June 24-30, 2004

mixpicks

Some Fling for Everyone

by Tami Fertig

Haggis. It's not, as some Scots want you to believe, a cute three-legged animal from the Scottish Highlands. Nope. For the uninitiated, the truth about Scotland's national dish might be a little hard to swallow. Here's a hint: One of its ingredients is lamb lung. The whole concoction tastes, after cooking inside a sheep's stomach, kind of like a clump of very salty hamburger. Mmm-mmm. Now that you know what it is — or at least, what it isn't — you should definitely try a bite. Alternatively, sign up for the haggis-eating contest at this weekend's Celtic Fling and Highland Games in Lancaster County, where Celtophiles on this side of the pond gather every year to celebrate Irish and Scottish traditions and "party like it's 1400 B.C." The two-day festival covers lots of cultural ground in its 35 acres of countryside and usually brings in upwards of 20,000 people. Here's the breakdown: Over a dozen folk and rock bands, including Philadelphia's own Blackthorn, are scheduled to perform, as well as scores of dancers, bagpipers and, um, warriors from across the country and Canada. Saturday will feature the Highland Dancing Competition and Highland Athletic Games, where preregistered participants can compete in such events as the caber toss and Scottish hammer. Sunday, expect the bagpipe competition and Rob Roy Epee Tournament. Before each evening ends, toss back your free whiskey sampling and head to the Irish Ceilidh for a jig.

Celtic Fling and Highland Games, Sat.-Sun., June 26-27, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., $8.95-$21.95, Mount Hope Estate & Winery, 83 Mansion House Rd., Manheim, 717-665-7021 ext. 231, www.parenfaire.com.