Great Scots! New Hampshire Highland Games celebrate heritage.

You never truly finish a family tree.

That’s how genealogist Leslie Greene Kittenbrink describes her calling to trace ancestry – a pursuit that branches and blossoms with every discovery. And to Ms. Kittenbrink and the tens of thousands who gather each September for the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, this event is more than a party. It’s a way of reconnecting with their Scottish heritage.

On a sunny afternoon, the sounds of bagpipes float across Loon Mountain. What began in 1975 as a picnic among Clan Murray members has grown into an annual weekend festival. It still highlights traditional feats of strength – the caber toss, stone put, and hammer throw – but now also includes Highland dancing, sheepdog trials, and parades of tartans.

Clan tents line the grounds, offering history and hospitality. For Stephen Boutwell of Clan Rose, each year feels like a reunion. Visitors often ask him for help tracing their clan connections.

“It gives me a sense of belonging and pride,” he says. He recalls how his grandmother created a nearly 200-foot family tree on paper, a legacy that continues to inspire him and his father, Bruce.

Ms. Kittenbrink has traced her family into the 1700s. When the clan lacked a tartan, she designed one, drawing on her father’s work as a textile engineer in Lowell, Massachusetts. Today, three generations wear the tartan proudly – the past and present stitched together.

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