03/29/2024
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Over a million descendants of Scottish Highlanders live in North Carolina today. More than in Scotland itself, so maintains festival promoter Allen McDavid, the creative force behind the Carolina Caledonian Fest that will take place October 28-29 at Campbellton Landing in Fayetteville, NC. The inaugural event was scheduled to take place in October, 2016 at Lu Mil Vineyard in Dublin, NC. However, the devastation created by Hurricane Matthew prompted its cancellation. Since that time, McDavid decided that relocating the event to Fayetteville made sense, both in historical accuracy and economically. McDavid says, “As a venue, Lu Mil Vineyard is outstanding, but Bladen County is sparsely populated and the nearest lodging options are 18 miles away.”

In Campbellton Landing McDavid discovered an outstanding backdrop for the Carolina Caledonian Fest. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot historically speaking,” Says McDavid, “It’s where the Scots came and lived.”

He laments the fact that many of the Highlanders descendants in NC know little to nothing about their ancestral heritage. He readily admits that only a few years back he was one of them. He says, “I knew that my mother’s family were full of Campbells, but that was about it.” Turns out, that those Campbells are traced back to a Duncan Campbell who came to North Carolina in 1734. With help from official documents uploaded to the Internet, along with websites like Ancestry.com, he learned the details of his ancestors and their connection

the Argyll Colony, the largest and most significant settlement of Highland Scots in America. His ancestor

Duncan Campbell was among the original 350 Scots who formed the colony in 1739 along the banks of the Cape Fear River.

In discussing the Argyll Colony McDavid is quick to point out the difference between Highlanders and other Scots, like “Lowlanders” and “Scots-Irish.” McDavid says, “The Highlanders were not only ethnically different, they spoke a different language, Gaelic. McDavid says that Fayetteville is the most appropriate location for a Highland festival in NC, not the mountains because it was the Germans and Scots-Irish who settled the southern Appalachians.” Cumberland County was once part of Bladen County, also known as the “Mother County.” Bladen County included the territory that now makes up Cumberland, Robeson, Scotland, Moore, Hoke, Harnett and Lee Counties. Most of the Argyll Colony’s living descendants live in those counties.

“Outlander”, a popular TV series on Starz Network includes the Argyll Colony in its storyline. McDavid encourages anyone interested in the history of the Highlanders and the reasons so many came to America should tune in to the show which is based on a book series by Diana Gabaldon. He also encourages them to come out to the Carolina Caledonian Fest.

McDavid thinks that the 3-day festival will draw participants from several states away and attendees from at least a 100-mile radius, many who will spend at least one night in the area. “We want to have a positive cultural and economic impact on Cumberland County and the surrounding area for years to come,” says McDavid.

About AKA Entertainment & Media

Allen McDavid, and AKA Entertainment & Media are both well known around the state, having produced festivals as far west as Asheville and as far east as Wilmington. AKA’s Premier BBQ series included festivals in Greensboro, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. Collectively, it is second only to the Lexington Barbecue Festival in attendance and has been featured in “Bon Appetit” Magazine and on MarthaStewart.com. In recognition of the success of his ArtsAlive! Series in downtown Greensboro Allen was named one of “20 who shaped the Triad arts scene in 2003” by GoTriad. In 2004 Mystic Karnival was named one of the “Top 10 new cultural events in the Triad” by GoTriad. AKA’s 2006 Eden RiverFest was recognized by the NC Department of Commerce Main Street Program, as the “Best Downtown Festival of 2006”.

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