National Tartan Day (April 6th) is an annual celebration of Scottish Heritage and of the strong cultural ties between Scotland and the United States that have been maintained for generations by millions of men and women who have been of Scottish descent. Today; their children and grandchildren continue the traditions passed down to them from their proud Scottish ancestors, and continue to celebrate and bring to light the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scots and Scottish-Americans to the United States and to the rest of the world.

• In 1998 the United States Senate passed; "Senate Resolution No. 155" affirming that The United States Declaration of Independence was modeled on the Scottish Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Arbroath; which was signed on April 6th, 1320 (thus the reason for celebrating Tartan Day on April 6th).

• Also affirmed in that Senate Resolution is the fact that nearly half of the signers of our American Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent, and 9 of the original 13 States were governed by Governors who were of Scottish ancestry.

• At least 23 of the 44 Presidents of the United States (nearly half) have been of Scottish ancestry.

• John Paul Jones, the Father of the United States Navy was a Scotsman through and through, and the Navy helped restore the small cottage in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland where he was born in 1747.

• The first American in space, Alan Shepard, the first American in orbit, John Glenn, the first man to fly free in space, Bruce McCandless II, and the first men on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were all Scottish Americans.

• The flush toilet, the telephone, water proof raincoats, refrigerators, the discovery of Insulin, Penicillin, the sport of Golf, the bicycle, the adhesive postage stamp and postmark, the incandescent light bulb, criminal fingerprinting, the hypodermic syringe, general anesthetics, the toaster, and the modern lawnmower along with countless other things are all Scottish innovations.

• Did you also know that our own community is named after Roxburghshire, Scotland? Roxburghshire was the original home of Andrew Robeson, the man responsible for making Roxborough a Township in 1690 before it was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia in 1854.

A Tartan Day Parade and Festival in Roxborough would mean folks lining the sidewalks watching local Pipe and Drum bands march through the community, the sound of the Great Highland Bagpipe and accompanying drums thundering through the streets. Highland Dancers would be performing; Kilts and Scottish flags would be in abundance, and great food and drink would be plentiful. Traditional Scottish music would be played on the fiddle, guitar, violin, and of course the Bagpipe, with scores of local bands and musicians coming out to participate in the festivities. There would also be plenty of activities for the kiddies, like face painting and games.
The possibilities for an event like this are endless, and it could very well turn into an annual event if the community decides to go that route. All of this though would of course depend on support from you; the community. Without you nothing like this would ever be possible. So right now, the purpose of this petition is to find out if there would be support for such an event in the Roxborough area. If there is, then we will go ahead with preparations, fundraising, and planning. So please, if you would be interested in attending and or supporting a Tartan Day Parade and Festival in Roxborough in 2014, sign this petition NOW!