LAC LA BICHE – The memory and legacy of iconic Scottish bard, poet, and lyricist Robert Burns was honoured during the fifth annual Robbie Burns Dinner and Celebration, which took place on March 8 at the Royal Canadian Legion, McGrane Branch #28 in Lac La Biche.
Burns lived from 1759-1796 and penned well-known poems and songs like as “Auld Lang Syne,” which is traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve, “A Red, Red Rose,” and “A Man’s a Man for A’ That.”
The event got underway at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, followed by dinner.
Molly Fyten, who has been organizing the Robbie Burns night since it first began in 2020, piped in the haggis, while her mother, Ruth Fyten, served as the haggis bearer. The haggis, a type of pudding that is traditionally made from the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep, is the national dish of Scotland.
The evening of tribute to the national poet of Scotland featured speeches by guests and local dignitaries, as well as traditional Scottish music.
Each year, Angus Campbell does the ‘Address to the Haggis.’
Campbell, who is originally from Scotland but now lives in Fort McMurray, has been speaking at Robbie Burns celebrations for about 40 years.
Campbell enjoys speaking and attending the events as they provide him with an opportunity to interact with people, while also teaching them about Burns.
“It’s good to impart why Scotland reveres Robert Burns so much,” he said.
Burns is special because of his respect and reverence for the honest, hardworking man, and the disdain the poet had for some of the gentry of the period, said Campbell.
