The 56th Annual Portland Highland Games returns to Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham(OR) this weekend.

The always-popular celebration of Scottish and Celtic culture takes place Saturday, July 19th, with gates opening at 8:00am. A combination of music, dance, food, and athletic competition gives event goers plenty to see and do throughout the course of the day.

Music at the Portland Highland Games comes courtesy of world-class bagpipe bands, fiddlers, and Scottish military drumming. The fiddle, in particular, is an instrument of central importance to the musical heritage of Scotland.

There’ll be plenty of dancing to go along with the music on Saturday, including one of the oldest forms of folk dance, the Scottish Highland Dance, which dates back to the 12th Century.

As for the athletic competition at the Portland Highland Games, it’s best described in two words: “heavy weight”. Both men and women compete in events that include heaving the 96-pound Portland Stone, throwing a 22-pound Scottish hammer, and tossing a caber, which looks like a telephone pole and weighs in the ballpark of 150 pounds.

The Highland Games also feature Border Collie sheep herding demonstrations, clan tents & genealogists, children’s games, and food & vendor booths.

For more information, including ticket prices and purchase options, contact the Portland Highland Games Association at 503-293-8501 or check out their website, www.PHGA.org.