

About the Highland Games:
The
Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival is an event of the St.
Andrew's Society of Central Illinois. The Society is a 501(c)3 organization
dedicated to keeping Celtic traditions alive. Our membership works
tirelessly to teach our culture to future generations and to educate the
community about all things Celtic. The Springfield Highland Games is just
one way we do that.
The Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival had its humble beginning
at Knight's Action Park thirteen years ago, when members of the St. Andrew's
Society saw an opportunity to bring a traditional Highland event to Central
Illinois. Thanks to the hard work of those original organizers, the event
quickly outgrew the park and was moved to the Inside Track of the Illinois
State Fairgrounds where it is held today. The Games features competitions
for Highland dancers, individual pipers and drummers, bagpipe bands, and
athletes. Over the years, the competition has grown from just five bagpipe
bands to as many as 18; from just 30 dancers to 90; and from only 10
athletes to almost 100. Competitors come from across the mid-west and from
all corners of the country.
In addition to competitive events, the festival features many demonstrations
throughout the day. In 2007, we will host rugby matches, storytelling,
music, animal exhibits, a large children's area, and much, much more. There
will also be several merchandise and food vendors, many of which will be
showcasing Scottish and Irish goods.
Each year, some of the funds raised from the Springfield Highland Games and
Celtic Festival are returned to the community. Some of the past donation
recipients include: American Red Cross, the boys and Girls Clubs, Sojourn
House, Big Brother Big Sister, Boy Scouts of America, SPARC, and the Ronald
McDonald House. For the past nine years, the primary charity has been the
Ronald McDonald House, whose mission is to serve families during the
hospitalization of seriously ill children. To date, the Games has
contributed $9,000 to the Ronald McDonald House.
Our supporters are from both the public and private sectors. The Illinois
Arts Council, Capitol Radio Group, Gold's Gym, Global Printing & Graphics,
Matthews Construction, and other businesses have been annual supporters
through dollars and media outreach.
Countless
volunteers from the community come together on the day of the event to
work together to create a world-class Games. The event is also very
strongly supported by the St. Andrew's Society of Central Illinois
membership, who generously give their time and money to help make this
event successful each year.