PROSSER, Wash. – An over 20-year Prosser tradition returns. The Prosser Scottish Festival featured dancing, swordplay, Scottish games and food.
The festival was put on by the Prosser Chamber of Commerce. Ellen Bentley is a former chamber member attending the festival and representing her Scottish clan.
She says the festival featured local musicians from the Tri-Cities and dancers who will earn points so they will be eligible to go to the national competition.
There were also vendors from all over the Pacific Northwest. J.R. Ruiz works for the Benton County Mosquito Control and was helping man their booth. He however tells me this isn’t the first time he’s attended this festival.
“I’m from here and it’s like a tradition to come here almost every year,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz says this year he’s seen some things that haven’t been there before.
“Seeing the cow was pretty cool,” Ruiz says. “Seeing the ox, but I don’t know, I like seeing how the people are dressed up. It’s really cool. I like it.”
The festival also had traditional Scottish games such as throwing a weight over a bar, throwing a heavy weight for distance and the sheaf toss. Ruiz says those games are fun but the thing he wanted to see was the sword fights.
“There’s going to be sword and shield fighting and we’re going to watch that for sure,” he says.
Jim Epperly is the lead instructor at Black Feather Broadsword Academy.
Epperly told me they specialize in the HEMA tradition, known as Historical European Martial Arts.
“Our specific style that we practice is British Military Sabre and Scottish Basket Hilted Broadsword,” Epperly says. “We’re really trying to start a fun community for people who like to play with swords.”
According to Epperly, this is their fourth time at the festival. He says he was blown away by the amount of people who attended.
“The weather’s amazing and there’s tons and tons of people here, which is fantastic.
The festival wouldn’t be a festival without the traditional Scottish food. The most popular food item there was the scotch egg. The line was long most of the day waiting to get one. Other food was served too. There was a vendor there selling Scottish shortbread cookies, a beer garden and other food items.
