February 18, 2003

	Gov. James E. McGreevey has declared April 6, 2003 as "Tartan Day in New Jersey."

NJ Governor Declares April 6, 2003 “Tartan Day”
In New Jersey

Trenton, NJ – Governor James E. McGreevey has declared April 6, 2003 as Tartan Day in New Jersey. The Proclamation was prepared at the request of the Clan Currie Society.

The Proclamation recognizes the hard work, resourcefulness and dedication of the Scottish people who helped shape New Jersey in colonial times as well as the Scottish-Americans who followed in their footsteps to build the State and this Nation.

President Woodrow Wilson once said, “Every line of strength in our history is a line colored by Scottish blood.” Wilson, himself the son of immigrants from Paisley, Scotland, served New Jersey and the Nation with distinction. During his lifelong career of public service, Wilson served as President of Princeton University (1902-1910), Governor of New Jersey (1911-1913) and the finally as the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921).

Other notables of Scots descent with strong New Jersey connections include; Revolutionary War patriots John Witherspoon, William Livingston, and Rev. James Caldwell, U.S. Presidents Grover Cleveland and Ulysses S. Grant; authors Washington Irving and Robert Louis Stevenson; inventor Thomas Alva Edison, businessmen Peter Ballantyne, and Malcolm Forbes; and space pioneer Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

	Woodrow Wilson: "Every line of strength in our history is a line colored by Scottish blood."

The Clan Currie Society is currently finalizing plans for their annual Tartan Day celebration at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Presented through special arrangement with the National Parks Service and the National Museums of Scotland, a Tartan Day weekend will be held April 4-6, 2003. This year’s event will feature demonstrations and performances by some of Scotland’s leading crafters in the areas of kilt making, Shetland weaving, and violin and bagpipe making.

Tartan Day is not the only day to celebrate and experience New Jersey’s Scottish roots. A whole host of festivals and gatherings are planned throughout the year, including:

• The Monmouth Celtic Festival in Red Bank on May 3
• The Tartan Festival at the Music Pier in Ocean City May 24
• The Bonnie Brae Scottish Games in Liberty Corner on June 7
• The Celtic Day by the River in Clinton on June 22
• The PNC Bank Arts Center’s Scottish Heritage Festival on October 5
• The Pipes of Christmas in Summit on December 20

For further information on the National Tartan Day or any of the events listed, contact the Clan Currie Society at 908-273-3509, via e-mail at clancurrie@mail.com or by visiting their website at www.clancurrie.com.

The National Museums of Scotland and the Clan Currie Society return to Ellis Island for a Tartan Day Weekend, April 4-6, 2003.

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National Tartan Day is an American celebration which recognizes the contributions of Scots and Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States. In 1998 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing April 6 as National Tartan Day in recognition of "the outstanding contribution of millions of Scots-Americans to our great nation."

The date commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 which was an influence on the American Declaration of Independence. Almost half of the signatories on the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent, while three quarters of U.S. Presidents have been of Scottish ancestry.

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