ScotsFest: Arkansas Scottish Festival + Homecoming is Oct. 18-20 at Lyon College in Batesville.
BATESVILLE, Arkansas – Lyon College will once again combine its beloved Arkansas Scottish Festival with the excitement of homecoming for one big weekend-long celebration, ScotsFest, from Oct. 18-20 on the Lyon College campus in Batesville.
The Arkansas Scottish Festival began in 1979 as a small fair on the campus’s intramural field to pay homage to the Scottish heritage of the college’s Presbyterian founders. It has grown into one of the premier festivals in Arkansas and one of the most prominent festivals in the United States for honoring Scottish heritage and traditions.
This is the 44th year of the Arkansas Scottish Festival, and the fourth year of the festival will be combined with the Lyon College homecoming.
Each year, the event draws over 5,500 festival-goers and generates an estimated $1.2 million in economic impact on Independence County.
Various homecoming events are planned for Friday, Oct. 18, including open classes, a Founders’ Day choir reunion, a Founders’ Day conference, and an alumni and friends awards celebration and social. For more information on the alum events, contact Lyon College Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Cindy Barber at Cindy.Barber@lyon.edu.
“We look forward to welcoming alumni back to campus all year long, but there’s nothing like the reunions and fun during ScotsFest,” Barber said. “Just follow the sounds of the bagpipes.”
On Saturday, Oct. 19, the festival will get underway at 8 a.m. with historical reenactments by MacLachlan’s Jacobite Highlanders and Colonel Munro’s 37th Regiment of Foot, a Highland heavy athletics competition, Scottish clan reunions, sheep dog demonstrations, rocket demonstrations, pipe band exhibitions, Highland dancing, a British car show, and the Li’l Highlanders Fun Zone.
The entertainment zone will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature entertainment throughout the day. Popular Celtic performers include the Piper Jones Band, a lyrical, high-energy trio that maintains a strong musical base in traditional tunes from Scotland, Ireland, and Appalachia.
There will be a band and clan march-past, followed by opening ceremonies at 12 p.m., which will include a mass pipe band concert in the Couch Garden. Afternoon and evening special events include a dog show, sheep dog demonstrations, and a feast and ceilidh.
Homecoming events on Saturday include a tailgate event, pep rally, student organization reunions, alum ball games, and alums and friends meet-and-greets.
The festival opens at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20. It includes historical reenactments, sheep dog demonstrations, Highland dancing, and a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan worship service at 11 a.m. in the entertainment zone.
Homecoming events on Sunday include a Club 50 celebration for alums who have been alumni for over 50 years at noon in the Maxfield Room of Edwards Common and the class of 1974’s induction into the society.
The festival closes at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
“Lyon College is honored to be a part of the rich tapestry of Arkansas’s cultural heritage, and the Arkansas Scottish Festival stands as a testament to our commitment to preserving and sharing these traditions,” said Dr. David Hutchison, vice president for advancement. “Through music, dance, and the vibrant display of Scottish culture, the Arkansas Scottish Festival demonstrates the power of community and the enduring partnership between Lyon College and our surrounding region.”
General admission to the festival is free, though some individual and alums events require a separate registration.
The full schedule can be seen at arscottishfest.com.
For more information, please get in touch with Pam Palermo, senior director of conferences and events, at Pamela.Palermo@lyon.edu.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.