World’s largest service organization to be featured as Rotary International President receives the salute from 1,000 bagpipers—all Rotary members invited.
Chicago Scots, Illinois’s first and oldest charity, will celebrate the Scottish roots of Rotary at the 38th annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, June 14-15 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds by presenting Rotary International President, Gordon McInally of South Queensferry, Scotland with the “Salute to the Chieftain.”
McInally will lead the “Parade of Tartans,” which showcases Scottish families, clans, and organizations. The Chicago Scots will feature Rotary International as the “Honored Clan.” All Rotary members are enthusiastically invited and encouraged to march with President McInally, who is one of only two Scots to be elected to lead Rotary International in the organization’s 119-year history.
The Scottish Festival hosts North America’s largest bagpiping championship. At just before dusk on Saturday, June 15, when all the piping and drumming competitions are done, the entire festival will gather for the iconic “massed bands.”
“The massed bands is something everyone should experience,” said Gus Noble OBE, President of Chicago Scots and member of the Rotary Club of Chicago, Rotary One. “One thousand bagpipers and drummers will offer a salute to President McInally. It’ll send shivers down spines, make hairs stand up, put smiles on faces, and warmth in hearts.
“My one-year term as Rotary’s president, which I’ve enjoyed and appreciated immensely, concludes at the end of June. The Highland Games will be a terrific send-off. My identity as a Scot is very important to me, so it’ll be a great honor to receive the salute of the pipers. I hope Rotary members will join me at the Festival,” said McInally.
Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905 by lawyer Paul Harris and three business associates. Harris married Jean Thomson, who was from Scotland. Harris built a house for Jean on the south side of Chicago, naming it “Comely Bank” after the part of Edinburgh where Jean was raised.
In a radio address to Rotary’s annual convention, Paul Harris announced: “What we are trying to do in Rotary is make the words of [Scottish poet] Robert Burns come true.” He continued to quote Burns’s poem, A Man’s a Man for All That, “the time shall come, when Man to Man, the world over, shall brothers be for all that.”
Festival Details for Rotarians
Every year at our Scottish Festival & Highland Games, the Chicago Scots feature a family or an organization as our Honored Clan. This year, to recognize and celebrate its’ strong Scottish roots, our Honored Clan is Rotary International. We are proud to announce that Rotary International’s Scottish President, Gordon McInally has agreed to lead our Parade of Tartans at 12:30 p.m. Gordon will also receive the Salute to the Chieftain from the Massed Pipe Bands at approximately 6.30pm on Saturday June 15 2024.
- Ticket Discount. All Rotarians will receive a 15% discount on tickets. Your discount code is available through your local Rotary Club or contact Meghan Larson at meghanlarson@chicagoscots.org.
- Recognizing Your Rotary Club. Every Rotary Club marching in the parade will be recognized by Club name. After you register, email your club name to Dawn Miller.
- Parade kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Marchers should gather next to the Athletic Field at 12 noon with clans, families, and organizations.
- Interested to Volunteer? Attend for Free. Volunteers get free admission on the day they volunteer. Time slots are 3-4 hours. See volunteer opportunities available here.
- Massed Bands at 6:30 p.m. Gordon will receive the Salute to the Chieftain from the Piped Bands at 6:30 p.m. on the Heavy Athletics Field.
38th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games
DuPage County Fairgrounds
Wheaton, Illinois