First Presbyterian marks 40th Scottish Festival

Salt Lake City's Scottish tradition just hit a big milestone. Over the weekend, the First Presbyterian Church held its 40th Annual Scottish Festival and Kirkin' o' th' Tartan, a pair of events that brought a taste of the Highlands to the center of the city and drew roughly 5,000 people to the church grounds. This year's edition was more than a celebration of heritage, though: it was dedicated to the memory of longtime member Pamela Atkinson, a community advocate who died on October 10 at age 93 and who had taken part in every Kirkin' o' th' Tartan service since the first one held here in 1986.

The festival itself ran on Saturday afternoon, with hours extended for the anniversary year to a full four hours starting at 2 p.m. Everything was free for the community, and the activities leaned hard into family-friendly fun: a bounce house, face painting, balloon animals, and mini golf sat alongside foosball, archery, pool, ping pong, axe throwing, prize fishing, and the Scottish game 'hurling the haggis,' in which a haggis is thrown from the middle of a whiskey barrel. Both children and adults could walk away with prizes from the game, with the adult winner receiving a gift basket donated by Dented Brick Distillery. A silent auction, a Highland cow named Berniece, the Wee Scottish store, and the Bonnie Bake Shoppe rounded out the grounds, while interactive sessions in the sanctuary gave people a chance to learn about bagpipes, tartans, and highland dancing.

Food was a big part of the draw. The 'Cross and Thistle Pub' set up a beer garden with signature cocktails and mocktails, the congregation held its popular shortbread and scone bake sale, and volunteers whipped up scotch eggs, veggie pasties, sausage rolls, cottage pie, and kid-friendly meals. Once the festival wrapped, the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band took over at 6 p.m. for a free concert of pipers, drummers, and dancers that ran between an hour and a half and two hours. The band was founded in 1962 by Scottish immigrants and their families, has practiced at the church, and has played the Kirkin' o' th' Tartan since its first iteration here in 1986. Executive director Ian Williams has personally performed at 30 of the 40 events.

The weekend closed on Sunday morning with the Kirkin' o' th' Tartan, held on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday of October. At 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., members of Scottish-American clans brought their family tartans to be blessed by Pastors Jamie White and Jared McClure, with each service beginning with a procession led by the Salt Lake Scots Bagpipe band, which played 'Amazing Grace' to honor the Scottish immigrants who settled in Utah. The two services combined for an estimated 1,500 worshippers, not far from the 1,700 who attended last year. Pastor Jamie White, who became the 18th pastor in 2022, marked the church's 150th anniversary as its first female senior minister.

All the funds raised went to Pamela Atkinson's Community Partners / Pamela Atkinson Resource Center, which helps homeless people and others in need. Atkinson, a native of England who earned a nursing degree and a master's from the University of Washington, spent more than four decades serving the homeless, refugees, and low-income families, and ran 'Pamela's Closet' out of the church to distribute clothes and hygiene supplies. Memorial services for her are set for later this week: visitation at Larkin Sunset Lawn on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., and a funeral service at First Presbyterian on Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.