Entertainment set for Robbie Burns dinner

Carole MacKintosh can hardly wait for Saturday night.
That’s because for the first time in the history of the local Robbie Burns supper, she’ll be among the guests on hand now that the “gentlemen only” legacy has been shelved.
“I am absolutely [going to attend],” MacKintosh enthused yesterday. “This is the first time they’ve opened [the supper] up to women and I think that’s just an excellent step forward.
“I love haggis, I love Burns’ songs and poems–it will be a nice night out,” she added.
The supper, slated to get underway with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. at La Place Rendez-Vous, will feature a prime rib supper and the traditional fare of haggis–made of sheep organs, oatmeal, and savoury spices–which will be piped in.
Dr. Angus MacKintosh will address the haggis this year.
“Ticket sales are going well,” Dr. Bruce Lidkea, chairman of the Robbie Burns supper, said Monday. He, along with some members of the Fort Frances Highlanders, decided to revive the evening of Scottish culture after a two-year absence here.
With an entertainment lineup that includes fiddling, Celtic harp, highland dance, and Gaelic song, a jovial Scottish atmosphere should abound, he said.
Stephanie Hawkins (harp) and Katherine Williams (viola) will provide background music during the cocktail hour.
Slated to perform after supper are Bob Hamilton, who will play the bagpipes while his daughter, Lindsay, sings, Dr. George Elliott on violin, the tenor vocals of Dr. Bob Algie, and a Scottish dance troupe from Fort Dance Studio.
Some members of “The Northern Timbers” (a male vocal group) and singer Joe Belanger, both from International Falls, also will perform, as will the Fort Frances Highlanders.
Wayne McIntyre and his sister, Danette MacDonald, will perform a Gaelic song by the Rankin Family. They’ll also be part of a Celtic ensemble planned for the evening.
MacDonald also will sing a duet with Dr. Algie.
“He has a very nice voice, like a tenor, [and] he’s a very nice person to sing harmony with because he’s very solid with his leads,” MacDonald said of her duet partner.
“And, of course, after that, Fort Frances’ tradition is to open the floor up and let whoever wants to sing sing,” chuckled Dr. Lidkea.
Tickets cost $35 each, which are available at Lidkea, Elliott, and Lidkea Optometrists, Lakeland Personnel, and the International Falls Chamber of Commerce until 5 p.m. tomorrow.