Zechariah Whittington, a multi-time Highland Games world champion, showcased his talents during the NorCal Celtic Festival Saturday in Woodland setting a personal best and field record in the sheaf toss event.
He explained that the games include nine events, some of which were the inspiration to certain Olympic events.
“Essentially it’s an ancient sport that was brought to us by the Scottish by way of British colonization and the history behind it predates the Olympics,” Whittington said. “I’ve been competing in this for seven or eight years and it’s been good to me. I’ve traveled the world and met some people I would probably never otherwise meet.”
Whittington noted that he’s competed in Woodland before and has grown to love the town saying that he is “glad the games are back.”
“It’s a local event, a lot of people like it and there’s a huge Scottish contingent up here,” he argued. “I’m glad people can come and check it out.”
Given that this was the first time the event was held at the field located on the corner of Main and Sixth Streets, Whittington now holds the field record for the sheaf toss event with a toss of 32 feet. Although he was unable to hit 33 feet during the event, he hopes to come back next year to set another field record.
“It’s akin to tossing bales of hay,” he explained. “Farmers used to use their pitchforks to toss their bales as high as they can into their barns and that’s kind of where that originated from. The only difference is we throw twine wrapped in burlap.”
The return of the highland games was one of few things that made this year’s festival special to Al Eby, an organizer of the event and Visit Woodland representative.
“We brought the Scottish heavy athletics portion back, which is what we got a lot of response from the very first year,” Eby explained. “We were able to secure the spot at Sixth and Main next to Maria’s Cantina and across the street from Morgan’s Mill, that empty lot that is a grassy area out there.”
Additionally, he noted that competitors from Scotland flew in to compete in the festival’s highland dancing competition and that the event’s casual ceilidh dinner sold out this year with 125 tickets sold.
“The whole goal behind this is to get Woodland on the map and known for festivals and other things,” Eby emphasized. “But in addition to that it’s embracing all the different cultures. Anytime we can show something that is different and unique, it’s a win-win for Woodland.”
Eby also thanked the Woodland Hoteliers Group arguing that “these events do not happen without the funding” they provide.
Liz Tubbs, one of the four organizers of the event, was in charge of Pipes and Drums portion of the event, which she explained are part of a larger “Pipes and Pubs” series of contests held at local breweries across Northern California.
“It started at several local breweries in the Sacramento area where we had bagpipe competitions,” Tubbs said.
She argued that the festival is one of a few remaining Scottish events in Northern California after smaller versions of the festival disappeared following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So we’re bringing them back because it’s really important,” she highlighted. “The music, the athletics, the highland dancing. It’s about supporting those arts and providing a venue for places for people to compete and practice their craft.
“We appreciate everybody coming out and we’ll be back next year.”
Dooba Eivensteiner attended the event to watch his brother play bagpipes for one of the bands performing along Main Street during the festival.
“It’s neat that he gets to participate in such a big event like this,” he remarked. “We’ve seen him participate in other events and it’s always an exciting opportunity for us to watch him perform.”
As a Woodland resident for the last 20 years, Eivensteiner believes events like these are important because they give people “a perspective of something outside of the community.”
“When other people from outside of the community and different faces from different towns and cities get to come and participate in what’s happening in our town, it reminds us of the world around us and the different cultures that are around outside of what we see here regularly.”
To learn more about the festival, visit norcalcelticfestival.com.
