SoKY’s Choice: Southern Kentucky Highland Games blends strength and survival stories

The Southern Kentucky Highland Games make a powerful return to Barren County

PARK CITY, Ky. (WNKY) – Saturday, clan banners waved, bagpipes wailed, and one man’s mission lit up the competition field.

Following the cancellation of the Highland Games in Glasgow following COVID in 2020, the Southern Kentucky Highland Games made a powerful return to Barren County on Saturday, May 31, at Bell’s Tavern Park, attracting athletes, families, and fans of Scottish heritage from all over the area.

The event was an all-around success from the setup in the days before the end of the event, said Kerry Overfelt, the Athletic Director of the event, “I had to run people off the athletic fields. They want to be right on top of everything. And that’s always great because that means you’ve got a lot of people coming in. So far today, all I’ve seen is positive. Positive, positive. Our music’s great. We’ve got clans going. And the biggest thing is we have people here, kids running around.”

Gregory Gunn, commissioner for Clan Gunn North America, traveled several hours from Ohio to take part. He oversees clan activities in five states and said the event is “a very rewarding experience to come to an event like this, just to experience the culture.”

The commissioner also emphasized the spirit behind the Games: “The athletic part of it combined with the clans was actually what the Highland games were all about. The men would compete in athletic events with their clans present before they went to war. So it’s all about strength and endurance.”

Gunn’s favorite event to watch? The caber toss, where competitors heave an 18-foot wooden pole weighing around 180 pounds. “The key is to take steps with it, balance it and toss it. A perfect score is when it lands end for end at 12 o’clock,” he said.

Among the standout athletes was Chris Chamblee, a competitor and two-time stage 4 cancer survivor. Diagnosed at 46 with advanced prostate cancer and given just a 4% chance of survival, Chamblee said, “I want to be a public display to let people know that God still heals. You can be anything, no matter what the diagnosis or what the numbers are, if you just keep fighting.”

Chamblee shared how his story has inspired others, recounting, “I met a man who was going to end his life after being diagnosed with cancer, but he changed his mind after hearing my story. That one incident is enough for me to be out here constantly and keep on doing my mission.”

His mission extends beyond the field. Through his company, Second Chance Honey Hot Sauce, he donates proceeds to cancer patients. “Every time I sell a bottle… it helps them all go through cancer.”

The Southern Kentucky Highland Games aims to become an enduring annual tradition, with hopes to expand to a three-day event. Organizers are already planning for next year’s celebration.

For more information or to get involved, visit southernkyhighlandgames.org.