| Issue #3- April 13, 2007 |
When In Manhattan...by Oliver Peterson
Tartan Parade
New York City is never short of parades. If you pay attention, you’ll
find that there is a ridiculous amount of them. Take, for example, the
following list of some obscure walking festivals. We have the Brooklyn
Irish-American Parade, the April Fools’ Parade, the Lunar Year
Parade, the President’s Day Parade, the Phagwah Parade, Salute
to Israel, Haitian Flag Day, Turkish-American, Greek Independence, Norwegian-American
17th of May Parade, Captive Nations and the always awesome Mermaid Parade,
to name a few. Believe it or not, there are many, many more parades
that you probably wouldn’t know, and then there are the big ones
you might catch on television. Saint Patrick’s, Halloween, Thanksgiving,
Easter, ticker-tapes for regaling favorite sports teams, Columbus and
let’s not forget Wigstock, which are among the most highly visible
in the city, but others are growing and deserve a look.
You may have heard the catchy slogan, “If it’s not Scottish,
it’s crap!” Stuart Rankin, as played by Mike Myers, has
said this many times and I think he’d agree that Manhattan’s
Tartan Parade is one of the least crap-tastic marches of the year. The
cool thing about the National Tartan Day parade is that while still
in its infancy, it and the festival preceding it grow each year. Looking
over my parade articles from the past four years – I’ve
noticed that, with most of them, I’ve explained their humble beginnings
in the bygone days of New York. The Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving
and St. Patrick’s parades all started with just a few revelers
marching for fun, pride or the entertainment of others. This tradition
holds true for the Tartan, but we are lucky enough to be here for what
will be remembered as the early years. In 1998, a small group of Scottish-Americans,
two pipe bands and actor Cliff Robertson (most recently known for playing
Uncle Ben in the Spiderman movies) took to the streets. The tiny parade
marched from the British Consulate to the United Nations. In the nine
years following, the celebration has grown to include many bands and
over 2,000 participants. Noteworthy individuals of Scottish descent
have followed in Robertson’s path to serve as Grand Marshal. Sean
Connery, author Randall Wallace and Brigadier Melville Stewart Jameson,
Director of the International Edinburgh Military Tattoo, have all participated.
This year, George Reid, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament,
will lead the Ninth Annual Tartan Day Parade.
The parade falls on April 14, but Tartan Day is actually April 6. On
March 20, 1998, the United States followed Canada’s response to
actions initiated by the Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada and
agreed through Senate Resolution 155, proposed by Republican majority
leader Trent Lott, to deem the sixth of the month Tartan Day. The significance
of the day is the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath (1320),
Scotland’s formal declaration of independence. Along with bagpipers,
drummers, clans and Scottish enthusiasts, keep an eye out for 101 West
Highland and Scottish Terriers. It’s the largest collection of
the two breeds in any parade worldwide. Last year, marchers from Scotland,
Canada, England, Australia, France, Switzerland, Pakistan and the United
States were viewed by thousands in Rockefeller Center.
Before the big event, Glasgow’s Albannach pipe and drum band will
be warming up crowds at St. Andrews Pub at 120 E 44th Street at noon
for their first Tartan Day appearance. They will then head over to 6th
Avenue viewing stand on 55th street at 1 p.m. and continue the fun.
After the parade, check out the afterparty sponsored by Glenfiddich
and Belhaven at STOUT, 133 West 33rd street at 4 p.m. Three premier
bands – SCOCHA, Albannach and MacTalla Mor – will present
a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary Scottish tunes. Tickets
are $25, available online through the Tartan Week site. If it’s
not sold out, the door price is $40. Entry is between 4-6 p.m.
The Ninth Annual Tartan Day Parade should be a great time and will most
certainly, as it’s Scottish, not be crap. The parade route follows
6th Avenue, from West 45th to West 58th Streets. For more information
and related events, visit www.TartanWeek.com.
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