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The 2012 Annual General Meeting of Clan Montgomery Society International will be held in conjunction with the 7^th Annual Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival in Greenville, South Carolina.

Clan Montgomery has reserved a block of rooms in the Hyatt Regency Greenville at a special rate of $129.00 plus tax. The cost is a little more than usual but after careful consideration the Committee and the Board felt that in the circumstances this is by far the best option. The Hyatt Regency is located in Greenville’s “West End”. The West End is a portion of Greenville’s old down town area which has developed into an entertainment center. It borders on the river and a small waterfall is visable.

View of the Reedy River from Greenville’s “West End”

There are over seventy restaurants as well as clubs, specialty shops and other local attractions within easy walking distance of our Hotel. Hotel reservations can be made by telephone at 1 (800) 891-8797. The rooms are held in the name of Clan Montgomery. You can also make your reservation by internet using this link https://resweb.passkey.com/go/scottishgames. Please make your reservations as early as possible so that we can add additional rooms to our block if needed.

Tentatively the schedule is as follows:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Biltmore House – An optional side trip to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina will leave the hotel at about midday on Thursday May 24. Clan Montgomery will have a special guided tour. The Biltmore House is the largest privately owned mansion in America. It was opened in 1895 after six years of construction. Built as the country home of George W. Vanderbilt on his 8,000 acre estate, it boasts 250 rooms. One of these rooms, the Banquet Hall is 74 feet by 42 feet. It contains a priceless collection of art work and antiques which are original to the home. Biltmore is still family owned. The President and CEO of The Biltmore Company is the great grandson of George W. Vanderbilt.

Biltmore House

The tour will take us through the most interesting of the 250 rooms with a guide to point out the art and antique pieces of particular interest. After touring the house, if time permits, we will make a stop at the winery. The Biltmore Estate label identifies one of the most popular local wines. We will visit the Tasting Room and the Wine Shop.

Banquet Hall, Biltmore House

We should return to the hotel at about seven PM allowing you time to visit the Clan Montgomery Hospitality Suite before exploring the restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel on your own.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Annual General Meeting – On Friday May 25^th the AGM will begin with the Officers Meeting at 8:30 AM, continue after lunch with the Annual General Meeting at 2:00 PM and conclude with the Genealogy Meeting about 4:00 PM.

Great Scots Parade – At 5:00 PM we line up in Scottish gear for the annual “Great Scots Parade”. This is a rather short parade through the West End. In past years the route has been crowded with spectators. The Parade marks the official beginning of the Games. It is followed by an open Celidh held in the streets which you can attend on your own. Recognition is given to the Clan making the best showing in the parade and since we will have a larger that usual crowd because of the AGM, there is no reason we should not win this recognition.

Great Scots Parade

The parade will end about 7:00 PM in the vicinity of our Hotel.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

On Saturday May 26^th we will take part in the Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival, held on the campus of Furman University. The Games will conclude at 5:00 PM and at 6:30 PM we will have the annual Clan Montgomery Celidh at the Hotel.

Furman University – Furman University is a small private liberal arts university. It was founded in 1826 and is the 64^th oldest college in the United States. It is highly rated academically and has been ranked fourth among undergraduate research programs by U.S. News, surpassed in this ranking only by MIT, Stanford and Michigan. Its alumni include a wide diversity of professional fields. Among them are Charles Townes who won a Nobel Prize in Physics for his role in the invention of the laser, Keith Lockhart, the conductor of the Boston Pops, Baron Hill, a Congressman from Indiana, PGA star Brad Faxon and LPGA Hall of Famers Betsy King and Beth Daniel.

The University occupies a very well landscaped 750 acre campus five miles from downtown Greenville.

Main Gate, Furman University

The Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival – The Games are among the newest Scottish Games in the United States. This will be the seventh edition and I believe Clan Montgomery has had a presence in all of them. They are held on Memorial Day weekend and always incorporate a patriotic theme into the activities. They have had some very notable guests, among them Prince Edward who was a guest of the Games in 2010.

Clan Montgomery Tent, Greenville Games 2011 (in process)

The Clan Montgomery Celidh – Our own private Celidh will be held in the Redbud Room of the Hyatt Regency Greenville after the conclusion of the games. We will have an excellent opportunity to visit, discuss the meeting and the games and enjoy an excellent banquet.

Sunday, May 27, 2012 – Leave for home.