Sons of Hounds. Northern Lights Branch Picnic & Annual General Meeting s. Northern Lights Branch at the 2013 Picnic & AGM

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1 Volume 18 Issue 59 Fall 2013 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BRANCH, CLAN CAMERON ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA Sons of Hounds Northern Lights Branch Picnic & Annual General Meeting s Northern Lights Branch at the 2013 Picnic & AGM The first wave of the summer 2013 warm up came in time for this year s Northern Lights Branch picnic and annual general meeting. The heat kept some folks away, but a few intrepid members made it out to Como Park to enjoy an afternoon with fellow Cameron s. Great picnic food was served and the annual mini-golf tournament was a hit as well. This year we had only a single lucky player scored a hole-in-one, with Jim making it in on hole, #15 (a blind shot, with no view of the cup from the tee area!). Board elections were held, with Stephen Craane and Nancy Cameron joining the board of directors by unanimous vote. A hearty Thanks to Linda Cameron and Lila Cameron for their service to the group! Everyone agrees we like the shelter space at Como Park and the mini golf course is kept in better shape, but the parking can be a bit of a struggle. Keep a watch out for next year; with the Scottish Fair moving to July, there has been some discussion of combining a fall event with the annual picnic instead of sweltering in the summer heat (although, in Minnesota fall is no guarantee of cooler temperatures!).

2 Page 2 Sons of Hounds Volume 18 Issue 59 The President s Page XXVII Chief of Clan Cameron Donald Cameron of Lochiel Achnacarry, Spean Bridge Inverness-shire, Scotland PH34-4EJ Commissioner, North America Thomas A. Cameron camshron@gmail.com President, Clan Cameron Midwestern US Region Linda Cameron l.a.cam@msn.com President, Northern Lights Branch Barbara Cameron (763) barbaracameron444@yahoo.com Vice President: Ron Cameron reul-eolas@myway.com Secretary: Nancy Cameron Treasurer: Jim Leibold (763) jaleibold@aol.com Directors: John Cameron Stephen Craane Co-Newsletter Editors John Cameron jrcameron@centurytel.net & Nancy Cameron necameron@aol.com Web Master Ron Cameron reul-eolas@myway.com Published September 2013 Dear Cameron Friends: Life is busy. Don t we all know it! We have jobs and families. The kids are going back to school or college. Many of us are also enjoying the end-of-summer festivals with our families. So I asked myself, in the midst of constant busyness, why do I - and you - take the time to be involved with an organization like Clan Cameron? My answers came out as a list in ACROSTIC form, based on the name CAMERON!! (I hope that you ll bear with me. As a former linguist and word puzzle hound, this kind of game appeals to me!). Here goes: Clan Affiliation. We are part of the Scottish diaspora all across the globe. I think it s cool to know that wherever I go I might meet someone with Scottish and especially Cameron, connections. In fact, with the Cameron DNA project, Cameron men may take part in DNA mapping and then find others with whom their lineages intersect. John Cameron has done this and has shared his experience with the DNA research process in previous newsletters. (For more info see: ) Achnacarry, Scotland. We all know of Achnacarry as our ancestral home base. Achnacarry is located in the Highlands of the Great Glen, the rift that cuts SW to NE across the middle of Scotland and includes Loch Ness. Cameron territory also includes Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland. We have a hereditary chief, as well as his son Andrew who is heir to the role. Minnesota is the hub for Clan Cameron, NLB. But we have members in Wisconsin; plus our area also covers portion of North and South Dakota. Some of our members travel seasonally and are able to meet up with Camerons throughout the US and Canada. Events. We have lots of them from much-loved annual do s, e.g. the Scottish Ramble in February and our Cameron Fall Tea, to something we haven t done for quite awhile, a hay ride for the whole family!! Be sure to sign up and bring the gang to the hayride and campfire on Sunday, Oct. 27th. Remember our history and connections to Scotland. Many Clan Cameron members have explored their Cameron roots and are continually working on their genealogy research. I personally need to get started on this, and hope that we will organize or find another genealogy workshop opportunity soon. Officers and Directors. Yes, our organization has a Board of Directors that actively keeps the organization operating, and maintains ties with other Clan Cameron organizations across the US and around the world. The Board is always open to welcoming members to meetings, or to take up various roles and even to be elected to serve on the board! National culture that always evokes an emotional, gut response that says I am Scottish! Don t we all love kilts and plaid skirts in Cameron tartan; also wonderful music that includes bagpipes and fiddles and popular bands like Battlefield Band or Peatbog Faeires? Don t we love Scotch eggs, scones, and shortbread, and even haggis! Let s not forget the poetry, literature and Scottish contributions to the formation of American government, and also numerous technological innovations. I hope that this CAMERON acrostic makes you more tuned in to what the Northern Lights Branch means to a particular member, and I also hope to see you at the next get-together!! Barbara Cameron Clan Cameron NLB President

3 Volume 18 Issue 59 Sons of Hounds Page 3 Upcoming Events Battlefield Band at the Cedar Cultural Center, Friday, September 6 Traditional Scottish music playing in Minneapolis! See or for more information. Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Highland Fling Weekend, September 7 & 8 There will not be a separate Clan tent area, so Clan Cameron will not be out in force. But the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans (MCSC) will have a tent. For other Fair related information, see the Ren Fest website at Fish & Chips Night (& Board meeting) at Stout s Pub, Saturday, September 14 The board of directors will have a short meeting starting at 3 pm, followed by buy-your-own dinner and beverage of choice (the beer selection is excellent!). Join your fellow clans folk at Stout s Pub in Falcon Heights (1611 Larpenteur Ave W) for great food and company! See for menu and directions. Learn to Curl Classes at the (relatively) new Curling Club in Blaine Four Seasons Curling Club opened in Blaine earlier this year. Some individual Cameron s are hoping to take advantage of this new opportunity to sample curling. Introductory classes are being held in September and October. Check it out at the Four Season s Curling Club website. Hay Ride and Bonfire at Bunker Hills Park, Sunday, October 27 Join us for a ride in the park on a beautiful fall afternoon (keep your fingers crossed for no rain that day!). See enclosed registration form for more details. Additional information will be sent to those who register. Fall Tea at Lady Elegant s Tea Room, Saturday, December 21 We ve moved this fall event to later in the year and are trying out a new location. See enclosed registration form for more details. Additional information will be sent to those who register. Scottish Ramble at Landmark Center, February 2014 Date not published yet, but typically the 2 nd or 3 rd weekend in February; stay tuned for additional details. MN Scottish Fair & Highland Games, Saturday, July 12, 2014 No chance of freezing rain next year, instead we will be lucky to not end up melted into the grass! Notes from the June Genealogy Seminar Scottish historian and genealogist Graeme M. Mackenzie, MA spoke on "Clans, Septs and Surnames in the Highlands of Scotland" at the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) auditorium on Monday, July 8. It was an engaging talk, enjoyed by all attending. Graeme s key message was that clanship is not static; clans are families and families grow and expand and in that process bring on new members and change their names. The use of formal surnames was not common in the Scottish Highlands until the 1800 s. Prior to this, it was not uncommon for a person to vary their name based on their location or affiliation with the family in power at that time. Plus, in the aftermath of Culloden and the Lowlanders attempts to eliminate Highland culture, many Gaelic names were "mangled" into English, with the same name often becoming multiple different variants. Keeping an open mind and considering various possibilities is a necessity in searching for your Scottish roots! Graeme is a professional genealogist and is available for hire; more information can be found at

4 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BRANCH, CLAN CAMERON ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA C/O BARBARA CAMERON, PRESIDENT 1232 DUPONT LANE BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA The NLB Board of Directors for Left to Right: Ron Cameron Nancy Cameron Stephen Craane Barbara Cameron Jim Leibold John Cameron

5 CLAN CAMERON NORTHERN LIGHTS BRANCH EVENT REGISTRATION FORM Hay Ride and Bonfire at Bunker Hills Park DATE: Sunday, October 27, 2013 Please arrive no later than 3 pm Hayride lasts about 1 hour, followed by 1 hour bonfire with hotdogs & smores Recommended attire: Long pants, close toed shoes and socks (plus outerwear consistent with the weather forecast!) Please provide the information below and return with your payment to the address below REGISTRATION and PAYMENT are DUE by: October 6, 2013 Name: PLEASE PRINT Postal Address: Telephone OR (in case of last minute changes) Number Attending: Adults: x $10 each = Children (under 15): x $ 8 each = Payment Enclosed: (make checks out to CC NLB) Total: Due to venue registration requirements, we must have at least 10 pre paid reservations to hold this event. The venue will also require everyone to sign a waiver at the event in order to participate. Send to: Jim Leibold, Treasurer Northern Lights Branch Clan Cameron London St. NE Ham Lake, MN

6 CLAN CAMERON NORTHERN LIGHTS BRANCH EVENT REGISTRATION FORM Fall Tea and Luncheon at Lady Elegant s Tea Room DATE: Saturday, December 21, 2013 Please arrive no later than 10:45 am (tea starts promptly at 11 am) Tea and three course luncheon at Lady Elegance Tea Room, 2230 Carter Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota Please provide the information below and return with your payment to the address below REGISTRATION and PAYMENT are DUE by: December 1, 2013 Name: PLEASE PRINT Postal Address: Telephone OR (in case of last minute changes) Number Attending: Payment Enclosed: (make checks out to CC NLB) x $23 per person = Total: Due to venue registration requirements, we must have at least 10 pre paid reservations to hold this event. Send to: Jim Leibold, Treasurer Northern Lights Branch Clan Cameron London St. NE Ham Lake, MN

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