The morning of the first full day of the Antigonish Highland Games begins with a parade down Main Street to the event, so follow the bagpipes and floats if you’re unsure of where to go. Sun protection is always important, and definitely not something to forget during the Games. Not much shade is available at the games, so be sure to bring a hat and lots of sunscreen and stay hydrated!

While we were excited to see all the events that involved throwing and lifting heavy stones, hammers, etc., challenges that one has to assume were invented after many drams of Scotch, there was one event that was clearly the fan favorite. The caber toss was what everyone wanted to see, and for a moment a chant of, “We want logs!” even started in the stands as eager fans were frustrated that the event was running behind schedule.

For the uninitiated, the caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a caber. Basically, you’re throwing a 16-20 foot tree that weighs between 90-150 pounds. I’m still not completely sure how the caber toss scoring system works, but I really didn’t need to know in order to enjoy it.