In the evening of Jan. 28, folks from all around gathered at the Teeswater Town Hall for the annual Robbie Burns dinner and dance. This dinner was well attended, and most notably involved a haggis, which was carried around the dining hall for everyone to see, being led by two pipers, Al Grant and Jerry Mowbray, and carried by Leah McKinnon. The audience clapped as it was presented, and set on a table before Bruce MacDonald. MacDonald then spoke Burns’ poetry as he performed the ceremonious act of cutting open the haggis.
As MacDonald later explained, Burns was a famous Scottish poet, credited for the preservation of the Scottish dialect. He was also well known as the poet for the common man. He told the truth about people, about their wants. MacDonald said the Robbie Burns ceremony had been held in Teeswater five or six years, and that it’s a tradition in many communities.
After dinner, MacDonald remarked on the life of Burns, and addressed his immortal memory.