Cead Mile Failte (a hundred thousand welcomes).

Whether of Gaelic heritage or not, everyone was a clan member at the 11th annual Whidbey Island Highland games Saturday, Aug. 8.

Presented by the Whidbey Island Celtic Society, visitors to the Greenbank Farm were treated to a day when the pipes skirled, the Scottish battle drums rattled and people were dressed in kilts and tartans of every hue and color.

A portion of the grounds of Greenbank resembled a village in the highlands of yesteryear, replete with dancers, singers, vendors and food stalls. While in another area, games of skill and strength were in progress.

Crowds of onlookers were drawn to the area where big men, along with two talented women, champions in their own right, were tossing and swinging heavy objects of various shapes and sizes for height and distance.

The two women, Karyn Dallimore from British Columbia, Canada, and Breanne Odden from Kelso, had recently returned from Scotland where they competed in the World Scottish games.

Both are top competitors in throwing the Scottish hammer. Dallimore, who works in computer technical support, finished third in the Master’s Division at the games and Odden, who is a gymnast and among the top 10 hammer throwers in the world, placed ninth in the Elite Division.

“The Scottish hammer predates the Olympic hammer and basically it’s like a cannon ball on a stick,” Dallimore said.

To be a successful competitor in the event, some rather unusual equipment is required.

Competitors wear special shoes that look like they have wide butcher knives extending from the toes. This allows the thrower to dig into the turf and maintain their balance while swinging the hammer.

“The ball on the end weighs 14 pounds and it can build up to the equivalent of about 400 pounds of torque when you swing it around,” Dallimore said.

Another popular event was throwing the weight for distance.

The apparatus again resembles a cannon ball, this time weighing 28 pounds, but connected to a short chain with a hand grip. Competitors in the event spin around several times like Olympic shot putters before releasing, and have to remain behind the trig, the raised foul board at the end of the thowing area, for the throw to be legal.

Chris Doughty, an electrical engineer from Seattle, was one of the first throwers and said he has competed in three other Scottish competitions.

“This is my first one on Whidbey Island and it is great,” he said. “I’m having a lot of fun and meeting many nice people.”

Thomas Hedlund from Elma was another first-time competitor at the Whidbey Island games. He got off several good throws in the weight competition and for good reason.

“I’m a student at the University of Washington and I’m on the rowing team. I row in the eight-man scull,” he said.

Throwing the 56-pound weight for height is for the big men and also not for the faint of heart.

In this event, a weight with a ring handle is tossed over a bar that is raised higher as the competition continues. Sounds easy enough for a strong man but what goes up also comes down and the competitors have to be agile enough to get out of the way after the weight clears the bar and returns to earth.

David Netherton, a second-year competitor at the Whidbey Island Highland games, said he practices a lot in the gym and when he’s not working out, he is employed by Roy Roberts Chevrolet in Marysville.

Kris Conner from Puyallup, another big man, said he sells fire alarm systems for a living.

“This is my third time at the Whidbey Island games and each year it gets better,” he said.

Strength exhibitions weren’t the only crowd-pleasing attraction.

On the Highland Dancing stage, girls of all ages performed intricate routines ranging from the Highland Fling to the Irish Jig in solo routines, pairs and in groups of three.

In the novice 10-and-under sword dance, Selena Abconder from Auburn, Emma Lee from Conway and Madeleine Sherwood from Spokane performed a near-flawless routine.

Legend has it that Malcom Canmore first danced over two crossed swords after a victorious battle near Dunsinane. After that, Scottish warriors would perform this dance before going into battle for luck.

All three girls said they were having a fun time at the games.

Also adding to the color and pageantry were the Clan Gordon Pipe Band, along with the Northwest District Junior Pipe Bands, the Tacoma Scots Pipe Band and the Kenmore & District Pipe Band.

The bands and the clans gathered for the opening ceremony at noon, followed by Chieftain of the Games’ Stephanie Sprinkle’s welcoming speech.

Even if you weren’t a clansman of the isles, Saturday was a wonderful and colorful time for everyone.