Canmore Games calls it quits

After a year hanging on by a thread following a crowdfunding plea in 2015, the scenic Canmore Highland Games of Canmore, Alberta, have announced that it has dissolved.

+ Dark clouds as Canmore Games tries crowdfunding

The group that puts on the event, held each September Labour Day weekend on the day after the Calgary Highland Games, voted to dissolve the group, citing the many volunteer hours that it takes to run the contest, held in the Rocky Mountains, making it one of the world’s great piping and drumming competition contest locations.

The group said that it managed to overcome the financial straits of 2015, but that a decline in the number of volunteers forced the decision to end. A group of about 10 had tried to put on the games, which would draw about 5,000 spectators.

The contest had run since 1990. The last event was held on September 8, 2016. The competition was also known for holding solo events in frosty, near-freezing conditions in the morning, with the temperatures swinging up some 15 degrees by mid-afternoon, and concluding with a lively beer tent at night.

+ RMM, Rocky Mountain high at Canmore and Calgary