After 26 years the Canmore Highland Games is no more. Citing volunteer attrition and the loss of key committee members the Three Sisters Scottish Festival Society dissolved their organization last week.

I spoke with the Society’s president Sandy Bunch about the news and what led to the decision.

A big thanks to the committee for a great 26 year run!  Here’s the full press release.

The Three Sisters Scottish Festival Society (TSSFS) regrets to announce the dissolution of their organization. The group will no longer present the Canmore Highland Games.

The board voted to dissolve the Society on Thursday, December 8th, 2016. The small organizing committee find themselves unable to continue to commit the hundreds of hours each would spend to arrange the Games every Labour Day weekend.

While the Society no longer faces the financial difficulties of 2015, they are feeling the effects of attrition as the group has dwindled in number over the last few years.

Four years ago founder Don Garen ‘retired’ from his volunteer organizational activities which had kept the event on track for so long. He was 88 at the time.

“Losing long-serving key committee members one at a time and running the office without paid staff is wearing. Those that are left cannot continue to support the organization at the level of intensity required over the last few years,” says Sandy Bunch, President of TSSFS. “I hate to see it happen, it’s a shame. We are a relatively small group – there are only about 10 of us who have done the bulk of the work to present an event generating attendance of over 5,000 annually.”

“It’s a sad decision to make after a run of 26 years,” says long-time organizing member Sally Garen. “We’ve built it into an established cultural destination event, valued by our local community and the Scottish community at large.”

The core group will remain together through 2017 to guide the dissolution of the non-profit Society and disbursement of assets to completion.

Filed under: Canmore, Canmore Highland Games