“A day to wear your tartan with pride” Maclean will celebrate International Tartan Day on Saturday July 2, with all the action programmed to take place on the river deck at the rear of the Maclean Hotel. The popular Tallowood Celtic Band will take center stage to entertain and provide much loved Celtic music, starting at 11am and playing throughout the day. Saturday July 2 is also voting day and families are invited to plan their day’s activities around lunch at the Maclean Hotel. Local entertainment will be providing the supporting acts to the visiting Celtic band throughout the day. This includes the Maclean Scottish Town Highland dancers and the Maclean Pipe Band will play at 1pm. At 12.15pm the colours of tartan will be proudly on display by the Highland dancers showcasing some of the modern fashionable new colour-ways of Highland dress. These modern tartans are a bright sharp contrast to the old clan system of dying cloth from Mother Nature. This section will also include a special best dressed toddler boy and girl 5 years and under. Unfortunately, the best dress dog section this year is cancelled owing to the new venue food arrangements. International Tartan Day is celebrated by the Scottish clans to mark 35 years they suffered following the act by the English government, when on August 1, 1747 banning the wearing of the tartan. These new laws were imposed to ban the playing of the bagpipes and the wearing of highland dress. This law was repealed on July 1st, 1782 when Scots could once again wear his plaid with pride and without the fear of punishment. Here at Maclean the day is celebrated on the first Saturday in July to allow a day to wear your family tartan with pride. The Scottish Town Committee is calling on the community to come and support the day. Good food and good music is assured with the program offering a top day of entertainment for the whole family, including a free jumping castle for the kids. Bring the whole family, sit back in comfortable surrounds and enjoy one of Austria’s top Celtic bands, performing live on stage. Bob MacPherson