A wet day, a cold day, and the sun never quite appeared — but that didn’t stop the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Highland Games on Saturday, July 6.

More than 50 athletes from all over Alaska, including Homer, Kenai, Soldotna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — and, notably, one athlete from Down Under — returned to Karen Hornaday Park for a series of athletic events, games for the whole family, food, music and more.

“The weather did not slow us down,” said event organizer Robert Archibald. “Weather is not going to stop the Highland Games.”

In addition to the traditional games themselves — including putting the stone, throwing weights for distance, weight over bar, tossing the hammer, tossing the sheaf, caber toss, and Homer’s own “personal touch,” tossing the halibut — this year’s event welcomed back the Harp Twins and Volfgang Twins for live music performances, the Barony of IceFire Bay, and a number of local vendors.

Participating athletes competed in designated classes including the Men’s Open, Men’s Masters, Men’s Light Weight, Women’s Open and Women’s Advanced Amateur.

The Men’s Open category had the most competitors this year at 14. Raven Kahula placed first with an overall score of 16 points.

Sean Smith took first place in the Men’s Masters category with 10.5 points. Nelson Alger was first in the Men’s Light Weight category with 9.5 points overall.

In the Women’s Open category, Jill Parks placed first with 23 points.

Sian Cooper from South Australia took first place in the Women’s Advanced Amateur category with 18 points overall. Cooper is involved in the professional circuit for Highland Games and is the reigning Australian champion with multiple national records. She came to Alaska to compete in the Alaska Scottish Highland Games, which were held at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer on June 29-30.

“She wanted to come down to Homer because she heard that we have more fun down here,” Archibald said. “We’re a lot more relaxed.”

Archibald also noted that, in addition to the regular games, a “good many people” stayed for the optional events at the end of the day, such as tossing the halibut — a 55-pound fish manufactured by Nomar — and throwing the Homer stone.

The 58-pound Homer stone is a part of the Highland Game’s history in Homer. When the Homer Electric Association drilled the field at Karen Hornaday Park to put in the poles for the sheaf toss, the Homer stone was spun out of the ground.

“That’s what we use for our challenge stone,” Archibald said. “We threw that at the end, too. It’s open to anybody that wants to step up to the line and throw it.”

For more information on the Kachemak Bay Scottish Club and the annual games, visit www.kachemakbayscottishclub.org/index.html.

Jason Simmons participates in weight-over-bar event during the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Scottish Highland Games on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Sondra Willmann participates in the Braemar Stone Putt during the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Scottish Highland Games on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Rob Corbisier participates in the men’s weight throw for distance event during the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Scottish Highland Games on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Maddie McClain tosses a sheaf over a raised crossbar during the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Scottish Highland Games on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Sian Cooper, the reigning Australian champion with multiple national records, prepares to throw the braemar stone during the 12th annual Kachemak Bay Scottish Highland Games on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)