Tartan Day is held on April 6, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. Tartan is a patterned woolen cloth associated with Scotland. Did you know that Ohio has a tartan?

The Ohio Tartan was designed in 1983 by Mary Jayne McMichael Fischbach in consultation with the Scottish Tartan Society and adopted by the Ohio Scottish Games Board of Trustees on March 18, 1984. Design is based on the colors of Ohio's flag and state seal. The widths of the stripes in each color are based on the date Ohio was admitted to the Union. The tartan first went on display at the Ohio Scottish Games in June 1983.

Tartan of the state of Ohio

Garden board member Sheila Murphy Crawford welcomed the crowd and the first activities were games such as golfing and tam (Frisbee) throwing competitions.

Sheila Murphy Crawford

Golf game at Scottish Cultural Garden Tartan Day

A length of PVC pipe was used to simulate the Caber Toss, a traditional Scottish athletic event at Scottish Highland Games in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber".

Caber toss game at Scottish Cultural Garden Tartan Day

In Scotland, the caber is usually made from a larch tree, and it can be between 16-20 feet and weigh 90-150 pounds. Alex Murray explained the Caber Toss for us as a man and woman struggled to throw it properly. Watch the video.

Along with the games, food and camaraderie there was music, of course. Bruce Greig has been playing the bagpipes since he was 10 years old.

Bruce Greig

In this video we asked him the name of that classic bagpipe song you always hear and he told us it's called Scotland the Brave. He also said that the Ames Brothers used the same melody for a song they called My Bonnie Lassie. Then Bruce played a verse of Scotland the Brave.

Bagpiper Jesse Tucker who has played with the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band also performed at the event.

Jesse Tucker

This first song is Dornoch Highland Gathering and the second is from Pipe Major Jimmy McGregor.

We spoke with 3 guys of Scottish heritage in this casual (and fun) interview: Dave, Clark and Alex. We asked what a Tartan is, about Scottish Heritage Month and some famous Scotsmen (Robbie Burns, James Watt, Neil Armstrong, etc.). Scotland is known for golf and whisky. Whisky derives from the Gaelic (both Scottish and Irish Gaelics) uisge beatha (pronounced in Scottish Gaelic Oosh-kah Bey-hah), meaning water of life. Whisky spelled without an "e" is the Scotland drink while whiskey with the "e" would be Irish or American or…

They told us about the Scottish Cultural Garden and how to become a member and learn more. And what about Clark's blue shoes? They aren't part of tradition - he spray painted over them while setting up lines for the games in the garden. Watch.

The music and fun continued as Wade Mitchell of Plaid Sabbath played the fiddle and a couple danced.

Wade Mitchell

Dancing to the fiddle

Then bagpiper Jesse Tucker joined in and they played a few songs together.

Jesse Tucker and Wade Mitchell

Enjoy these other pictures from Tartan Day in the Scottish Cultural Garden

Tartan Day group photo

Alex Murray showing that Uncle Sam was Scottish

Jesse Tucker and Mary Anne Baucco with a Scottish quaich

Dave McLaughlin

Bill Grant and Wade Mitchell

Alex Murray, Siaurinis Krantas from
the Lithuanian Garden and Bruce Greig

Scottish Cultural Garden plans