Anyone who braved the 15-degree temperatures in Lake George Sunday afternoon would have seen a kilt-clad woman standing on a bale of hay, flinging pseudo- haggis across a stretch of frozen sand into the upheld kilt of her teammate. This was not a one-time bizarre cabin fever driven incident but part of the annual Lake George Winter Carnival Tavern Competition.
Haggis flinging is one of several events that tested the speed and skill of local tavern employees and patrons. Five teams competed for the championship with tray races, spoon relays, a horseshoe toss and a croquet skill test that saw teams driving plastic balls across the sand into wickets staggered across Shepard Park Beach.
Represented in this year’s competition were Shepard’s Cove, defending champions Mario’s Restaurant, Duffy’s Tavern, and two teams fielded by SunKiss Ballooning. SunKiss operates the tethered balloon rides that have been a feature of the carnival this year.
Shepard’s Cove, claiming home team advantage with the contests taking place steps from their outdoor deck, took first place in the horseshoe toss. The rookie team says they train daily by carrying trays up and down stairs in the multi-leveled restaurant and by heaving floor mats to build muscle strength.
Mario’s cleaned up in the tray relay speed test, out racing the competition as they balanced filled-to-the-brim Margarita glasses on cocktail trays while maneuvering around orange cones in the sand. SunKiss Team One completed the tray relay with the most liquid remaining in their glassware earning them first place in the skill category. As for the Haggis Fling, Shepard’s Cove won by several feet.
Haggis is a traditional Scottish pudding of chopped sheep offal, oatmeal and suet stuffed into a slaughtered animal’s stomach and boiled for several hours. The Winter Carnival committee used a deflated basketball to represent this concoction. According to Carnival Co-chair Nancy Nichols, Scottish women would deliver lunch to their men by tossing this pudding-in-a-pouch across a river. Menfolk on the opposite bank would hold out their kilts to catch the meal.
Mario’s and SunKiss Team One tied for first place overall in this year’s Tavern Competition.
Other events at this second carnival weekend included the Polar Golf Tournament at Battlefield Park, children’s indoor activities at King Neptune’s Pub, monster truck and helicopter rides. There were eight entries in Saturday’s Barbeque cook-off. Log Jam restaurant came in first, second place was a tie between The Meat House of Saratoga and Duffy’s Tavern. Shepard’s Cove came in third.
The Lake George Winter Carnival takes place each weekend during the month of February.