Where can you find a ton of tartan, bold bag pipes, Scottish vendors, clans and feats of super human strength in Roanoke County? Only at the 2017 Green Hill Highland Games.
On Saturday, August 26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Roanoke County’s Green Hill Park will host the Green Hill Highland Games. Both male and female athletes will challenge one another in traditional Scottish heavy athletics and strength competitions; including the Weight Throw, Scottish Hammer Throw, Stone Put and the always entertaining Caber Toss.
New to the event this year will be a rugby demonstration, from 12 to 1 p.m. by the Roanoke Rugby Football Club and the Roanoke College Rugby team. Spectator admission is free.
The event will also include the Junior Green Hill Highland Games where children ages 12 and under can participate in a scaled down version of the strongman games by competing in the Caber Toss, Stone Put and Weight for Height competition. No registration is necessary, just be prepared to make entertaining memories.
The Virginia Highlands Pipes and Drums, the oldest pipes and drums organization in Southwest Virginia, will provide music for the opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. and will perform throughout the day. Live music, Celtic vendors of all types, clans, food and beverage vendors will be on site, so bring chairs and enjoy the opportunity to watch this one-of-a-kind competition.
The event will benefit Warrior 360, an organization that supports the needs and promotes the welfare of military service members, their families and all others whose service to public safety place the welfare of others before their own.
Several of their wounded warriors will participate in the games. One of those adaptive athletes is Alexander “The Tank” Armor. Armor is a para-chair adaptive Highland Games competitor and adaptive sports advocate. As a disabled veteran, Armor has a unique viewpoint that allows him to see a way through or around obstacles. This perspective has directly led to his success as an adaptive strongman.
After being a piper who opened local games, he approached the athletic director and proposed an adaptive athletes division. The next year the local games were held, Armor finished as the division champ and a new passion came to fruition in his life.
The 2017 Green Hill Highland Games are held by Roanoke County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and sponsored by Virginia Prosthetics & Orthotics with media support from WFXR/TheCW.
For more information about the Games or the Junior Green Hill Highland Games visit www.RoanokeCountyParks.com or contact Wendi Schultz at (540)777-6326 or email wschultz@roanokecountyva.gov.
