Musicians and music lovers alike agree that one of the most enjoyable aspects of a Scottish Highland Games event is the music. Depending on the games, one might hear traditional Scottish fiddling, folk songs sung in English or Gaelic, contemporary music with modern instruments in the "Celtic rock" genre, and of course, bagpipes. The Oct. 3 Scotland County Highland Games will offer all of this and more, featuring such diverse talents as fiddler and vocalist Rona Wilkie from Laurinburg's sister city of Oban, Scotland, the Scottish-American Celtic rock band Gael Warning from Charlotte, guitarist Danny Infantino and his wife June on flute, and a total of six pipe bands whose members will take part in individual pipe and drum competition. An additional attraction will be The Merrows, a Celtic music quartet from Charlotte who are set to perform at Cypress Bend Vineyards in Wagram on the evening following the games.

According to event Chairman Bill Caudill, everyone should be able to find plenty to enjoy among the diverse set of musical talent scheduled to perform at the festival.

"We will have everything at the Scotland County Highland Games from traditional to modern influences in Scottish and Celtic music," Caudill said. "Danny and June Infantino will be performing acoustic Celtic music on guitar and flute, Rona Wilkie from Scotland will be a real treat with her fiddling and Gaelic singing, and the group Gael Warning will be pushing the envelope a little with folk, rock, jazz and even African influences within the Scottish musical tradition. We will also have pipe bands from throughout the Carolinas as well."

An impressive mix of pipes and brass will occur, Caudill said, when the Scotland High School band takes the field for opening ceremonies to perform with the pipe bands.

"We will have about 200 musicians on the field for the opening of the games," Caudill said. "It was be like Scotland County's answer to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo."

Rona Wilkie of Oban grew up within the musical traditions of the Scottish Highlands. At 21, she has won several scholarships to study under top violinist Angus Ramsay at Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has performed at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2004 before the Queen. Fluent in the Gaelic language of Scotland and a traditional music ambassador for the National Gaelic Development Office of Scotland, Wilkie expressed pleasure at the prospect of her upcoming visit to Scotland County.

"I am excited to be coming to an area steeped in Scottishness," Wilkie said from her home in the Highlands. "I am studying the Scots in America from 1605 this year at university, so it will be really exciting to be in the area that I am going to be reading about all year. This will be my first visit to North Carolina, though I have friends who have been to Laurinburg with the exchange programs between there and Oban."

While she has never experienced a Highland Games event in the United States during her visits to the west coast, Wilkie said the games are a common occurrence in Scotland.

"At home the Highland Games are just a fact of life, with there being a circuit, meaning that there is a different host community every week for a different Highland Games throughout the summer. Sometimes the fair comes, and other times they are quite small. There are usually Highland dancing competitions, bagpiping competitions, which can attract the best pipers in the world, and an athletic element such as the caber, hammer, hill race, et cetera. There can also be mass pipe bands depending on how big the games are. In my hometown of Oban there is a procession down High Street of mass bands, which is lovely to see and hear."

Wilkie, who enjoys a wide range of musical artists including classical, jazz "and even some oldtime and bluegrass", plans to play both old and new musical compositions at the Scotland County games.

"I will be performing Gaelic and Scottish music," she said. "Although much of this will be traditional or very old, we have a very vibrant living tradition in Scotland, so much of it will be new music composed within the Scottish traditional style."

Caudill invites the community to enjoy both the games during the day and the Saturday evening ceilidh to follow.

"We hope everyone can come out for a full day of activities, but if you can't be there for the games we encourage you to attend the ceilidh and wine tasting, an evening of music, food and fun to be held at Cypress Bend Vineyards in Wagram beginning at 7:30 p.m. We will have music by the Merrows along with performances by some of the musicians who were in attendance during the day. The St. Andrews Pipe Band will be performing as well."

For more information about the Scotland County Highland Games contact the Scottish Heritage Center of St. Andrews College at 277-5236 or visit www.schgnc.org.