Tehachapi Pipes and Drums to Perform at KCSS in Bakersfield

Tehachapi's Police Pipes and Drums will be participating in the upcoming 19th Annual KCSS (Kern County Scottish Society) Games, Gathering and Ceilidh (Scottish Party). The event is being held at the Kern County Fairground at 1142 So. P St. in Bakersfield, Calif. this Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The KCSS is a non-profit organization designed to promote the Scottish traditions in Kern Co. The Highland Games, Celtic Music Festival, Highland and Scottish Dancing, Genealogy, Highland attire and Piping and Drumming are just a few of the activities and demonstrations performed throughout the day.

Tehachapi Police Pipes and Drums will be providing Celtic Music for the guest entertainment.

Questions are always welcome regarding the Scottish attire (No, it is not referred to as a costume). Learn more about the Sporran, and how the original kilt was also fashioned into a sleeping bag and the history of the Sgian Dubh.

The shoe – or Ghillie as they are referred to – appears, to our untrained eye, decorative with the eyelet cutouts and laces, but they had a practical purpose. The cutouts in the shoes were to help the shoes to dry after having spent a day slogging through wet terrain known as the bogs and the laces were to assist in keeping the shoes on their feet and to not be pulled off by the thick mud and moss in the bogs.

In answer to the question everyone secretly wants to ask: "What do they wear under their kilts?" I'll never tell....

Following are the upcoming Scottish events for 2014, all a short distance from Tehachapi.

April 5: 19th Annual Kern County Scottish Society (KCSS) Gatherings & Ceilidh (Scottish Party) - Kern Co. Fairgrounds, 1142 P St. Bakersfield, Calif.

April 26 and 27: Sacramento Valley Games - Yolo County Fairgrounds, Woodland, Calif.

May 24 and 25: United Scottish Society Highland Gatherings - Costa Mesa. This is the largest game in Southern California and some of the members of the Tehachapi Police Pipes and Drums members will be participating in the games.

May 31: Modesto Scottish Highland Games - Tuolumne River Regional Park, Modesto, Calif.

July 5 and 6: Monterey Scottish & Irish Festival Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey, Calif.

June 14 and 15: Santa Cruz Scottish Festival - Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville.

June 28 and 29: San Diego Scottish Highland Games - Brengle Terrace Park Vista.

Oct. 3 and 4: Celtic Music Festival – CSUB Amphitheater, 9001 Stockdale Hwy., Bakersfield, Calif.

Anyone interested in learning to play the bagpipes, may contact James Carmichael at 661-821-0493.

For further information go to http://kernscot.org or call 661-865-8890.