The Folkways of Scotland Visit GMU

by Evan Pais


The sights, sounds, and tastes of Scotland are coming to Northern Virginia this weekend for Hylton in the Highlands. This one day event features live music, traditional crafts and goods, presentations on the culture and history of Scotland, workshops, games and crafts for children, a Celtic jam session, scotch whiskey tasting, and authentic Scotish cuisine.

Musical performances by Alan Reid and Rob van Sante of Battlefield Band, and Elke Baker with Ken and Brad Kolodner.

From 3 to 4 PM, our very own Dr. Joy Fraser will be presenting Haggis-Fed Rustics?: Images of Scottishness and the Story of Scotland’s National Dish, based on research from her current book project on the cultural history of haggis. In this presentation, she challenges the popular tendency to portray haggis as the culinary embodiment of supposedly innate Scottish virtues of thrift and resourcefulness – what one commentator calls “the national gift of making the most of small means.” Drawing on evidence from recipe manuscripts, menus, and household accounts, she argues that far from simply peasant fare, haggis was a delicacy enjoyed by some of the wealthiest families in eighteenth-century Scotland.

This event is taking place on Saturday, January 24, from 10 AM to 6 PM, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on George Mason's Prince William Campus in Manassas. For tickets, visit hyltoncenter.org or call (888) 945-2468. Admission for George Mason students is free with a GMU ID.


The George Mason Folklore Program is pleased to present a special evening with Scottish folk musicians Alan Reid and Rob van Sante on this Tuesday following Hylton in the Hylands. They will be performingThe Adventures of John Paul Jones, a program of songs, stories, and images centered on the life and times of eighteenth-century Scottish-born mariner John Paul Jones, widely regarded as the ‘Father’ of the US Navy. Tracing his voyages, his international sojourns, and his encounters with an array of famous contemporaries, the show creates an engaging portrait of a figure who played a brief yet pivotal role on the world stage at a time of great upheaval in both Europe and North America.
 
The Program is on Tuesday, January 27 from 4:30-6:00 pm, in Johnson Center Meeting Room B on George Mason's Fairfax Campus.  This event is free and open to the public, so please invite friends and family.
 
For more information on this project visit johnpauljones.reidvansante.com.
 
Special thanks to University Life and the Department of English for their generous support.