To the Editor:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to cancel the 2020 Capital District Scottish Games, leaving a void that is disheartening to the Schenectady Pipe Band Games Committee, the competitors, and the 10,000 spectators that attend each year.

Here is a message that was sent to our volunteers by our grounds chairman; it shows the pain that this pandemic continues to inflict on all of us:

I just wanted to reach out to you all on this day when we would normally be meeting to kick off the preparations for our beloved Scottish Games at the Altamont fairgrounds, our Labor Day week home. There are a lot of things that I will miss this year with the cancelled 2020 Games but none more than spending the week with all of you.

Our mutual affection for all things Scottish has sprung so many special, lasting friendships. Scottish Games setup requires a lot of planning and work. But it is truly a labor of love that is infectious. The fun and camaraderie is what I will miss the most.

Our work results in an explosion of pride that we all feel on Saturday and Sunday when we get to watch the fruits of our labor. To see the looks of sheer joy and excitement on people’s faces; the tears that are shed when people hear the pipes and drums; the awe that they express when they witness the gifts that the musicians, athletes, and dancers share with them; the children’s’ smiles and laughter at the children’s events; and a-h-h-h  of course, the beer tent — lol.

All this because we get together to make it all possible. I know I thank you every year from the bottom of my heart on behalf of the entire Scottish Games Committee. I still want to do that now. I want to say thank you for feeling the same way I do about this very special week.

I know there is a sadness now but what we have created is so special that it will survive this gigantic hurdle of a virus. We will be back in 2021 and we will be better and more appreciated than ever. So, raise a glass this weekend to yourselves and to our Capital District Scottish Games. And I will raise one to you.

Stay safe, love and miss you all!

William Munro

Schenectady Pipe Band