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Heavy Metal

Tough guys throw their weight around at the Rhode Island Scottish Highland Festival.

Let the games begin! Men and women come from all over the Northeast to perform feats of strength in the Rhode Island Scottish Highland Festival’s heavy athletics—from the famous caber toss, weight and hammer throws to a sheaf toss and stone putting — while others compete in piping, drumming and dancing. The rest of us come just for the fun. The festivities include Scottish games (two favorites are find-the-money-in-the-haystack for kids, and the haggis, rolling pin and boot hurl for adults), a historic clan village and reenactments, a formal flag retiring ceremony, live music and Scottish foods from teahouse scones to meat pies. It doesn’t matter if you’re not Scottish: Following the morning clan call, when all the day’s pipe bands march together on the field to fill the fairground with the sound of up to 130 bagpipers at once, you’ll still get goosebumps.

The eleventh annual Rhode Island Scottish Highland Festival is June 13 on the Washington County Fairgrounds in Richmond. Visit riscot.org for more information. — Nicole Maranhas