The 2020 Kilt Skate Capital of Canada
Kilt Skate celebration
The Glengarry townships have done it again! Each year North and South Glengarry alternate in hosting the Great Canadian Kilt Skate in Eastern Ontario. For the second year in a row, a Glengarry township has been declared the Kilt Skate Capital of Canada.
Just a few years ago, kilt skate enthusiasts from the Glengarry townships had to travel to the annual Ottawa kilt skate to satisfy their urge to celebrate Scottish culture with bare knees and ice. In 2018 North Glengarry hosted an event of its own. When unseasonably warm weather made the Alexandria pond unsafe for skating, North Glengarry moved the event to a nearby hockey arena.
It proved to be an inspired decision. They combined the first-ever hockey arena kilt skate with a good old-fashioned social in the community hall upstairs. The event included live music, dancing and, of course, cake and hot chocolate as well as other refreshments. Since then, many other cities have followed the example of hosting kilt skates indoors and continuing the celebrations in the warmth of the arena halls.
The following year, with a big turnout from across Eastern Ontario, including army cadets skating on parade in time to the pipes, North Glengarry was declared the 2019 Kilt Skate Capital.
This year, it was the turn of the Township of South Glengarry to host the kilt skate, and did they throw a party! Under the leadership of Recreation Director Cathy MacDonnell, the action inside Williamstown’s Char-Lan arena included live music and highland dancing, an opening ceremony and a figure skating demonstration. Meanwhile, outdoors, on a brilliantly sunny March afternoon, Scots, Scots-by-heritage, and Scots-at-heart enjoyed a winter carnival complete with wagon rides, marshmallow roasts, and a toboggan hill.
Out of the 11 communities hosting kilt skates, South Glengarry Township was declared the 2020 Kilt Skate Capital of Canada.
The Scottish Society of Ottawa is working with organizations to plan for the 2021 kilt skate season. We don’t yet know what impact the COVID-19 protocols will have. Will indoor events be allowed? Cities like Ottawa, Saskatoon and Calgary have always held their kilt skates outdoors – despite occasional sub-Arctic temperature. Will 2021 see a return to outdoor events across Canada?
Young dancers at Kilt Skate
One city has told us that it won’t hold a kilt skate this winter, but four have already declared their intention to organize events. Among them is North Glengarry, whose turn has come to represent the townships. Can the Glengarry townships make it a trifecta for the Kilt Skate Capital crown?
In Ottawa, the 2021 kilt skate will be part of SSO’s OttScot Festival that runs from the St. Andrew’s Day tutored whisky tasting, to the Rabbie Burns dinner towards the end of January and includes the annual Hogman-eh! party on New Year’s Eve. Plans for each of the events are being altered to accommodate COVID-19 protocols, but in each case, the show will go on!
Watch SSO’s newsletter and website for further details.