Radford Highlanders Festival

Radford Highlanders Festival Celebrates 12th Season October 13

It’s been more than a decade since the Radford Highlanders Festival, a joint partnership been Radford University and the City of Radford, first convened. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, marks the 12th anniversary of the festival, an event that has become a popular fall destination for local citizens and travelers along the eastern seaboard. Headline musical guests will be the Appalachian-Celtic bands Beggars’ Circus, The Celtibillies and Warpipe. The festival is 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on RU’s Moffett Field and early-morning visitors are invited to the 9 a.m. opening ceremony for the amateur Scottish heavy athletics competition.

The City of Radford hosts the official kick-off event. “A Taste of the Highlands, Radford Style” will be held on the eve of to the festival, Friday, Oct. 12, 7 - 10 p.m., at Ken Farmer Auctioneers building, 105 East Harrison St., in the downtown district. Tickets are $35 per person and include tastings of Scotch whiskeys, regional wines and Celtic beers. Attendees can enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, live music and entertainment.

More than 20 Scottish clans are available providing historical information on family lineages. Unique craft and food vendors line Moffett Field, offering a diversity of wares and tastes that please the wallet and the taste buds. The Scottish Clan March at midday is one of the most anticipated events. The accompanying pipe band is the Virginia Highlands Pipe and Drums.

Headline musical entertainers Beggars’ Circus will be in concert at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The Celtibillies, a local favorite, perform at 1 p.m. Warpipe, the newest pipe band to the region, comes on stage at 3 p.m.

The roots for a Celtic festival in the Radford area became embedded in 1772 when William Ingles, one of the first Scots-Irish settlers in Virginia, began operating a ferry on the New River. Radford soon became a flourishing central depot for the railroad industry and within 10 years, Ingles had built the first tavern on what is now the Pulaski County side of the river. A blacksmith shop, general merchandise business and the Lovely Mount tavern opened a short time later.

Radford is located 40 miles from Roanoke, Virginia, and is within a three -hour drive of several major cities including Richmond, Charlotte, North Carolina, and the nation’s capitol. Take Exit 109 off I-81 and follow Tyler Avenue. Signs will be posted.

To purchase tickets for Friday events and specific driving directions, call the Main Street Radford office at (540) 731-3656.

Admission to the festival is free. To learn more, call the RU Office of University Relations at (540) 831-5182, e-mail broberts@radford.edu or visit www.radford.edu/festival.