New Scottish Fest will celebrate McGregor’s heritage
As part of the McGregor Historical Society’s Scottish Fest on Saturday, April 5, trio Hup, Caledonia will play Scottish music from 3 to 6 p.m. at Jade’s River Queen. Scottish Fest will also include traditional food and drink, games and promotions at local businesses. (Submitted photo)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
McGregor will celebrate its Scottish heritage on Saturday, April 5, with Scottish Fest—an event featuring traditional food and drink, music, games and promotions at local businesses.
This is the second year the McGregor Historical Society has sponsored an event in honor of Tartan Day, traditionally held April 6 to celebrate Scottish heritage and the cultural contributions of Scottish and Scottish-diaspora figures of history. The town-wide festival reaches outside the walls of the McGregor Historical Museum, which first offered bagpipe music and historical presentations in 2024.
“We wanted to expand on what we did last year,” said McGregor Historical Society President Patti Ruff.
Scottish Fest also establishes another cultural event in the community, according to Brandi Crozier, a volunteer and city of McGregor liaison to the board.
“Neighboring communities celebrate their Irish or German heritage, but there’s not anyone in the region celebrating Scottish heritage,” she said.
Activities will kick off at Jade’s River Queen, in downtown McGregor, at 2 p.m. For a fee, attendees can taste four Scottish whiskies that capture the spirit of the Highlands, Lowlands and Speyside. A food tasting led by chef Casey Evanson will fuse local ingredients and tartan fare.
The special menu includes smoked carp boxty featuring smoked carp from Jayco Fish and Cheese, fern cakes honoring Scottish baking traditions, rumbledthumps made with WW Homestead Cheese and maple whisky glazed carrots glazed with Great River Maple Syrup. Chocolate haggis puts a sweet twist on the Scottish classic.
The tasting events will run while supplies last.
At 2:30 p.m., poet, professor and musician Patrick Moran will take the River Queen stage for a poetry reading. The author of five books, Moran has a deep love for Scottish poetry—so much so that he spent two semesters teaching abroad in Scotland, where the idea for his anthology, Forty Voices Strong: An Anthology of Contemporary Scottish Poetry, was born. His keen eye for verse led him to sift through over 1,100 poems to bring together a powerful collection of modern Scottish voices.
From 3 to 6 p.m., Andreas Transo and Alerdale Wimer will join Moran on stage to perform Scottish music. Hup, Caledonia features Transo on vocals and guitar, Wimer on fiddle and Moran on cittern. Together, the trio will play tunes as bold as a Highland charge and ballads as smooth as fine whisky.
The McGregor Games—a pub crawl meets Highland games challenge—will take over downtown McGregor from 5 to 8 p.m., as attendees are invited to battle for glory across stops at six pubs. To play, grab a scorecard from any participating bar and take on six unique games at each establishment. Earn extra points by purchasing drinks or spending $20 or more at a participating retailer and showing your receipt.
Pocket City Pub will offer Stag Hoopla, a test of skill and precision, while Backwoods invites people to show their strength with the Inneal Bog Caber Toss. Steve’s Silver Dollar puts a twist on beer pong with Ale and Honor: Silver Table Challenge, and the McGregor American Legion has the Green Gauntlet, a pool game like no other. River Queen’s Gambit offers a medieval take on blackjack at Jade’s River Queen, while Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery features a bags game called the Haggis Toss.
Turn in your scorecard by 8 p.m. at Old Man River, where the top three champions will be announced and prizes awarded. Stick around to watch—or even participate in—a kilt contest.
Enjoy other specials at McGregor retail and restaurant establishments throughout the day.
McGregor SpecialTea Shoppe will serve Scottish cream tea and scones from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Business owners Mel and Maureen Wild will be dressed as town founders Alexander and Ann MacGregor. It was Alexander’s grandparents and father who immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1785.
At Free Spirit Boutique, sip on delicious wines from Marquette’s Eagles Landing Winery while you shop. Old Man River will feature five Scottish beers along with Scottish foods, and By the Spoonful is planning whisky-inspired, non-alcoholic lattes as well as wine and cheese tasting.
Stop by the McGregor Public Library to explore a Scottish-themed book display and create Scottish-inspired bookmarks. Paper Moon, too, will have a display of books and items featuring Scotland.
The Wandering Piper, straight from the La Crosse & District Pipes and Drums, will roam downtown McGregor in the evening, bringing the bold, heart-stirring sounds of Scotland to Main Street.
Follow the McGregor Historical Museum Facebook page for an updated list of promotions.
Ruff hopes attendees will enjoy the activities the McGregor Historical Society’s marketing committee and other volunteers have developed.
“We started throwing ideas out and came up with some foods for people to try that are traditional to Scotland, and then you can’t ever go wrong with whisky,” she said. “Hopefully it all goes well.”
