On the last weekend in September, Historic Downtown Bethlehem was filled with the sounds of bagpipes, the grunts and groans of athletes tossing heavy stones and hammers, and the applause and cheers of enthusiastic spectators. It was the 34th annual Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival, and for three days at least, everyone, regardless of his or her ancestry, felt just a little Scottish or Irish or Welsh.

The weekend was filled with food, music and dance, and lots of competition. At the Highland Field, stocky athletes in clan kilts competed in feats of strength, skill and agility.

This was the 11th year that the Celtic Classic had hosted the U. S. National Highland games Championship. Professional highland athletes had to qualify throughout the year to participate in the Bethlehem games, which this year hosted 10 of the world’s best competitors participating in 11 different events.

In the first competition on Saturday, Dan McKim tossed a 22-pound hammer more than 122 feet to break a field record at the games. Not a surprise since earlier this year he won the world championship in hammer tossing in France.

In the very next event – the Braemar Stone – McKim bested his competitors again with a 43-foot-4-inch throw. The stone weighs in at 24 pounds, and each contestant had three chances to hurl it the farthest distance. McKim, who lives in Missouri, is the father of five sons. “That in itself is a feat,” the games announcer remarked.

One of the highlights of the festival was the Showing of the Tartan Parade. The Freedom HS Patriot Band and the Liberty HS Grenadiers, named the Lehigh Valley’s best marching band every year since 2010, and this year’s Celtic Classic Duty Band, were right in step with participants in the 2015 Invitational Pipe Band Competition and the Invitational Drum Major Competition.

Pipe bands, which consist of bagpipes, drum corps and midsections, competed in the same levels of competency and experience. They were judged on a myriad of criteria including tuning, tone and tempo, expression, the blend of pipe and drums, and ability to play in unison.

The 2015 winners were Worcester Kiltie Pipe Band, Kearny, N.J. (Grade 3) and Saint Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band, Worcester, Mass. (Grade 4).

Drum Majors were juried on their ability to execute commands to a live band, to keep time and march, as well as how well they carry their bodies. Dress inspection also assured that items of the uniform were placed and worn properly. Charles Kaba, Toms River, N.J., took home this year’s first-place open trophy and Andrew Sheedy, of New York, won first place for amateur drum major.

Competitions weren’t confined to the field or parade ground. There were contests for young fiddlers, Highland dancers and song writers, along with non-stop entertainment and demonstrations throughout downtown. Pardon the clique, but nearly something for everyone.