Caveat: It was that very special kind of New England "hot and humid" today and that may have tainted my impression of the event.
Setting: Franklin County Fairgrounds, Greenfield, MA.
Sorry, not good. Too spread out. Too run down. Not at all scenic. Having been to games at Grandfather Mountain in NC and Loon Mountain in NH, the fairgrounds were, frankly depressing.
Piping: Bands and individual competitions.
There were only a few bands and they were small, but they were good. Unfortunately, the individual competitions went on all day, so there was always a background of multiple pipers playing different tunes whilst I was trying to listen to the bands.
Games: The usual variety.
There were divisions for both genders, lightweight men, and over 40 men. Maybe the weakest and smallest (in number) field of athletes I've ever seen. There was one good 40+ male and one women who were good. Otherwise, for the first time, I felt like I could have competed and done okay.
Food: "Fair" food as well as British (not solely Scottish) foods.
It was fine, not terribly expensive, but not a lot o choices.
Retail: Booths
Not too many, too many selling crap, and too many that were Irish or Welsh oriented. Also, henna tattoos? Really? Why?
Crowd:
Sparse and not as "into it" as I am used to.
Other:
-WWII American reenactors? Huh? Why?
-Medieval fencing types...stay at the Ren Faire please.
-Medieval Scottish reenactors...stay at the Ren Faire please.
Overall: Meh.
At least parking was free and I got to wear my kilt for the first time.
