Sir Walter Scott, Scotland's historical novelist, could have made a fine fireside tale out of Sarasota's auld past. And he might have felt a kinship with it, too. After all, Sarasota, in its bonny beach ambiance, was settled by Scott's own people. The Ormiston Colony may have left the damp, austere landscape of Scotland for Sarasota's sunny climes in 1885, but the Scottish spirit remains.

In the "Weight for Height" event, athletes throw 28- and 56-pound weights through the uprights. The weights are thrown one-handed over the athlete's shoulders.
Scott would spin a yarn that begins long after the Native Americans had moved south, leaving prehistoric mounds along the Sarasota coastline like early golf greens. Well after the treasure seekers had stalked the area's palm brush, the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company, run by Sir John Gillespie, promoted Sarasota in Scotland. Touted as a land of abundance, with citrus groves, a bay teeming with fish and town homes to boot, Sarasota lured many Scots onto steamer ships and across the ocean. It was just after Christmas, but when they waded up to what is now Main Street, there were no ornamented lampposts or temperate breezes coming off the bay. Instead,

The "Putting the Stone" event is conducted in the Braemar, or standing, style.

it snowed, and they were met with few buildings, no housing and lots of palmetto scrub. Many of the colonists boarded the next ship back.

Scott might pause here to let Sarasota's fate hang in the balance. He might paint an image of the hardy Scots who stayed behind building the Main Street dock, snow flurries swirling around them. He would probably describe the dramatic arrival of Colonel J. Hamilton Gillespie, Sir John's son, who swept in to manage the company's interests. He would tell the story of Sarasota's first golf course, built near Golf and Links Avenues by Gillespie himself in 1905, which included a clubhouse to entice tourists. Today, many of Sarasota's golf courses continue the Scottish links tradition, and Sarasota's Lawn Bowling Club keeps the contemporary Scottish sportsman busy, too.

Any account of Sarasota's inception should pay tribute to her reputation as a winter playground. Scott would depict the construction of the glamorous DeSoto Hotel on Main Street. The hotel served the seasonal influx of socialites in the early 20th century who came to attend the theater and the opera or to spend the winter on the beach. Today, Sarasota has the only winter repertory theater in the country. The Asolo Theatre Company may stage works by Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, but it isn't England and Ireland Asolo owes much to; it's Scotland. The theater acquired the stately Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre in 1990, though it was built in 1903 in Dunfermline, Scotland. The 500-seat theater was rescued before it was demolished, and shipped in pieces to Sarasota. Dunfermline and Sarasota were officially recognized as sister cities in 2002, Sarasota's own town centennial. In 1902, Gillespie, the "Father of Golf in Florida," was the distinguished mayor.

Scottish style has survived as well. Sir Walter would wax rhapsodic over the wing epaulets and feather bonnets gracing Riverview High School's Kiltie Band. Comprised of 200 musicians, bagpipers, dancers and a color guard, the band's uniforms are purchased directly from Scotland. The McDonald tartan reflects the clan background of the first settlers and is accompanied by an authentic Scottish kilt. The shining silver collar badges and the battle jacket match that worn by the Scottish regiments, and across the bright green field or marching in step, the Kiltie Band is a handsome set. Along with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, appearing on film and traveling the world, the Kiltie Band makes 40 local performances a year and participates in seasonal concerts.

Scott would be more than a wee bit proud to expound on Sarasota's Highland Games and Heritage Festival, held March 29, 2008 at the Venice Airport Grounds. Steeped in Scottish culture, the festival features everything from pipe music and clan tents to a show of the finest sheep dogs. Tossing the caber and putting the stone are chief events in the athletic competition, as are the Highland Fling and Sword Dance in the dance competition, so Scott would find plenty of historical heroics. The fragrance of shortbread draws would-be Scots from near and far, each visitor encouraged to wear a tartan. Scott himself would welcome the chance to sit and weave a Celtic tale during a storytelling session. Sarasota's storied past would move any lad or lass.

If you go:
Call the Scottish Heritage Society of Sarasota at 941-342-0509 for more information.