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WIMER Wimer's Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Highland Games appeal to both the kilted and kiltless Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 2, 2015 at 12:15 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 5:03 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 2, 2015 at 12:15 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 5:03 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Highland Games » Social News Tucking what amounted to a small boulder on his shoulder, Sutherlin resident Robin Knebel almost appeared to be imitating the Greek titan Atlas before he hurled the stone into the distance. Of course, Atlas is rarely depicted in a bright blue plaid kilt. The "stone put," as it's called, is in fact one of the oldest events in the ancient Highland Games, said to have originated in pre-Christianity Scotland, and can be compared to the Olympic shot put. Competitors use one arm to hurl stones weighing from 16 to 26 pounds as far as they can without stepping outside of a marked box; the distance thrown determines their score. The 2015 Elk Mountain Highland Games Saturday were only the second to be held at the Evans Valley and Education Center in Wimer, said festival organizer Mike Ivan, who helped start the event last year with his wife, Ann Marie. Highland Games, held throughout the world, have become popular both as an expression of Scottish heritage and as competitive events. Ivan said he'd never been to a Highland Games event prior to starting the Elk Mountain event last year. "I was interested in the strongman stuff, but I'm just a little guy," he said, motoring a golf cart between rows of kilt-clad visitors as bagpipes played in the distance. "I did a lot of research. The Douglas County (Scottish) Society has been fantastic and really helped our festival off the ground." While kilts were in abundance (and encouraged), they weren't mandatory. Among the kiltless was Brennan Moody of Rogue River, one of a number of competitors in the festival's edged-weapons competition, which scored them based on their accuracy with swords, spears and axes on an obstacle course of targets. Slicing a bucket of water in half with a sword, Moody said it wasn't just his first edged-weapons competition, it was his first time ever visiting the Highland Games. While Scottish culture and costumes are key to any Highland Games, Ivan said bona fide Scottish heritage isn't necessary to enjoy the festivities. "We're trying to steer it to less of a heritage festival — more of a redneck renaissance," he said. "Something for the green-necks, something for the rednecks, something for everybody." While the edged weapons and heavy athletics competitions were largely the same as last year, he said, the 2015 Highland Games featured significantly more arts and family activities, including performances by giant puppets from the Southern Oregon-based Coyote Rising troupe and a beard-braiding contest. Ivan said organizers got access to the festival site through his involvement with the community center, located on the grounds of the former Evans Valley School, which closed in 2010. "We have 28 acres (available to us)," he said. Ivan said that while organizers are trying to make the Elk Mountain Highland Games a regional event rather than a local one, the festival also provides a much-needed social opportunity for rural Rogue River-area residents who might not otherwise meet. "We all live in the same place, but we don't all go to the same pub," he said. "Well, let's have a day where we all get together and relax." Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 2, 2015 at 12:15 PM Updated May 2, 2015 at 5:03 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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