The 36th annual Highland Games will take place this Saturday, August 16, at the Topsham Fairgrounds off Route 196.

On Friday night, a clan gathering and ceilidh will take place on the grounds. A ceilidh is essentially a party with dancing, music, and storytelling. Admission to the ceilidh is free, although donations are accepted and there will be a cash bar and a beer tent. The ceilidh is timed to honor the birthday of Sir Walter Scott.

The next day, however, the games begin, rain or shine.

Sponsored by the Saint Andrews Society of Maine, the day-long event features massed pipe bands, parade of tartans, sheep dogs, Scottish merchandise and food, athletic events, kilt making, fiddlers, and genealogy booths with literature on individual clans. It is held each year to promote Scottish culture and preserve the heritage of Maine Scots and their descendants.

Thrill to the skirl of bagpipes, the pageantry of marching bands and clans, and classic highland dancing.

Gates open at 8 a.m. Master of Ceremonies is James Rodden, son of a proud Kingdom of Fife, Scotland coal miner who lives in Maine.

This year, there will be a Children’s Country Dance workshop, sheepdog trials, reenactors, and of course, the heavy games the Highlands are famous for — caber toss, stone put, sheaf toss, and Scottish hammer throw.

Other competitions will include Highland Dancing, and Individual Piping and Drumming.

Entertainment will include Castlebay, Fellswater, Colin Grant-Adams, and the Maine Highland Fiddlers, along with other pipers, harpers, and fiddlers throughout the day.

Food, drink, and vendors offering everything from kilts to books about clans and Scottish history will be available all day.

The entrance fee at the gate is $20 per person.