Kilt skate celebrates Scottish culture in Saskatoon

With cold knees and frost in the reeds of their bagpipes, Saskatoon skaters arehitting the ice wearing kilts.

The annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate takes place at the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink on Spadina Crescent today.

• Saskatoon skaters join kilted groups across the country

Organized by the Saskatoon Highland Dancing Association, the event is one of several held in cities across Canada to celebrate Scottish culture.

Saskatoon event organizer Jill Sauter said the event started in 2015 as acelebration of the 200th birthday of Canada's firstprime minister, SirJohn A. Macdonald.

This year's skaters will be treated to warmer temperatures of around 2 C. But Sauter said kilt-wearers were not as lucky at the first event two years ago.

"It was minus 30 plus wind chill that day so the bag pipe reeds were freezing and the knees were cold," she said.

"But we had some hardy souls come out to celebrate that with us and we've kept going since."

Shortbread and hot chocolate will be served during the event, which is open to everybody, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. CST.

Sauter said there would also be a band playing pipes and drums during the skate, which coincides with the PotashCorp WintershinesFestival.

"We wanted to participate in this as a fun event for families but also just to share Scottish culture and Scottish culture in Canada, as well," she said.