The 44th Annual Colorado Scottish Festival, Aug. 11-12, will take place at Highland Heritage Park in Highlands Ranch. Festival visitors will be able to sample many aspects of Scottish culture. More than 100 pipers and drummers will play en masse at noon each day, with individual and band competitions throughout the weekend.”Vendor booths will spotlight Scottish, Irish and other British goods. Dogs of the British Isles will be on display, and over 50 clans will educate folks about their heritage.”The unique sports of Scotland, including the famous tossing of the telephone pole-size cabers, will entertain sports fans while others will cheer on championship rugby games. Racers in kilts will be running the “Kilted Mile” around the Festival perimeter. On Sunday, a parade and display of classic British cars is always a hit.”Other activities include genealogy, children”s games, Highland dancers, Irish step dancers, Scottish country dancing, Welsh and Bretagne dancing, haggis and whisky tasting -and a bonnie knees contest for kilted men will add to the fun!Celtic songs and music feature fiddle, Gaelic, Irish flute, Welsh pipes, harp, accordion, and dulcimer music, Sat. & Sun. try your hand at Irish bodhran drumming workshops for beginners, and int./adv. players. Sunday workshops include Celtic guitar, hammered dulcimer, and Irish fiddle by one of Ireland”s masters, Seamus Connolly. Other performers over the weekend include Oceans Apart, Chuck Wilcox, Empty Pockets, Ceol Ceili, Juice o” the Barley, Rudy Ramsey, Star Edwards, Molly Magpies, Holly & Jake, Loretta Thompson, Holly Williams, Jon Sousa, Skean Dubh, Canned Haggis, Ron Tomocik, Nick Kelly, and John Mullen.”Saturday evening will feature a Concert and Ceilidh (music and dance party) with bagpipes, fiddlers, folk singers, and social dancing for all. The Concert begins at 7 pm with bagpipes and brass. The ceilidh (pronounced KAY-LEE) follows at 8 pm. Concert and ceilidh will be held at the ballroom of the Sheraton Denver Tech Center, 7007 S. Clinton St., Englewood. Concert tickets are $15 ($8 for children), at the door. Advance discount tickets are available on the Festival website and on Saturday of the Festival at the St. Andrew Society information tent.Scottish Festival tickets are $12 per day for adults, $8 for seniors (60 plus) and children 7-12 years old.”Kids 6 and under are free.” No pets allowed, per a county ordinance.Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Highland Heritage Park in Highlands Ranch, 9651 So. Quebec St.(Take C-470 to Quebec, then south two miles to Lincoln Blvd). Free shuttle buses will ferry visitors from free parking lots to the Festival front gate. Watch for the signs. For additional information visit www.scottishgames.org, or call 303-238-6524.Contributed by Jan Mitchell and Loretta Thompson