While the current restrictions will keep the full-on celebration that is Robbie Burns Night from taking place at Timothy Eaton Gardens this year, organizers have decided to take a different approach in order to once again honour one of Scotland’s greatest national heroes.
And just like so many other events forced into the virtual arena, this venture will also involve the internet.
“We had a get together yesterday and had a practice run with Jim Tenford from St. Andrew’s, he’s the technical expert and will be recording the program for (Facebook),” said longtime Robbie Burns Night organizer and participant Don Mitchell. “Then we’ll have it set up so people can watch it any time.”
The plan should work out well. Tenford and St. Andrew’s have been posting services from the local church on a weekly basis, meaning they have all sorts of experience when it comes to the technical set-up of such a show.
“So we’ll have music, the address to the haggis and a short program… it’ll be nice to be able to put something together,” Mitchell said.
Burns is the 18th century poet, songwriter and political commentator known around the world for his prose, which included works such as ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘Tam o’ Shanter and ‘Scots Wha Hae’ among his hundreds of famous pieces.
More importantly, Burns is a national hero in Scotland and has come to represent all that the country is about, with his influence growing throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. He was chosen as the greatest Scot in the television poll in 2009.
A traditional Robbie Burns Night centers around the Scottish delicacy known as the haggis, a pudding made with sheep’s heart, liver and lungs mixed with oatmeal and spices and traditionally cooked in a sheep’s stomach.
Then, of course, you have the bagpipes, Scottish dancers and plenty of toasts and tales to be told.
The 2020 edition of Robbie Burns Night saw an impressive revival of the event in Moose Jaw, as all 110 tickets for the show were sold, leading to a packed house in the Timothy Eaton Garden gymnasium.
That, of course, won’t happen this time around. This Robbie Burns Night will be an intimate event, recorded with a limited cast. But all the basics will be there, including Andrew Gallagher’s popular Toast to the Haggis.
While a set date for recording hasn’t been set, the plan is to have the show up on the St. Andrew’s Facebook page by next weekend.
So be sure to follow their page at https://www.facebook.com/StAndrewsUnitedChurchMooseJaw for the latest updates, and keep an eye on MooseJawToday.com for when it’ll officially be posted!
