Last evening we spent a fabulous time at the local Scottish Arms Restaurant with a group of entertaining Scottish people. Ally Nisbet who was born in Scotland but has lived in Missouri for many years owns the restaurant. Public Insight source, Mark Sutherland had informed KETC about this monthly gathering and we were delighted to attend.
We had an informative and educational lesson about the Scottish tartan. We found out by talking to Chris Fulton, the past president of the St. Andrew Society, which fosters exchange between those of Scottish descent and others in the St. Louis area, that there is a push to have an official, national tartan for Missouri!
It was a fascinating story about plaid and kilts and pleats and bow ties and sashes! Chris explained that the St. Andrew Society of Greater St. Louis is spearheading the effort to have a national tartan for the state of Missouri. If successful we would become the twenty-sixth state to have its own official tartan. To view the new tartan click on this link: http://www.slssas.org/Missouri_Tartan.html
We saw a sample of the tartan. It is designed very specifically to symbolize the things that are symbolic of the state of Missouri. Therefore, the plaid contains brown for the bear in our state seal, gray for the stubborn Missouri mule, blue and red for our rivers and our state bird, the blue bird. It will be called the “Show Me Tartan”. The fabric will be woven in Scotland because they are more capable of setting up large weaves of multi-colors but local kilt makers will tailor your kilt to fit your measurements.
Hopefully, we will see the Scottish community sporting this new “Show Me Tartan” by January 2011 after approval by the governor and the Registry of Tartans in Scotland!
***Latest tartan update: A redesign on the tartan has been done. You can check it out on the St. Andrew’s Society web site and even vote for your choice.
Watch the video: Missouri Tartan
