2010 State and Provincial Commissioners and
2010 Schedule of Games and Festivals with Clan MacNicol Tents

By Jeremy Nicholson

As we approach the height of the Highland games and Scottish festivals season (late spring to early autumn), I thought it would be useful for the members of Clan MacNicol of North America to know who exactly are our active state and provincial Games Commissioners, and to read a schedule of the events at which they’ll be representing the Clan:

First, I would like to announce with great pleasure two new appointments for 2010, both of whom have already assumed their posts:

1.     As Games Commissioner for Maine, Bill E. Nicholson of Natick, MA

2.     As Co-Games Commissioner for Illinois, Jane Nicoll Stover of Park Forest.

Here follows a schedule of games and festivals where the Clan plans to be represented at a tent or booth (with details in chronological order).

April

·         Saturday and Sunday, 17-18 April: Rural Hill Scottish Festival & Loch Norman Highland Games, North Carolina – Tom and Brenda Nicholson Pritchard with Anne Nicholson Crocker (event already held)

·         Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 April: Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival, Woodland, California – Dale and Marilyn Nicoll (event already held)

May

·         Saturday and Sunday, 15-16 May: Gatlinburg Scottish Festival & Games, Tennessee – Tom and Brenda Nicholson Pritchard

·         Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 May: Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival, British Columbia: Mary Lou Nicolson Klimek with Deb Nicol

·         Friday and Saturday, 28-29 May: Greater Greenville Scottish Games & Highland Festival, South Carolina – Bill R. and Joan Nicol

·         Saturday and Sunday, 29-30 May: Alma Highlands Festival & Games, Michigan – Bruce Goodburne

June

·         Friday through Sunday, 4-7 June: Texas Scottish Festival & Highland Games, Arlington – Carolyn Nichol-Williams

·         Friday and Saturday, 11-12 June: Utah Scottish Festival & Highland Games, Lehi – Ken and Tammy Lawrence

·         Saturday, 12 June: Georgetown Highland Games, Ontario – Don Nicolson with Stewart and Marie Nicholson

·         Friday and Saturday, 18-19 June: Illinois St. Andrew Society Highland Games, Oak Brook – Chris Trenkle and Jane Nicoll Stover

·         Saturday, 26 June: Ohio Scottish Games, Wellington –Craig and Barbara Nicol

·         Saturday, 26 June: British Columbia Highland Games & Scottish Festival, Coquitlam –Jennifer Nicolson-Church (tentative)

July

·         Saturday, 10 July: Kamloops Highland Games, British Columbia – Mary Lou Nicolson Klimek with Fred Nicolson

·         Saturday and Sunday, 17-18 July: Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, Flagstaff – Kevan Taylor-Perry

·         Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 July: Highlands of Durham Games, Uxbridge, Ontario – Don Nicolson with Stewart and Marie Nicholson

·         Saturday and Sunday, 31 July-1 August: Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games, Enumclaw, Washington – Cathy Osborn and Dan Brossard (deputizing for Bob and Elizabeth Nicholson)(tentative)

August

·         Saturday, 7 August: Detroit Highland Games, Livonia, Michigan – Bruce Goodburne (tentative)

·         Saturday and Sunday, 14-15 August: Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games, Ontario – Don Nicolson with Stewart and Marie Nicholson

·         Friday and Saturday, 20-21 August: Jackson Hole Scottish Festival, Wyoming – Ken and Tammy Lawrence

·         Saturday, 21 August: Maine Highland Games, Topsham – Bill E. Nicholson

·         Saturday, 28 August: Kalamazoo Scottish Festival, Michigan – Bruce Goodburne (tentative)

September

·         Saturday, 4 September: Calgary Highland Games, Alberta – Mary Lou Nicolson Klimek

·         Sunday, 5 September: Canmore Highland Games, Alberta – Mary Lou Nicolson Klimek

·         Saturday and Sunday, 4-5 September: San Francisco Highland Games, Pleasanton, California – Dale and Marilyn Nicoll

·         Saturday and Sunday, 11-12 September: Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Highland Festival, Estes Park, Colorado – Blake and Karen Nicholson (tentative)

·         Saturday and Sunday, 18-19 September: New Hampshire Highland Games, Lincoln – Dick and Carol Nicoll

·         Saturday, 25 September: Treasure Valley Festival, Boise, Idaho  – Ken and Tammy Lawrence with Camille Farra

·         Saturday, 25 September: Dandridge Scots-Irish Festival, Tennessee – Tom and Brenda Nicholson Pritchard (tentative)

October

Saturday and Sunday, 16-17 October: Stone Mountain Highland Games, Georgia – R. Burke and Kerri Nicholson

Australian Celtic Festival Glen Innes 2010

Gathering of Clan MacNicol

At the Glen Innes Festival 29th April to 2nd May 2010, Clan MacNicol will be placing a piece of Stone, taken from the Scorrybreac House of the Chiefs of Scorrybreac, Isle of Skye, Scotland, for over eight centuries, in the Wall of History at the Australian Standing Stones.

For this we need as many Clan members as able to be in attendance.

Our Chief, John MacNeacail of MacNeacail and Scorrybreac, and his family will be there, so we need YOU also!

Enquiries contact Secretary PO Box 243 GYMEA NSW 2227 or contact us via this site.

Don’t miss this great event and Gathering of Clan MacNicol.

http://www.clanmacnicol.com/

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World Wide Clan MacNicol

 To members, former members, and all Nicolson / MacNicol families,

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to inform you that, thanks to the initiative and hard work of Mary Lou, our fellow Director and Co-Commissioner for Canada, we now have a block of rooms at two hotels reserved for the weekend of our International Gathering and Annual meeting of Directors in Richmond, British Columbia (south of Vancouver) - Friday, October 8 to Monday, October 11.  As a reminder, this will be Columbus Day Weekend in the U.S. and Thanksgiving Day Weekend in Canada.

This year, we will be holding our Directors' meeting on the Friday eve of the International Gathering.  We should all plan on arriving in the Vancouver area no later than Thursday evening, October 7 as our annual meeting will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 8.

Mary Lou has reserved a larger block of rooms (35) at the Delta Vancouver Airport which will be the venue for our group meetings and activities, and a smaller block of rooms (15) at the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport (more economical).  The two hotels are approximately 10 minutes' drive from each other, and are accessible by the respective hotels' free shuttle service from Vancouver International Airport.

1.    Details of the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel:

 Address:  3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, British Columbia, V7E 1C7, Canada

 Group rate of CAN$115/night + 15% tax for "DELTA" category rooms (king, queen, double, single all available at the same rate).  The quoted rate will be extended to those arriving up to 3 days before the Gathering and staying up to 3 days after.

Each participant will have to make his or her reservation directly with the hotel with a credit card by calling (604) 278-1241, (800) 268-1133 (toll-free), or e-mailing dva.reservations@deltahotels.com.  We must identify ourselves as part of the "Scottish Clan Gathering Group".  "Clan MacNicol Society" may be also be mentioned, and in case of difficulty the name of the Reservation Manager who knows all the details is "Gord Arnould".

Room reservations may be cancelled without charge up to 24 hours before arrival date.

2.    Details of the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport:

Address:  8640 Alexandra Road, Richmond, British Columbia, V6X 4K6, Canada

Group rate of CAN$85/night + 15% tax for "STANDARD" category rooms (king, double, single all available at the same rate).  The quoted rate will be extended to those arriving up to 3 days before the Gathering and staying up to 3 days after.

Each participant will have to make his or her reservation directly with the hotel with a credit card by calling (604) 276 2711 or (866) 495 0490 (toll-free).  We must identify ourselves as part of the "Scottish Clan Gathering October 2010".  "Clan MacNicol Society" may be also be mentioned, and in case of difficulty the name of the Reservation Manager who knows all the details is "Goldie Bhoparai".

Room reservations may be cancelled without charge up to Friday, September 17.

Please make your reservations as soon as possible, and complete and return the attached Participation Registration Form to Mary Lou at malonikl@telus.net, with a copy to me at clanmacnicol@bsn1.net by mid-May.