May 23, 2007

Four decades ago, a wee bit of Scotland came to the city of Alma. Although there are neither moors nor the heather and hills of the Scottish homeland in mid-Michigan, in late May this rural community of 9,000 people hosts one of the state's most colorful and exciting festivals.

The story of the Alma Highland Festival and Games is the cover feature of the May/June 2007 issue of Michigan History magazine. Each Memorial Day weekend, the stirring, sometimes haunting, music of pipers and drummers, the colorful kilts and graceful movements of dancers and the strength and skill of brawny athletes turn Alma into a heaven for all those who are - or wish they were -Scottish.

Also in this issue, learn how U.S. presidents said "no" to summering at Mackinac Island, how one young son managed his father's lumbering company and how writer Will Carleton "carried sunshine" into many American households with his stirring delivery of "Converse With the Slain" at Arlington National Cemetery. 

For more information or to order a subscription to Michigan History call (800) 366-3703 or visit  www.michiganhistorymagazine.com.  Individual copies can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton and Borders bookstores throughout the state.

Michigan History is published by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).