we're celebrating her life too and trying to honor her," White said.

The Scottish Festival and Kirkin' o' th' Tartan will honor both Atkinson and the legacy of other families who can trace their ancestry across the Atlantic. The church leadership is excited to share their 40-year commitment to their Presbyterian heritage with the community of Salt Lake City.

"Everybody's welcome," White said. "It's for our community, so we hope they can come."

Related topics