Hartwell, Ga. — This story has been corrected from its original version.

The sixth annual Loch Hartwell Highland Games and Scottish Festival drew crowds to Hartwell, Ga. on Saturday.

The festival offered the chance to step back in time to early Scotland.

A carriage pulled by two horses took visitors from the parking lot to the main activities of the festival. Once off the cart, visitors were able to choose from a variety of events.

Multiple vendors and artisans sold Scottish-themed merchandise and handcrafted art to passers-by. Dogs herded flocks of sheep, and there were falconry and bird of prey demonstrations. On the other side of the hill from the sheep, visitors could watch the A division Georgia State Championship and the Masters Georgia State Championship in heavy athletics.

Heavy athletics dates back to early Scottish history, at a point when the English took weapons away from the Scottish. The athletic competitions included events such as tossing a 16-pound stone or a caber (tall wooden pole) as far as possible and trying to hurl a 52-pound weight one-handed over a high bar.

“It’s a staple for these guys,” said athletic director, Mike Gordon, Jr. “We get a lot of outstanding competitors.”

The main event of the day was the opening ceremony Saturday morning. More than 100 bagpipers and drummers marched over “Piper’s Hill” between two Scottish-themed flags.

The pipers came from all around the southeast. The Hart County High School drum line and brass section accompanied the pipers as they marched up and over the hill.

“I love to hear the bagpipes,” said Robert Fogg, one of the spectators. “It’s a part of my heritage.”

Susan Hobson, another spectator, said, “It’s really different, and it’s pretty neat. Going to a regular fair, you just don’t get this kind of stuff.”

Beyond all the bagpipers, vendors and athletics, the festival also offered multiple genealogists to help visitors gain information about their Scottish heritage. The genealogists were brought by each of the various clans present, a clan being a family group of individuals who have roots in Scotland.

“The biggest thing is education,” said Julie Wardlaw, a sponsor of the Wardlaw Clan. “We want people to learn about their family history.”

According to Mike Gordon Sr., Loch Hartwell is an educational, nonprofit group.

“Any income we earn beyond what the festival cost is put back into the organizations that helped us out,” Gordon said.

Those organizations include local churches, the Boy Scouts and several other charities in the area.

So every year the Loch Hartwell organization starts with no money for the next annual festival. Putting the cost of the festival into perspective, one pipe band may cost as much as $2,000, officials said. Six pipe bands were present at the festival this year.

The festivities this year began Friday night with a patrons- and sponsors-only dinner. The festival ended Saturday night with a “ceilidh” (kaylee). At the ceilidh, food and drinks were served and Mark A. Campbell performed.