What does it take to throw a tree trunk? Find out at the Embro Highland Games this Canada Day

Flipping a 120-pound pole isn't easy. In fact, it takes years and years of training, said Berle Conrad from south of London. 

"Legs and hips are where all the strength comes from, lots of deadlifts," he said.  

Conrad would know. He's a former provincial caber toss champion — the Scottish tradition of throwing a large tapered pole made from a tree — and this Canada Day, he'll be judging the event at the 85th Embro Highland Games happening in Zorra Township, northwest of Woodstock. 

Organizers say Embro Highland Games are Ontario's oldest Scottish games. 

At this year's games, the tree trunk will be about seven metres long and 54 kilograms.

"It's not a hydro pole," he said. "They are much, much bigger." 

There is an important rule that must be followed in the caber toss. "You have to wear a kilt or you can't compete," he said. Conrad will be sporting the Dunbar tartan himself. "I've worn that tartan now for 20 years," he said. 

Caber toss isn't the only heavy-lifting event on the agenda at the Embro Highland Games. There will be hammer throws, tug-of-war and stones of strength too — lifting concrete balls up to 180 kg on top of barrels.

Kilts, pipe bands and even a dog parade

For Alan Normand, director of the Zorra Caledonian Society who organizes the games and celebrates the area's early Scottish heritage, it's an inspiration to watch the athletes. 

"There's a lot of raw, brute strength," he said. It all makes for "a bit of a circus."

The highland games make for a "very busy, packed day," Normand said. From Highland dancing and massed pipe bands to a Scottish dog parade and whiskey tasting and barrel racing, there's a lot to take in. 

St. Patrick's Day is a time when everyone gets to be Irish — and at the Embro Highland Games, everyone gets to be Scottish, he said. "Everyone's welcome.

Seeing thousands gather for Embro's Scottish games every year is "quite heartening," Normand said. 

Normand first moved to Canada from Scotland in 1989 looking for a bit of an adventure, and decided to start a family and stay. He joined the Zorra Caledonian Society after settling in the Embro area. The society's work first dates back to the late 1800s. But the current society was formed in 1937, and has held the games ever since, Normand said. 

The region was settled by pioneers largely from the northeast coast of Scotland, he said, and many of the surnames survive to this day. 

Tug-of-war is one of the mainstay events at the games, with a "storied history" in the region. 

He said strength events in Embro and Zorra Township go back centuries. In 1893, a team of farmers called the Mighty Men of Zorra competed in the tug-of-war world championships at the Chicago World's Fair — and won. 

As for who will come out on top at this year's competitions, that will be seen on Monday. 

Festivities will take place at the Embro Zorra Community Centre. Gates open at 7 a.m. and competitions begin at 8:30. Festivities wrap up by 5:45 p.m. Tickets and more information is available on their website.