Scottish Society Adopts
A Motto & A Flag
The SSCC Board of
Governors on May 28, 2002 adopted an official motto for the Scottish
Society of Central California and developed the official SSCC flag.
The motto “AIR SON GRADH
NA h-ALBANN” which means “ For The Love of Scotland”. A Rendition of
the official flag is shown below and will incorporate the motto on
it.
A quote from one of our
members.
"The credit for the idea
of the motto goes to member Alice Stevenson who thought the society
should have one. She mentioned this to me and I agreed that it was a
great idea. I could not get it out of my head that night, and I
asked myself why I have worked so hard for the society for so many
years, and also for my Clan society and other Scottish
organizations. I decided that the reason I did it was “ For the Love
of Scotland”. From there I wrote the phase in Gaelic and with the
help of a Gaelic speaking friend to check my work and make a
grammatical change, came up with the motto".
"I also felt that we
should have a flag of our own & designed one, which was adopted by
the board. The flag will be displayed at all of our official
functions, but will not complete in time for the general meeting in
June".
"The board members also
thought we could use the motto on many things such as T-shirts,
mugs, our letterhead stationary etc".
"I sincerely hope that
all of you feel the way I do about our ancestry and that you too do
what you do for the society for '“The Love of Scotland”'.
Ken Bain, SSCC Past
Chief
The Scottish Society of Central California
Organization History & Mission Statement
The Scottish Society of
Central California had its beginnings in 1982, when those of Scottish
descent belonging to the Celtic Cultural Society of Central California
decided to form their own organization. In January 1983, the Scottish
Society of Central California became a non-profit corporation organized
and qualified under the laws of the State of California. The Society’s
mission is to create, stimulate, and sustain an interest in Scotland; to
educate the public about Scottish heritage; to provide educational and
entertaining events that share and promote Scottish culture; to promote
goodwill and understanding among its members and the general public and
to perform such charitable works as may be reasonably possible and
appropriate.
A primary activity of the
Scottish Society of Central California is the presentation of the Annual
Fresno Scottish Highland Gathering & Games. The original Games were
organized by the Celtic Cultural Society of Central California, (CCSCC),
and SSCC took over their presentation in 1984. This Highland Games &
Gathering of Scottish Clans has now grown to the point that it is
considered one of the finest one-day Scottish events on the West Coast.
The Society has other
outstanding events: our annual Robert Burns supper, held in January each
year on the Saturday nearest to Burn’s birth date (the 25th); our Spring
Ceilidh, generally, is held on the first Saturday in May; and our Saint
Andrews Ceilidh, held on the first Saturday in December. Our General
Membership meetings are held five times each year on the first Tuesday
in February, April, June, August, and October.
Our newsletter, The
Thistle, is received by our membership six times each year, bringing a
calendar of Scottish events, items of history and culture, a little
humor, and articles of local interest.
If you are not currently a member, you are welcome to join us by
contacting us.
