2019 Clan Macpherson Association
US Branch Annual General Meeting
October 10-15, 2019
Dunedin, Florida

Welcome Letter

Bonnie and I invite all of our cousins from around the world to the 2019 US Branch Annual General Meeting & Gathering in Dunedin, Florida. Please mark your calendars for a fun filled 6 days of celebrating our Scottish heritage, and more specifically, celebrating our Clan Macpherson heritage.

Dunedin is a town rich in Scottish history and tradition, so it makes the perfect locale for or AGM & Gathering (as evidenced by the signs to the city limits pictured left). Our 6 days of celebration will be filled with many traditional Scottish activities, plus some local activities unique to the Dunedin area. And of course, we need to fit in a business meeting as well. In our planning for this event, we wanted to involve the community as much as possible. Over the course of 6 days, you will see participation from the Dunedin High School Pipe Band, the 2018 World Champion Grade 2 Dunedin City Pipe Band, the Scottish American Society of Dunedin, the New World Celts, and others.

We begin the festivities early for those who want to come early on Thursday to enjoy a walking tour of Dunedin’s 7 microbreweries. You heard that right, there are 7 microbreweries within less than one-mile walking distance of our hotel. Dunedin is a walking town. Once you check into the hotel, you will be able to walk to most of the activities we have planned for the weekend.

On Friday afternoon, we will have dance practice for Scottish Country Dancing. We plan to go over many of the dances that will be played for our formal event on Friday evening. The Formal Dinner and Ball will be on Friday evening at a beautiful venue overlooking Dunedin harbor, white sand beaches, and the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Dunedin is a city of parades, and we will march from our hotel, dressed in our finery, to the venue for the Formal, led by a pipe band.

On Saturday morning, we will convene the Annual General Meeting. This is our annual business meeting and it is important for all Branch members to attend and exercise their vote on very important matters. After this meeting, you will be on your own until dinner. On Saturday evening, we will meet at the Hall for the Scottish American Society, and we will enjoy a traditional Scottish dinner together. Dinner will be followed by a fun filled Ceilidh and a fun filled auction to raise funds for worthy causes. Dinner will also be followed by our annual blind scotch tasting.

On Sunday morning, we will gather at the historic Saint Andrew’s Memorial Chapel for a Kirkin Of The Tartan. This is a beautiful chapel and is on the National Historic Register. You do not want to miss a tour of this building, followed by the Kirkin ceremony. After the ceremony, you will be on your own for the rest of the day. There are many fun things to do in the Dunedin area including taking a cruise to see the dolphins, enjoying the white sand beaches of Honeymoon Island, or seeing the historic Sponge Docks and enjoying some fine Greek food. What? That is not Scottish! But the food is really good.

Wait! The celebrating is not over. Bonnie and I are having an “At Home” Gathering at our home on Tuesday. So, Monday will be on your own, and we encourage to you see some of the theme parks in Central Florida, or perhaps go on a charter boat fishing trip. On Tuesday, we welcome all of our cousins into our home as family. Our home is a vintage Victorian home built in 1925. We will open our home for everyone to tour. There will be plenty of food and drink too. You do not want to miss this celebration. It will be a good opportunity to get to know folks better that you met at the Gathering. Sadly, at some point we will have to say “so long”. We never say good bye because we know we will meet all of our fine cousins at some time in the future.

We hope to see you this year!

George and Bonnie McPherson
2019 AGM Conveners
Clan Macpherson Association/US Branch

Registration

Click here to use the online booking form or click here for the printable form.

US Branch Slide Show

The US Branch hosts an Annual General meeting (AGM) and Gathering once a year in the Fall, and invites all Clan Macpherson members to attend. It’s a time to have some fun, renew old friendships, conduct business, attend a ceilidh, enjoy the whisky and the dancing and the bagpiping, and to toast the haggis!

US Branch members are also invited to the Gathering in Scotland each summer! What a great opportunity to spend time in Badenoch, to explore the Museum in Newtonmore, to attend the events and to honor the traditions of Clan Macpherson.

Please enjoy this slide show of random photos of US Branch members getting together to celebrate the heritage of Clan Macpherson.