A bagpiper performs during the Chicago Scots’ St. Andrew’s Day Gala. This year’s gala will be Saturday at the Palmer House Hilton. (Chicago Scots photo)

When Chicago was just a small frontier town of 12,000, a group of Scots gathered to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day.

Fast forward nearly 180 years and the group’s name may have changed, but its commitment to serve the needy and bring something of Scotland home to Chicago has not. Founded as the Illinois Saint Andrew Society, the Chicago Scots is the first and oldest charitable and philanthropic organization in the state.

The Chicago Scots will conduct The Feast of the Haggis, its 179th annual St. Andrew’s Day Gala, on Saturday.

“Whether you are Scottish by heritage, by birth or simply by inclination, you are welcome to be part of the community,” said Gus Noble, president of the Chicago Scots. “If you like whisky, Sean Connery or Harry Potter, you are welcome.”

The first nonprofit organization in Illinois will celebrate Scotland and kindness with its St. Andrew’s Day Gala. Never missing a year, even through times of war, depression and pandemics, this year’s black-tie affair will be in a new location, the Palmer House Hilton.

In the spirit of giving, all proceeds from the evening will benefit the organization’s principal charity, its own Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside.

When Noble moved to Chicago in 1992, he received a kilt from his father.

“My father said when he gave it to me, ‘It is impossible not to have fun when you wear a kilt,’” Noble remembered.

That concept of fun is paramount during The Feast of the Haggis, Noble noted.

The Feast of the Haggis, the Chicago Scots’ 179th annual St. Andrew’s Day Gala, will be celebrated Saturday. (Chicago Scots photo)

“It brings a smile to your face and you support a great cause,” he said. “The event is an appreciation for a tiny little country that has provided so many of the world’s most important inventions — TV, penicillin, the first clones — and some of the greatest literature — from Robert Louis Stevenson and poet Robert Burns.”

Noble added whisky and St. Andrews Links — which he described as “golf’s greatest gift or greatest curse” — as other noteworthy Scottish contributions to society.

The Chicago Scots president said he will not be wearing the kilt his dad gave him in ’92 to Saturday’s event.

“I’ve had far too much haggis since then,” he joked.

Even though he will be in pants and not a kilt, Noble said his focus at Saturday’s longest recurring event in Chicago’s history will still be on having fun.

Gus Noble, president of the Chicago Scots, talks at the 2023 event. (Chicago Scots photo)

“Nowhere else in Chicago can you have that level of ceremony, where you feel like you are touching history,” the Chicago Scots president said. “We are all there to have a good time. There is a great reverence for tradition, but we will also cast our eyes to the future. We are asking guests to look at making a commitment to philanthropic living.”

Noble said the Chicago Scots organization is looking to reposition its Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care to be able to meet the needs of the elderly going forward.

“We are really looking at seniors 10-20 years from now and what they will need,” he said. “We want to serve their needs.”

Recognition will be bestowed at the event on Paul and Catherine Melville, who have been named the 2024 Kinsman and Kinswoman of the Year for their leadership and commitment to advancing the work of the Chicago Scots and the elder care mission at Caledonia.

Paul Melville stepped in as chairman of the board for the Chicago Scots in January 2020.

“He stepped in as chairman when the retirement community was in the crosshairs,” Noble said. “He looked COVID in the eye and said, ‘Not here.’”

Noble credits Melville and other Chicago Scots leaders with keeping their care centers from losing any seniors to COVID-19.

“They were so vigilant in their caring for seniors, in keeping them so safe,” Noble said.

Dancers perform during the St. Andrew’s Day Gala. (Chicago Scots photo)

The group will also present its highest honor, the 2024 Distinguished Citizen Award, to Sir Niall Ferguson for his work as a globally centered Scottish historian, author and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and Belfar Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

A commentator and consultant on contemporary economic and political issues, Ferguson is known for his ability to connect historical insights with global trends.

Noble said in the same way the generations of today stand on the shoulders of those who came before us he wants the Chicago Scots of today to be that foundation for future generations.

“It’s such an exciting time for our organization,” Noble said.

Tickets for The Feast of the Haggis begin at $250, which include an open bar and sit-down dinner. Sponsorship packages are available. For tickets, go to https://chicagoscots.org/179th/tickets/. For information, email Dawn Miller at DawnMiller@ChicagoScots.org.

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com