About Us

The San Antonio Highland Games Association (SAHGA) was founded to educate the people of San Antonio and Texas about Scottish culture through the organization and promotion of various activities, including Scottish Highland Games. Annually the SAHGA hosts the San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival typically on the first weekend of April.

Each year, the festival hosts over 30 Clans which provide an opportunity for patrons to find out if their family name is Scottish, learn a bit about their Clan, and join their Clan, if desired. The Highland Games features both male and female athletes from all over the world competing in feats of strength such as the caber toss, sheaf toss, weight over bar, weight for distance, hammer throw, and stone put. Several world records have been set at the San Antonio Highland Games. Patrons can also interact with living history displays including Vikings, a Village Weaver, Archers, Artisans, and Iron Age reenactors. Scottish food such as haggis, shepherd’s pie, and Highland beef can also be tried at one of several food vendors. For those not as daring, more traditional American food is also offered. Celtic merchants are also on site selling kilts, jewelry, t-shirts, handmade crafts, and various other items.

Celtic music takes various forms at the Festival including Celtic rock, traditional Scottish and Irish tunes, folk music, bluegrass, harp, bagpipes, and more. With two music stages and a Celtic jam session tent, visitors can be sure to find something to delight their eardrums.

A Highland dance competition, scheduled for Saturday typically draws over 70 competitors from all across Texas and as far away as Nevada and Tennessee. The dancers compete in up to eleven dances in one of five categories – Primary (age 6 & under), Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, and Premier. Festival patrons also have the opportunity to watch Scottish Highland Dancing, Scottish Country Dancing, and Irish Dancing exhibitions are various times over the weekend.

Other events at the Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival include sheepherding trials, Scottish history seminars, Scottish cooking demonstrations, and a Bonnie Knees competition. Families will be happy to take their kids to the Kid’s Glen where the wee bairns can participate in crafts, listen to storytelling, and learn about Scottish history and culture.

Needless to say, there are activities for the whole family to enjoy and enough action to keep patrons engaged for a whole day, if not the whole weekend. Come check us out!!

If you’ve visited the San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival and want to get more involved with the planning efforts, please send an email to info@sahga.org and you will receive information on attending our next meeting.

Our History

 For years, San Antonio Scots had driven far and wide to hear the drone of the bagpipes, to see the toss of a caber, and to taste the flaky pastry of a traditional Scottish meat pie. Following the 1997 Gathering of the Clans in Salado, a group of these Scots decided it was high time to host their own games. Eager to make the dream of a Highland Games in San Antonio a reality, they drew up Articles of Incorporation for a formal association. On December 3, 1997, these articles were submitted to the Texas Secretary of State and were approved. The San Antonio Highland Games Association was now a reality.

The Association’s first meeting was held on January 13, 1998. With 16 people, representing five Clans, a committee was elected to draft bylaws. By February 28, the Association was in full swing. The committee’s bylaws were adopted and officers were elected. As word of the Association spread quickly throughout the Texas Scottish population, membership grew steadily after the first meeting.
Initially, the Games were held at Retama Park in Selma, Texas, just north of San Antonio. Eventually, the crowds outgrew the available space and another location was needed. The Association found the perfect location at the Helotes Fair Grounds, where the Helotes Festival Association holds their annual Cornyval Festival. Since re-locating to Helotes, the Games have continued to grow and will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary in 2026.

Founding Clans and Organizations

Individual/Family

H. Sean Bradshaw

Barbara and Ken Chalmers

Nancy and Robert Dirkes

Scott Fletcher

Robert Gurley

Jennifer and Thomas McDuffee

David Martin

Diane and Robert McLeod

Linda and Ron Mullins

John and Shelley Rice

Jackie and Larry Sears

Jim Stimson

Carol and Lloyd Swartz

Organizational

Clan MacDuff Society of America

Clan MacLeod Society, U.S.A.

Red River Branch of the Clan Cameron

In Memoriam

2018 brought a sad loss to the San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival. We lost our beloved Wilma on February 3rd, 2018. Always one to volunteer, she served many organizations including the San Antonio Highland Games Association and the San Antonio Scottish Society. Within the Highland Games she served as our resident chef, providing and compiling recipes for our Highland Games official cookbook, “Needs More Whiskey”. She could also be found at the Games presenting cooking demonstrations. For two years she cooked approximately 15 pounds of haggis each year for our Haggis Eating Competition. In addition to being a chef, she acted as emcee for our Bonnie Knees competition, helping to recruit strapping young (or or not so young) lads to show off their knees on stage and encouraging a fine young, blindfolded lass to judge them all based upon their feel. In her “spare time” at the Games she also helped to run the Kid’s Glen, making miniature versions of the highland game events for the kids. She showed up early for press events, stayed late to help clean up, and was always willing to lend a hand with whatever needed to be done. The list is endless of the ways she will be missed. We love you Wilma and thank you for your many years of service!
 
In 2018 we memorialized her by naming two of our stages in her honor. The dance performance stage was named “MacKenzie Stage” and the Children’s Glen stage was named “Wilma’s Corner”

Mini Biography of Wilma (McKenzie) Heberling

Wilma Katharine Gordon MacKenzie was born in Wick, in extreme north-east Scotland, on May 23, 1935. Her father, Murdoch, was headmaster at Killimster school and taught Primary 4-6,and her mother, Elizabeth, taught Primary 1-3. She had an older sister, Elizabeth Campbell, an older brother, George Angus, and a younger sister, Eleanor Margaret. She grew up in Scotland, and lived in several towns including Wick, Killimster, Townhead, Stronord, Port Seton, Gullane, and Cockenzie. She spent her summers in Croick at the croft, or at her grandmother’s house in Inverness. Some memories she had from Croick were of the Border Collies (used for herding the sheep). The dogs were named Roy, Jen, and Bob. She enjoyed spending time in the company of her Uncle Bill, and she enjoyed the freedom of playing outside all day.
Wilma loved school and was quite accomplished. As she grew up, she participated in the Girl Guides, and in sports. She earned a bronze medal in life saving, and won a girls’ championship in swimming and diving. Another award was top honors in the Robert Burns Federation contest (a national essay competition). Wilma’s mother had a series of strokes that left her an invalid. In 1953, her mother passed away peacefully. Wilma started nurses’ training in Scotland, but soon made the choice to emigrate to Canada with her father and sister, Eleanor. She took a break from nursing while studying for the RNA exam. Wilma worked in the Registry Office in Welland (where she made great use of her exquisite handwriting skills), and on weekends worked for the Bogner and Broughton, a local photographer.
In June 1956 she met John Heberling. Their first date was at the Copper Kettle cafe where they had numerous cups of coffee, a slice of pie, and engaging conversation. October 6, 1956 they were married. After John and Wilma were married, Wilma went back to work at the hospital and continued studying for the nursing exam. She took the exam, passed it, and received her nurse’s pin. On July 18, 1957 Katharine Elizabeth was born. John, Wilma, and Katharine moved to Port Robinson. The house required lots of repair, so John and Wilma dug in and started fixing the house to bring it to a more reasonable standard. On May 28, 1959 Annette Michele was born. This was followed with John Andrew on November 21, 1960. Another move was in store for the family, and Welland was our new town. In early 1961, John and Wilma applied for entry to the US. It was a long process, but on October 7, 1962 the family crossed the border and began a new life in Chicago, Illinois. After a couple of brutal winters, Wilma felt Chicago was not “her kind of town”, and the family moved again. This time the move was to Downey, California. Wilma went back to school and earned her B.A. in English. Besides teaching, Wilma found the time to be a Girl Scout leader. She also drove the three children to dance and music lessons. In 1973 the family moved again- this time across the pond to England. This adventure continued until September 1975 when the family returned to California. Wilma went back to school again and earned an M.A. in Linguistics. A final move for John and Wilma was in 1992. They lived first in New Braunfels, and then Selma. All three of their children are married and there are seven grandchildren and two (soon to be four) great grandchildren.

Wilma had a varied and prolific career and volunteer life. Some organizations who benefited from her talents include:

  • Welland County General
  • Hospital Welland County
  • Registry Office Bogner and
  • Broughton Photographers
  • Brooks, Cromarty, Baker, and
  • Swaze Law Firm Downey
  • Community Hospital Glossop
  • Comprehensive School Mt.
  • SAC and Rio Hondo Colleges
  • California State University,
  • Long Beach New Braunfels
  • Christian Academy
  • Harcourt Testing Corporation
  • Girl Scouts of America Downey
  • Children’s Theater Cook’s Illustrated (Wilma was a recipe tester)
  • NISD Adult Enrichment Program (Wilma taught cooking classes)
  • Sophienburg Museum in New Braunfels
  • New Braunfels Kindermasken and Folkfest
  • Wurstfest Association
  • Folklife Festival Institute of Texan Cultures, San Antonio
  • San Antonio Airport Ambassadors
  • San Antonio Scottish Society San Antonio Highland Games Association
  • British Society of Texas
  • Friends of Selma History Society
  • St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church