Scottish festival donates to nonprofits after biggest year yetDate: 11/16/2022 WESTFIELD – Coming off of the most successful year since its start in 1997, Peter Langmore of Blandford, the longtime chair of the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival was at the Westfield Athenaeum on Nov. 7 to present two checks for $20,000, one to the Forum House in Westfield, a clubhouse program offering support to people with mental health differences, and to River Valley Counseling, a licensed mental health clinic, offering a range of traditional and non-traditional outpatient services to adults and children.
The checks represent the proceeds from the 2022 festival, which had up to 7,000 people in attendance on July 22.
“These two non-profit organizations provide dozens of volunteers each year to cover the entrance gate at Glasgow Lands and the Celtic Pub. Without this support we would not be able to hold a festival,” Langmore said at the presentation at the Westfield Athenaeum.
Starting from humble beginnings in Blandford, Glasgow Lands has become the second-largest Scottish festival in New England and the only one in Massachusetts.
Its first year in the Blandford Fairgrounds was intended to be a one-time event to benefit the restoration of the town’s historic White Church. Now fully restored, the White Church celebrated its 200th anniversary this year. He said the festival still has strong local connections to Blandford, which was founded in 1735 by Scots-Irish settlers.
After that first year, Glasgow Lands continued due to popular demand, and soon outgrew its space, moving first to Stanley Park in Westfield, and then in 2004 to Look Park in the Florence neighborhood of Northampton.
Langmore said putting the festival on every year represents a tremendous year-round effort from the 25 volunteers who serve on the committee as well as those on the day of the event, and he is always looking for more interested volunteers.
At the check signing at the Athenaeum, Langmore recognized several members of the committee, including Julie McNair Pike, who he said has been with the festival from the beginning and runs the information booth with her daughter Laura Flechsig, both representing the Montgomery Historical Society.
He also recognized Diane Peacey, pipe and drum coordinator, who Langmore said puts on a Herculean effort every year. This year, 22 pipe bands were expected to compete with over 700 pipers and drummers marching in the opening ceremonies.
The three said that the committee met once in August and September, and will start meeting monthly for next year’s event, which is scheduled for July 15 in Look Park in Northampton.
Also present and recognized was Jay Pagluica of Westfield, who manages the sound and light systems for the festival, which also presents world-class Celtic music in the Ceilidh tent into the evening. Featured artists this year included Enter the Haggis, Albannach, and Sarah the Fiddler.
Glasgow Lands is a 501(c)3 organization. Its mission is to support other nonprofit organizations and to provide scholarships for qualifying Scottish dance, pipe and drum students. For the past 27 years, the festival has donated its profits to other nonprofit organizations for a total of $307,215, Langmore said.
For more information on the festival or to volunteer, visit www.glasgowlands.org.
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