Burns Supper celebrates Scotland's national poet in Sarasota
Saint Andrew Society of Sarasota heralds birthday of Robert Burns.
By
Pam Eubanks
| 9:45 p.m. January 25, 2020
East County
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Robert Heron may love living in Lakewood Ranch, but he still misses things from his home country of Scotland.
Haggis, a Scottish meat pudding, is one of them. He got to feast on it freshly made — a rare treat in the U.S. — while he and his wife, Diane Heron, attended the Burns Supper hosted Jan. 25 by the Saint Andrew Society of Sarasota and the Burns Club of St. Andrew at the Palm Aire Country Club. The dinner is a birthday celebration for Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, born Jan. 25, 1759.
“I love haggis,” Robert Heron said. “I buy cans of it sometimes.”
The Herons hosted their own Burns Supper from 2010 to 2014 while they were living in Maryland. This Burns Supper was the first they had attended since moving to the area in April, and they had fun simply partaking in the festivities.
They and about 100 other guests enjoyed the tradition, which included an address to the haggis, toasts to the laddies and lasses, scotch, live music by Blue Skye Pipes and Drums band and celtic dancing.
Greenfield Plantation residents Mike and Jody Wilcox like the toast to the lads and lasses the best.
Bradenton's Bill Dalgarno has been coming to this Burns Supper celebration for about 15 years.
Lakewood Ranch residents Diane and Robert Heron enjoyed getting to watch a Burns Supper as attendees, after hosting one themselves for about five years in their home state of Maryland.
Canadians Judy and Paul Smeltrs joined Chicago's Judy MacLeod, who with her husband John (not pictured) was visiting East County resident Richard MacLeod.
Palm Aire's Mary Lou Morris, her son Andrew Morris and husband Capt. Carl Morris join husband-and-wife Mary Ellen MacMahon and Frank MacIntire, who represented the Caledonian Club of Florida West.
East County resident David Shadddock enjoyed dinner with Longboat Key's Dr. Gerald Greene. Last year, Shaddock performed the "address to the haggis."
Phyl Smith gets the crowd to say "Happy Birthday Robert Burns" before sharing more about the poet and reciting portions of his poems.
Saraota's Bert Mitchell and Linda Prowten received the "Spirit of Robert Burns Award" during the supper.
The Meadows resident Paul Campbell lifts his glass for the "toast to the laddies."
East County resident John Campbell drinks a shot of scotch after finishing the "toast to the laddies."
Blue Skye Pipes and Drums perform "Charlie is My Darlin'" for the crowd. From left to right are: Mary Hutchinson, Deborah Dennis, Debbie Houston, Marianne Ferrier, Eileen Carrigan and harpist Lynn Barton.
Dancers Rebekah Harold and Lily Edwards perform celtic dances at the end of the dinner. They dance with O'Reilly School of Dance.
