Looking to get your Scotch on?
  If you’re of Scottish descent, love all things Scottish, or simply enjoy tartan and bagpipes, then the Charles Bascombe Shaw Memorial Scottish Heritage Symposium is for you.
  The event will be held March 20-22 at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, with a special “Kirkin of the Tartans Worship Service” at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church.
  The event includes world-renowned lecturers from around the world speaking on all things Scottish, as well as internationally known musical performers, such as award-winning songstress Isla St. Clair.
  Though held in the appropriately named Scotland County, the event has Cumberland County roots. It started in 1989 as a celebration of the coming of the first Highland Scots to this region and was initially organized by the Museum of the Cape Fear. After five years it was discontinued and the event was taken over by the staff of St. Andrews, among whom was Bill Caudill, who was on the original Scottish Heritage steering committee and who now teaches, among other things, a bagpipe course at St. Andrews.
  “It’s really just taken off as an event,” said Caudill. “It’s a chance for local folks to get in touch with their Scottish roots. I really don’t think people understand the influence the Scots who emigrated to this area have had on the culture. You can even see it in the architecture.”
  The event will kick off on March 20, 11 a.m., with a ribbon cutting for the relocated Scottish Heritage Center, followed shortly by registration. Highlights for the rest of the day include lectures by Scottish professors and intellectuals, followed by a reception at the William Henry Belk College Center. The day will finish up with the Scottish Heritage Awards Banquet at the William Henry Belk College Center at 7 p.m.
  The fun continues on Saturday with late registration from 9-9:30 a.m., followed by a presentation called “Bagpipes in the Movies” by Patrick King from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  Events scheduled for the rest of the day include:
  •Early Scottish Farmsteads in the Eastern Carolinas, Bridget O’Brein;
  •The Songs of Scotland, Isla St. Clair;
  •Local Resources for Global Communities, Eleanore Harris;
  •Panel discussion and questions.
  Saturday finishes up with a concert at 7:30 p.m. featuring the prize-winning St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band with Isla St. Clair.
  On Sunday, the Kirkin of the Tartans Worship Service will kick off at 11 a.m. at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church.
  For more information, call Tim Van Hooser at (910) 277-5258. Also, you can check out the Web site www.sapc.edu for additional information.