Everyone was a member of a clan. Even folks who had no idea what “Bangers” are or the location of the Orkney Islands was “adopted” as a member of the brethren by a person dressed in brightly-colored plaid kilts.

Greenbank Farm was transformed into the “Uld Sod” on Saturday for the Eighth Annual Whidbey Island Highland Games and people from all ethnic backgrounds gathered for a day of food, music, competition and fun.

This year, Karen Shelton-Johnson was chieftain of the games. She was president of the Seattle Highland Games for several years, has been a Highland dance instructor for 30 years and is also qualified to judge Highland dancing anywhere in the world. Shelton-Johnson has been involved in the Whidbey Island Celtic Society for eight years.

“The games are totally in my blood,” she said, welcoming everyone at the opening ceremony. “Competitions and Highland Games are important, but getting to know and love the people and the land is just as important.”

A resident of Shoreline and a member of Clan Hay, Shelton-Johnson left on Monday for five- and-a-half weeks in Scotland.

Athletic competition involved several events including putting the stone; tossing the 28 and 56-pound weights for distance; throwing the 56-pound weight for height; hurling the Scottish hammer, which is a 16-pound ball attached to a handle made of cane; and the ever-popular caber toss.

Events were open to women as well as men, and muscular competitors of both sexes put on a great show.

For the first time, a masters division for athletes aged 40 and over was included in the competition.

“It’s going to be fun for us older guys,” said Vancouver’s Dan Taylor. “This is the first time they’ve had a masters division, so all first-place finishes will be records. I expect to get a few of them myself before the day is over.”

Taylor had a few problems in his opening attempt throwing the Scottish hammer.

“I didn’t throw very well,” he said after foot-fouling on his first two attempts. “It’s going to get better.”

Steve Copeland had the touch in the Scottish hammer. His 72-foot throw in the first round was far better than anyone else, but not good enough for him. “I threw 72 feet so far, but I’ll see what I can do later,” he said with a laugh.

Kevin Walsh may be relatively small in stature, but he hangs right in there with the big boys. “I’ve been coming here since the first one and that was in 1999,” the veteran competitor from Lynnwood said.

Only two women were entered in this year’s competition; Karyn Dallimore from Burnaby, British Columbia, who was attending her first Whidbey Island Highland games, and veteran Julie Riise from Freeland.

“Julie has been coaching me and she is really awesome,” Dallimore said.

Riise said she has been competing in the games since 1999. “You’ll see my name in the program,” she said.

Riise holds games records in the light and heavy weight stone throws, the light and heavy weight throws for distance, the light hammer throw and the caber toss.

Even dogs got into the act competing in flyball. In this event canines race a 51-foot course jumping four hurdles before stepping on a spring-loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the ball and then heads back over the hurdles to the finish line. The event is divided into heats with four-dog teams. The first team to have all dogs complete the course without an error was the winner.

The final event was the caber toss and after much time spent selecting just the right pole it cracked—on the very first toss. No problem, a wee bit o’ duck tape took care of things. By nature, Scots are thrifty folk you know.