Highland Evening at the Port Huron Museums

Join us for our 2nd annual Scottish celebration! Spend the day attending a variety of lectures, workshops and presentations before the day culminates in a delicious dinner while you listen to star fiddler Sean Heely!

The Detroit Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society provides opportunities to learn, practice, and dance the jigs, reels, and strathspeys of Scottish country dancing. Scottish country dancing is the traditional ballroom dancing of Scotland, usually danced in sets of three to four couples. It is not highland dancing. Scottish country dancing typically consists of a series of patterns that you, your partner, and the other dancers in your set complete. Dancers move through and to different positions as they perform each dance. The series of patterns is then repeated until each couple dances from every position. This event will feature a demonstration of this vibrant piece of Scottish culture and will include a chance for several attendees to try their feet at Scottish Country Dancing.

Scottish Weaponry with Elliot MacFarlane
We are also excited to welcome back Mr. Elliot MacFarlane, a member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and a UK Whisky Ambassador, and an active member and the Bard of the St. Andrews Benevolent Society of Detroit. Renowned for his gift of storytelling and knowledge of Scottish history, he will guide us as we explore some elements of Scottish weaponry.

Sean Heely
We are pleased to welcome back Sean Heely as he not only performs during the dinner of our event but also leads a workshop on Scottish fiddle and Gaelic song. This presentation will feature a dive into Scottish fiddle music and songs in the Gaelic language, no previous knowledge of Gaelic required.
Champion fiddler and singer Seán Heely is one of the most creatively versatile and captivating young artists of his generation. He is a U.S National Scottish Fiddle Champion as well as an award-winning Irish Fiddler, singer, and harpist in the folk and Gaelic traditions of Scotland and Ireland. Seán holds a degree from University of South Carolina in Classical Violin Performance and was a 2019 Artist in Residence at Strathmore Music Center in Maryland. An educator in demand, Seán is an Adjunct Instructor at American University; he has also been on the faculty at several summer camps such as Acadia Traditional School of Music and Arts, Boxwood Music Festival, Upper Potomac Fiddle Retreat, and Fiddle Hell Festival. He has performed in Scotland, Ireland, South America, Germany and at prestigious venues in the U.S such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C and Strathmore Music Center. Currently based in Washington DC, Seán performs locally and abroad with the Seán Heely Celtic Band, The Glencoe Lads and Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra. He is a musical ambassador for Scottish music and culture, especially the Gàidhlig language. He also frequently travels abroad as a solo artist, has been a speaker at events such as the Scottish North American Leadership Conference, and maintains a private teaching studio in Falls Church, VA.

All this and a fantastic buffet style dinner! Still not enough of a day for you? You can also purchase separate tickets to our lunch and whisky tasting that will take place at 12 before the Highland Evening Workshops and Dinner!