The Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation has announced that the eighth annual Covenanter Scottish Festival and Highland Games will be held on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will be located on the grounds of Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church, 1199 Valley Road, Quarryville, and the historic Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Church, 1188 Valley Road, Quarryville.

The festival is a celebration of the Scottish origin of the Covenanters who settled in southern Lancaster and Chester counties. The event's piping competition, which is sanctioned through the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a veterans memorial ceremony featuring the Washington Memorial Pipes and Drums, which will honor World War II veterans whose graves are on the grounds of Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Church. A wreath will be placed at each of the graves. After the ceremony and greetings from a Pennsylvania state representative, the Washington Memorial Pipes and Drums will lead a procession from the Highland Games field to the main performing area.

From 10:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., there will be music performances, demonstrations, and workshops. Entertainment will include the Washington Memorial Pipes and Drums, Charlie Zahm, Tad Marks, Sean Heely & Celtic Trio, and more. Sheep herding, a haggis ceremony, spinning and weaving, fiddling and early Scottish weaponry are a few of the heritage demonstrations that will be available. Scottish clans and organizations will be represented at the festival, and vendors will sell Scottish goods and food. American food will be available for purchase as well.

The festival will be held rain or shine. An admission cost has been set for adults and teenagers. Children age 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. Free parking will be available on-site.

The proceeds will benefit the ongoing effort to maintain and restore the historic Covenanter church and its attached one-room school museum. Both sides of the structure will be open during the festival.

For more information about the festival or to obtain discounted admission tickets, readers may visit http://www.covenanterscottishfestival.com or search for "8th Annual Covenanter Scottish Festival" on Facebook.