14th ANNUAL BURNS SUPPER

HELD JANUARY 24, 2004

The Burns Supper is over for another year and it was a great success. The hall was decorated gaily with deep blue tablecloths and a variety of colored place mats, mimicking the colors of the "Iowa Tartan". Each place mat had an Iowa Tartan bookmark for a favor as well as a program, in a contrasting color to the place mat. Lynne McDole and her crew of decorators and set-up people did a wonderful job!

The festivities started out with WREN playing Celtic tunes for us while we socialized. Ceremonies started at 5:30 with the Scottish American Military Society (SAMS), Post 1846, Iowa Chapter, posting the American flag. It was the first appearance for the unit which was newly formed by Ernie Rimrodt.  The Procession of Officers followed with Craig Hazelbaker, Society Piper, piping the HAGGIS officers to the front of the hall. Craig then piped for the Haggis Procession, with the kilted Gerdts brothers, one bearing the water of life, and one holding the ceremonial haggis high on a silver platter. Gordon Urquhart read "To a Haggis" in his Scottish accent followed by the traditional wee drap o' whisky. Agnes Williams led us in the Selkirk Grace just before dining began.

In the meantime, the Dessert Contest Judges, Moira Guffey, Gordon Urquhart, Bruce Ernst (& Ashley) had the tough job of deciding winners for the dessert contest. They were announced as: "Best Presentation" for a whisky chocolate pie, to Brenda McDole; "Most Authentic" with mincemeat fruit squares to Agnes Williams; "Junior Division" for a macaroon dessert to wee sister and brother Nathan and Lindsay Sweet (I wonder if Granny Angela had something to do with it?); and "Most Delicious" for oatmeal-raspberry bars to Barb Horak. Lynne McDole stepped down as "Queen of Tarts" for 2003, and Barb was crowned the 2004 "Queen of Tarts". Barb was quoted as saying, "OH! I'm so surprised! I always wanted to be a queen!", then rushed off to help serve at the dessert table where she was able to meet many of her "subjects".

The 2004 Queen of Tarts

The dinner menu was haggis, tatties & neeps, as always, with gravy, delicious chicken and peas, along with a variety of desserts brought in by members for the dessert contest. Soda bread, also made by members, was on each table. Brian Hershberger and friend Heather, Pat Barrance, Bruce & Lynda Ary dished out on the serving line, while Barb Horak and Melinda and daughter Michelle Hunter dished out desserts of choice. Wee girls, Taylor Barr and McKenzie Swallom also helped! Comments were that this year's haggis was the best ever! Dennis Hunter is the master haggis maker, and his secret is to "bless" the haggis-making by playing pipe-tune CD's and sipping whisky as he cooks.

While we were dining, Ann Gerdts acted as MC, announcing the Toasts: "To the USA" - Ernie Rimrodt; "To Scotland" by Barb Horak, "To the Queen" by Ann Gerdts, "To the Lasses" by handsome young Ian Williams, "Response from the Lasses" by lovely Jennifer Davis (that cute poem Jennifer read was written by Lynne McDole!) and "The Immortal Memory" by Jim Jenkins, who also sang a verse of Flow Gently Sweet Afton, a Burns song, in his outstanding baritone voice.

WREN played again for a wee while and then it was time to start the Ceilidh dancing, ably led by Angela Swallom and Ann Gerdts, and continuing for the rest of the evening. This is the highlight of the event for many people and the dance floor was crowded throughout the night with dancers of all ages and abilities, always leading to snafus and laughs. It was a joy to see the children participating right along with the adults!

Dancing was interspersed with calling out winners of the raffle (all raffle items are donated by members) complete with squeals of glee from the winners and groans from the losers. Giving the dancers a break, Craig Hazelbaker looked trim and elegant in his new kilt and sporran as we listened to his excellent piping. Morgan Hazelbaker and Jennifer Davis performed an impromptu Highland Dance (Craig on pipes), and Morgan also led two wee novices, McKensie Swallom and Sarah Robison, in steps she had taught them, much to our delight. Wylde Nept's Westan James, Steven James and Georg Curtis rousing songs were loved by all. Willy Robison piped for us later on and "The Galashiels Songstress, Agnes Williams, led the HAGGIS Singers and audience in familiar tunes. Young Ian Hazelbaker even joined in with them on Loch Lomond.

Near to eleven o'clock, the dancers' feet were sore, the raffle prizes were gone, and we all joined hands in a circle for our tradition of closing the event by singing "Auld Lang Syne". It was a wonderful night!

THANK YOU AND APPRECIATION FOR ...
- ALL OF THE ABOVE participants, and any that have been left out .
- 3rd STREET LIVE for providing the space free of charge as a HAGGIS sponsor, opening up early for decorators and set-up people, ordering drinks for our "tastes", troubleshooting electric breaker problems, arranging the sound, all the clean-up, etc.
- THE DECORATORS and dining room set-up people - Lynne, Felicia, Tammy, Ernie & Ray (any others, thanks too!)
- REGISTRATION DUTIES by Lynne McDole (what a JOB) and crew! .
- THE PROGRAM, Heidi Haney & George Curtis for compiling and design.
- THE FOOD PEOPLE - Anne & Bill Burns, Kurt and Cindy Gunther, the Horaks for the peas, Dennis Hunter for the beest-ever haggis; Melinda and Michelle Hunter, Bubba & Mary Jo Piper, Bruce Ernst and Ashley for stepping in to help set up and serve; all the women that made the soda bread, all the dessert makers!
- FOR THE RAFFLE - Jim and Romeyn Jenkins, Scott Haney, Chris "Bubba" Piper, Lynne McDole (again); and all the people that donated items.
- ENTERTAINMENT - WREN - for agreeing to play for us with short notice. Sounded GREAT - best yet! Thanks Ray, Patty, Tim and Carrie! And to Ernie Rimrodt and Barb Horak for organizing entertainment and toasts.
- CEILIDH DANCES - Ann Gerdts and Angela Swallom always do such a great job leading the ceilidh dancing. We love to hear Angela's Scottish accent, and watch Ann G. position people on the dance floor - she's a natural!
- CLEAN-UP - the Burns, the Gunthers, the Horaks and all the other people who helped package up leftovers, clean up the serving line and carry things to cars. ALL the people that helped clean up the tables, collect the soda bread & butter, strip off the tablecloths and perform trash duty.
- HAGGIS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS - for all they do, which is a lot!
- HEIDI HANEY - for our fantastic newsletters, for keeping track of us all, and behind-the-scenes stitching together all the parts into a whole. THANK YOU

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And finally, another Toast!

TO OUR PRESIDENT
Anne Burns has been our guiding force, and mainstay of the planning of SO many events in the past 4 to 5 years. She was Vice-President before becoming President. She has devoted untold hours, and donated an enormous amount of time, energy, worry and detail management for us all. We appreciate you, Anne, and wish you well in your "retirement" from the Presidency next month.

(Fifth Verse, "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns)

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! (friend)
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right guid willy waught, (good-will drink)
For auld lang syne.

RELAX & ENJOY!, Annie. THANK YOU, for all you have done for H.A.G.G.I.S
And thank your vast family-member helpers too!

- Barb Horak, on behalf of us all!

(Excerpt) In 1967, my father returned to Scotland for the first time, to see his mother and brothers and family after being gone for 37 years. He took Mom, me, and my younger brother along. I was 18 when I finally met my Granny and Scottish family.

It is hard to express the joy of meeting all those lovely people we had heard about all those years. And how we were so warmly welcomed everywhere we went. Scottish people are truly congenial, charming, witty, generous and full of fun. I found out my Dad was called Robbie by them, and his brogue returned full force after a week or so. It was a wonderful trip.

I have since returned to Scotland twice, but I will never forget the almost mystical feeling that engulfed me that first trip. It was much more than a feeling of "belonging". One way I can describe it is as a "racial memory", winding back through all the years of my Scottish ancestors' lives, evoking an eerie sense of familiarity with the surroundings, the smells, the sounds and even the air that I breathed. I felt an intense "connection." The only word that properly fits this feeling is "home".

Over the years, millions of Scots have left Scotland. Millions of their descendants all over the world have a special place in their hearts for those lovely heather covered braes and sparkling lochs. I don't think that people born in Scotland completely understand the yearning and pride we Scots born in other lands feel toward Scotland.

I quote from the last verse of "The Scottish Emigrants Farewell", written and composed by Alexander Hume

Tho' far frae thee, my native shore,
An' toss'd on life's tempestuous ocean,
My heart, aye Scottish to the core,
Shall cling to thee wi' warm devotion,
An' while the waving heather grows,
An' onward rows the winding river,
The toast be 'Scotland's broomy knowes,
Her mountains, rocks, and glens forever!'