Weekly Update – 11/14/05
Nov-14-2005 21:52 |
Weekly Update
Weekly
Update – 11/14/05
Greetings All,
Sorry I am so late in getting this out, but every time I turned around, something else popped up that I wanted to add and before I knew it, it was Thursday.
Monday turned out to be a pretty good practice. Amber Tussing showed up for the beginners practice. She is doing quite well. She has a pretty good handle on the first two tunes of the first set. Also, she is getting her big pipes as a Christmas present to herself. I expect she will be marching with us by St. Patrick’s Day. For the regular practice, Jeff Burton, Pete O’Brien, Chalmers Marquis, Dana Moore, Ed Snyder, Brian Brendel and yours truly, were joined by Rob Deer and Kevin Pittman from the Sheriff’s Pipe Band. After playing outside on the big pipes we went inside to work on practice chanters. The practice on the big pipes would have gone a bit better except for the want of drummers … or rather drums as Ethan was there but I forgot to bring the bass drum. Odie and Ethan did the best they could with a stick and a cardboard box, but it just wasn’t the same. We finished off the night working on the two Christmas (Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls) tunes and Bonny Dundee. For those who missed the practice, be sure and work on these three tunes as will be concentrating on them next Monday.
Speaking of next Monday, we will try again to have a short business meeting. Please make every effort to attend. Also speaking of business meetings, remember that the annual membership meeting will be in January. This is when we elect band officers and conduct the bulk of the band’s business for the coming year. More on this will be coming out in the next update or two.
Upcoming Events:
December 3rd is the Alexandria Christmas Walk. I just received our position in the parade route this week. We are unit number 22 of 119 units registered as of Oct. 31, and are the second of five pipe bands that will be marching in the parade this year.
I also talked to Ms. Dorothy Farley who’s Christmas Party we crashed last year and she has invited us back again this year. She is still working on trying to get a keg of Scottish Ale for us but says that there will be more than enough food for everyone. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her about more of the band books she made up for us, but I will at the next opportunity.
We also have the fundraiser at Killroy’s in Springfield on December 15th. This year, pipers from the Sheriff’s office will join us so it promises to be an outstanding time. Odie says that there are over a dozen people who have told him they are planning on coming … Outstanding!
So far I have the following people signed up for the two events:
Alex X-mast Walk – Pipers: Jeff Burton, Kevin Byrne, Steve Cochran, Chalmers Marquis, Pete O’Brien & Ed Snyder; Drummers: Rob Agnew, Brian Brendel & Ethan Cochran
Killroy’s – Pipers: Jeff Burton, Steve Cochran, Karen Killmeyer, Chalmers Marquis, Dana Moore, Pete O’Brien & Ed Snyder; Drummers: Rob Agnew, Brian Brendel & Ethan Cochran
I’m sure there are more coming but I don’t have you on my list. So those who are going to attend either event, who I did not list, please drop me a note and I’ll add you. This includes the folks from the Sheriff’s band.
Other news on past events … Thursday, Odie and I went up to Emmitsburg and attended the Critique of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Now, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of attending a Fire Department Critique, you have to understand that when you go into one of those, you put on your extra thick hide, and check your ego at the door, because no punches are pulled and every flaw is laid out in the open for all to see. This is how we do things so that mistakes are rarely repeated. You have to understand that mistakes made at fires cost people lives. So a critique of any FD event is treated the same. This one was no exception. That being said, there was only one aspect of the Memorial Weekend where no fault was found … in fact when the leader of the event asked if there was anyone there to represent the Bagpipe Group and Odie and I raised our hands, we received a round of applause! We did come back with a few things to improve next year’s event.
One story that was told involving the pipes and drums at the Memorial weekend was relayed by one of the “Survivors” … read that as widow … who said that as she was going into the field house at the Mount, dragging her young son along behind her, they passed by the band. As they did, one of the pipers saluted the boy, who then hurried in with his mother. Once inside, the wee lad tugged on his mother’s hem and when he had gained her attention, the told his mother in obvious pride of the salute and said, “See Mom, I’m special.” The mother said that one event brightened the entire weekend for her and her son.
See you all on Monday,
Steve
Greetings All,
Sorry I am so late in getting this out, but every time I turned around, something else popped up that I wanted to add and before I knew it, it was Thursday.
Monday turned out to be a pretty good practice. Amber Tussing showed up for the beginners practice. She is doing quite well. She has a pretty good handle on the first two tunes of the first set. Also, she is getting her big pipes as a Christmas present to herself. I expect she will be marching with us by St. Patrick’s Day. For the regular practice, Jeff Burton, Pete O’Brien, Chalmers Marquis, Dana Moore, Ed Snyder, Brian Brendel and yours truly, were joined by Rob Deer and Kevin Pittman from the Sheriff’s Pipe Band. After playing outside on the big pipes we went inside to work on practice chanters. The practice on the big pipes would have gone a bit better except for the want of drummers … or rather drums as Ethan was there but I forgot to bring the bass drum. Odie and Ethan did the best they could with a stick and a cardboard box, but it just wasn’t the same. We finished off the night working on the two Christmas (Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls) tunes and Bonny Dundee. For those who missed the practice, be sure and work on these three tunes as will be concentrating on them next Monday.
Speaking of next Monday, we will try again to have a short business meeting. Please make every effort to attend. Also speaking of business meetings, remember that the annual membership meeting will be in January. This is when we elect band officers and conduct the bulk of the band’s business for the coming year. More on this will be coming out in the next update or two.
Upcoming Events:
December 3rd is the Alexandria Christmas Walk. I just received our position in the parade route this week. We are unit number 22 of 119 units registered as of Oct. 31, and are the second of five pipe bands that will be marching in the parade this year.
I also talked to Ms. Dorothy Farley who’s Christmas Party we crashed last year and she has invited us back again this year. She is still working on trying to get a keg of Scottish Ale for us but says that there will be more than enough food for everyone. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her about more of the band books she made up for us, but I will at the next opportunity.
We also have the fundraiser at Killroy’s in Springfield on December 15th. This year, pipers from the Sheriff’s office will join us so it promises to be an outstanding time. Odie says that there are over a dozen people who have told him they are planning on coming … Outstanding!
So far I have the following people signed up for the two events:
Alex X-mast Walk – Pipers: Jeff Burton, Kevin Byrne, Steve Cochran, Chalmers Marquis, Pete O’Brien & Ed Snyder; Drummers: Rob Agnew, Brian Brendel & Ethan Cochran
Killroy’s – Pipers: Jeff Burton, Steve Cochran, Karen Killmeyer, Chalmers Marquis, Dana Moore, Pete O’Brien & Ed Snyder; Drummers: Rob Agnew, Brian Brendel & Ethan Cochran
I’m sure there are more coming but I don’t have you on my list. So those who are going to attend either event, who I did not list, please drop me a note and I’ll add you. This includes the folks from the Sheriff’s band.
Other news on past events … Thursday, Odie and I went up to Emmitsburg and attended the Critique of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Now, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of attending a Fire Department Critique, you have to understand that when you go into one of those, you put on your extra thick hide, and check your ego at the door, because no punches are pulled and every flaw is laid out in the open for all to see. This is how we do things so that mistakes are rarely repeated. You have to understand that mistakes made at fires cost people lives. So a critique of any FD event is treated the same. This one was no exception. That being said, there was only one aspect of the Memorial Weekend where no fault was found … in fact when the leader of the event asked if there was anyone there to represent the Bagpipe Group and Odie and I raised our hands, we received a round of applause! We did come back with a few things to improve next year’s event.
One story that was told involving the pipes and drums at the Memorial weekend was relayed by one of the “Survivors” … read that as widow … who said that as she was going into the field house at the Mount, dragging her young son along behind her, they passed by the band. As they did, one of the pipers saluted the boy, who then hurried in with his mother. Once inside, the wee lad tugged on his mother’s hem and when he had gained her attention, the told his mother in obvious pride of the salute and said, “See Mom, I’m special.” The mother said that one event brightened the entire weekend for her and her son.
See you all on Monday,
Steve
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