Dingwall Highland Fling

'Let's put on a show!'

For decades now, Dingwall's Highland Fling has been a byword for great entertainment.

Giving of their time freely are a host of local performers, each one a star in their own right. It all adds up to a superb evening for local people and tourists alike and stems from a long, proud history of folk helping the community in which they live.

The name has had to change in the past couple of years, but the sentiments of those involved remain the same.

This charitable organisation - previously known as Dingwall Fire Brigade Club and now renamed Dingwall Fire Brigade Community Group - was formed in the mid-1930s. In those days there was a lot of youth and fitness clubs such as cycling, running, gymnastics, keep fit and so on forming throughout the country and Dingwall was no exception.

The Rover Scouts were in dispute with their headquarters over the wearing of the traditional Scout hat and their own mode of headdress, which was the Balmoral, so they broke away from the Boy Scout movement and formed their own club which they called the Dingwall Fire Brigade Club, under the leadership of the late Rev Cecil Lake.

When war broke out in 1939, the club continued to run despite the fact that a lot of its members were called away to the services and those who remained formed the then Auxiliary Fire Brigade with an old Austin fire engine towing a Merryweather pump. With this they covered the whole of Ross-shire, coast to coast, with about 20 members forming three crews of six doing eight hours a shift. The night-shift crew slept on the premises and, with their day jobs and club meetings, they must have been very busy.

But they were not to be discouraged and, with the enthusiasm of the community, they began to organise concerts, dances and other forms of entertainment.

Throughout this time, the Town Hall was seldom empty. But the most successful venture was their Saturday night dances, which they held every week, with crowds averaging 600 to 800, and people coming from all over the Black Isle and Easter Ross to attend.

They made quite a bit of money and decided to do something for the town, so they had a park built on what was the site of a boggy municipal tip - turning it into the now popular Pefferside Park, with tennis courts, bowling green, putting green, boating pond and so on, which they handed over to the town in 1949.

After the war, the Fire Brigade Club continued with its dances, concerts, fancy-dress parades and whist drives for a number of years. But as TV began to arrive in most homes in the Highlands, the need for community entertainment became less and less, and the membership of the club began to dwindle. The members who had not left or drifted away still carried on with the children's parties, old folk's Christmas dinners and annual charity monetary hand-outs, but their activities became fewer and fewer.

However, in the mid-1970s, one of the members was walking along the High Street on a Thursday evening when he noticed that there was a lot of tourists wandering about with nothing to do. He went back to the club with an idea: "Let's put on a little street show outside the Town Hall and our own club members can supply the entertainment."

The show was called "The Highland Fling" - a show with a touch of tartan and a taste of the Highlands.

The club roped in Highland dancers, singers and all types of entertainers for the free show and, to offset expenses, passed round a blanket for a collection.

One evening the weather was so bad that the show ended up being held in the then Hamilton's livestock auction mart!

From then on its content continued to snowball, becoming more professional, and being presented from every venue in Dingwall. It was also taken "on the road" to Alness, Invergordon and even Kildary.

Now the show is held in the National Hotel as the Town Hall's stairs have become a bit of an access problem for less fit patrons. But it can still claim to be the longest-running and cheapest show of its kind in Scotland.

The Highland Fling not only prides itself in being one of the longest-running summer shows in the country but also, by far, one of the best "value for money" to attend at just £1. This year (2009) celebrating its 32nd anniversary, the all-local show presents a group of talented musicians, dancers and other entertainers who willingly give their time to put on a colourful Scottish show every Wednesday throughout the summer.

The Dingwall Royal British Legion Pipe Band is always ready to appear for us, even if it's only a mini pipe band it is able to send along. Very often the band members will appear in their "civvies", as their uniforms are being saved for some Highland gathering or pipe band competition. They have a pretty full programme throughout the summer.

The Wilson Highland Dancers give the show a real breath of Highland fresh air with the young dancers delighting audiences with their nimble feet. Leader Aileen Wilson recently made a welcome return to the role of dancing teacher with the troupe. She keeps the troupe together, teaching the new dancers as the older ones leave. Aileen has gathered around her and taught a group of enthusiastic, smiling youngsters who obviously enjoy entertaining the public.

They are accompanied nightly by talented piper Donald Armstrong The Inver-Ross Accordion and Fiddle Group is a well-established group of around 20 amateur musicians who come together every two weeks to rehearse and enjoy playing traditional Scottish music. The group, whose leader is Christine Matheson from Dingwall, have been guest artistes at the local Dingwall Accordion and Fiddle Club, have played at Forres Accordion and Fiddle Club, have taken part in charity concerts in Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, and have played at an extremely successful and enjoyable charity event in Dingwall Town Hall. They are equally happy to play at old folk's homes, street fayres, school dances .... anything can be considered!

Last year, Megan Meikle, a talented young accordion player, joined the regular line-up. She has become a firm favourite at the show.

Dingwall Gaelic Choir is one of the most successful and famous choirs in Scotland and on the international traditional music scene. Formed in 1954, its members and conductors have taken the choir to success after success over the years. This year (2009) it has agreed to take part in Highland Fling once again when other commitments allow, which has delighted the organisers.

The choir takes part annually in Scotland's most prestigious Gaelic festival, the Royal National Mod, and has won many of the top choral awards, most importantly the Lovat and Tullibardine Shield. The members have been to the Vancouver Provincial Mod in Canada twice, coming home with outstanding success.

Dingwall Gaelic Choir with an array of trophies, including the premier award at the Royal National Mod - the Lovat and Tullibardine Shield - held by conductor of 34 years, Hamish Menzies, who has been succeeded by his daughter, Kirsteen (seated front right)

Doug Stewart, a Scottish singer well known throughout the Highlands, has entertained many thousands of visitors over the past 30 years. He has performed with various celebrities at many prominent venues throughout the UK.

Doug now proudly presents his son Iain and daughter Marina, who together form the Stewart Family Trio. Marina, a former member of a local pipe band, has tuned up her pipes again after a 10-year lapse and is looking forward to entertaining the public once more, accompanied by her 14- year-old brother, Iain, a self-taught pianist who has now also taken up the accordion, has performed at many local functions and his talents have been recognised by local accordion and fiddle clubs. Iain provides the necessary accompaniment for his dad and Marina. The trio are often joined by another family member, cousin Hamish MacDougall, on melodeon. Comperes Joe Yates and Peter Angus are locals who keep the show running smoothly and look after the popular raffle with help of other club members. And, at the close, everyone takes a final bow.

Enjoy the show!

[You may find that the show does not always stick to the programme. But, as some of the artistes are professionals, their living has to come first - and, as JY states in the show, all the artistes give their services absolutely free.] PROGRAMME 2009

Featuring every week:

The Wilson Highland School of Dancing Piper Donald Armstrong InverRoss Accordion and Fiddle Club Dingwall Royal British Legion Pipe Band Megan Meikle

Raffle and lucky programme

Comperes - Joe Yates and Peter Angus

Plus other guest artistes who will be appearing during the season, including:

Frankie Fraser Sandy Thomson Alan Thompson The Stewart Family Trio Dingwall Academy Ceilidh Band and Step Dancers Matthew MacLennan, Scottish Accordion Champion Jimmy Smith, MBE Dingwall Gaelic Choir Line dancers Leonie, Billie and Margaret

Highland Fling crew: Members of Dingwall Fire Brigade Community Group

Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society is grateful to Dingwall Fire Brigade Community Group for permission to reproduce their Highland Fling 2009 booklet.