The Scotland County Highland Games welcomes Ernest Gilchrist back in 2026 for his second consecutive year as a guest presenter. A Harnett County native now residing in metropolitan Atlanta, Gilchrist grew up in the Upper Cape Fear region among descendants of early Highland Scottish settlers. That landscape—shaped by Scottish Highlanders, African Americans, Native peoples, and others—inspired his lifelong interest in the histories communities inherit and share.
Gilchrist is the author of Fusion of Cultures: The Spirit of ArgyllAmerica™ Revealed and is completing an expanded second edition. His work connects family memory with the multicultural history of North Carolina’s Upper Cape Fear region. He is also developing a historical drama screenplay loosely inspired by his book, bringing the region’s intertwined multicultural history to the screen.
Gilchrist founded ARGYLLAMERICA®, a cultural brand devoted to discovering and sharing the stories that shaped America. Through books, research, speaking, digital storytelling, community engagement, and legacy products, ARGYLLAMERICA® advances multiculturalism, resilience, and sustainability. Symbolized by the longleaf pine, it confronts difficult history while honoring the humanity and enduring spirit of those who lived it.
Through @ARGYLLAMERICAOFFICIAL on YouTube, Gilchrist shares accessible historical and cultural stories with new generations and longtime students of heritage. He contributed to the twice Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Voices Over the Water, exploring the Scottish diaspora and themes of identity and belonging. He has presented at the Celts in the Americas Conference in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and at community venues, academic campuses, heritage sites, and festivals throughout the Southeast.
Gilchrist earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Campbell University and an MBA in international business, with a marketing concentration, from Mercer University’s Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics. His return continues a conversation begun in 2025—honoring Scottish Highland heritage while including the African American, Native, and other communities that also shaped the region.
