David McKenzie at 2017 Burns Nicht Supper Photo by Laura Hatcher
This Saturday, Old Town Alexandria will come alive with swirl of tartan and the skirl of bagpipes. Once again, the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk will raise awareness and funding for the social service efforts of the Campagna Center.
“By cherishing our past, the St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C., helps ensure Alexandria's future through its children,” said Society President Bart Forbes. “We are very proud to be partners with the Campagna Center which has served the area so well.”
This annual ritual began in 1970 as a simple ceremony to honor William Hunter, a former mayor of Alexandria and founder of the St. Andrew's Society of Alexandria. Bagpipers accompanied the laying of a wreath on Hunter's grave in the Old Presbyterian Meeting House on St. Andrew's Day, Nov. 30.
Many of the wives of the Washington Society, the successor organization of the original Alexandria Society, were active with the Alexandria YWCA which later became the Campagna Center. Under their influence, the Society decided to gift the Walk to the social service agency as a commitment to the group's motto "Relieve the Distressed."
The event was moved to the first Saturday after St. Andrew's Day to ensure greater participation and renamed the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk. The Campagna Center expanded the weekend to include more events to raise funds. However, the Society continues to hold a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House at 323 South Fairfax St.
This year, the Parade Grand Marshal will be long-time St. Andrew's Society leader David McKenzie. McKenzie has been a member of the Society since 1975, encouraged by his father the Rev. C. Stewart McKenzie. Rev. McKenzie helped found the Virginia Scottish Games, was instrumental in the creation of the nation's first Kirkin' o' the Tartan in 1941, and led the memorial services at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House since at least 1950. In the ensuing decades, the younger McKenzie has been the guiding force behind the Games, the Kirkin' (now held at the Washington National Cathedral), and the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk. He has served longer on the Society's Board of Managers than any other individual and currently fills the role as the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The weekend of events includes a gala Taste of Scotland event on Friday evening, Dec. 1, at the Atrium Building; Memorial Service and Wreath-Laying at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House; Christmas Walk Parade at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3; Heather and Greens sales on Friday and Saturday at the Campagna Center; and a Holiday Homes Tour on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information regarding the Campagna Center events, visit www.campagnacenter.org/scottishwalkweekend.
The St. Andrew’s Society of Washington, D.C., with origins in colonial Alexandria and Georgetown, is a charitable and social organization of men of Scottish birth or ancestry. It is not affiliated with any religious institution. The objectives of the Society are to afford charitable and educational assistance to Scotsmen, lineal descendants of Scotsmen, and to their widows and orphans, to perpetuate Scottish traditions and culture, and to promote social activities among its members. The Society maintains permanent trust funds for its charitable and educational purposes. For more information, visit www.saintandrewsociety.org.