Ingersoll Pipe Band. Inside This Issue

Transcription

1 Ingersoll Pipe Band Volume 8 Issue 3 August 2018 Yes, indeed! It's not not difficult to think of excuses NOT to get certain tasks or chores done around t the home, farm, or cottage during these very HOT days of summer. But if you are in a pipe band and have several parades booked there isn't any "lazy" option at all. So the Ingersoll Pipe Band members have shed their uniform vests and ties in order to stay a little cooler and have hit the trail to march in several communities over the past few weeks. Considering the various complications of personal holiday and family commitments, we have managed to maintain a steady number of participants at these events. Well done, IPBers! Enjoy the rest of your "vacation" period! - Veronica (Your Editor) Inside This Issue Pg. 1 Canada Day 2018 Pg. 2/3 Embro Games Pg. 4-6 Algonac Update Pg European Travels with Charlie Pg. 19 The Royal Scots 81st Embro Highland Games After 80 years, the Zorra Caledonian Society moved the Games to Canada s Outdoor Park home of Canada s Outdoor Farm Show located at Oxford Road 17, northwest of Woodstock. But as usual, the Ingersoll Pipe Band participated in the Games. However, this year we had to divide up our band and send several members to Algonac, Michigan where we have taken part the last few years in the annual Algonac Lions Pickerel Festival parade. The remainder of our members stayed here locally and performed at the new venue. Spectators and performers alike headed for the shade trees! Pg. 6/7 Kincardine Games Pg Canterbury Folk Festival Pg Delhi Remembrance Pg Keeping It Local Pg. 20 Scotland 2018 Pg. Wedding Bells / Upcoming Events / Video & Celebrities One of the competition bands performing at the new venue. 1

2 D Some photos of our band members and the massed band contingent at Canada's Outdoor Park. Pics taken by one of our drummers, Steve Rossiter! FACEBOOK POLL Embro Highland Games created a poll. July 7 at 10:15 AM Thank you to everyone who came out to the 81st Embro Highland Games, especially in light of the oppressive heat throughout the day. We have a small favour to ask of those who attended. We're soliciting feedback on the new site for the games, please feel free to share your thoughts on the new venue & the new events this year: New Events : -Church Service -Expanded Scottish livestock display -Rugby -Kilted Yoga -Historical displays -Craft Brew Gardens -Speaker on Scotland Use the comment box below to write your response. We promise every comment will be read and thoughtfully considered. As always, please be polite and constructive with your opinions. Thank you! POLL RESULTS: 32% I prefer the new location 68% I prefer the old location 2

3 Embro Highland Games Canada Day Thanks once again to Drummers Chris and Juanita Radford for bringing their fantastic catering truck to the new site. Some very delicious burgers, etc were served up to very hungry and appreciative band members. From the pages of The Woodstock Sentinel Review :(as reported by Chris Funston) published on: July 4, 2018 "New location, great results for Embro Highland Games" IPB Members heading out to perform with the Massed Band The Mt. Vernon team from Wisconsin battles against the Bluewater tug-of-war club in the 680 kilogram finals. (Chris Funston/Sentinel-Review) Pipe Major Doug giving directions "While the Embro Highland Games weren t technically in Embro this year, the home for the 81st annual event held at Canada s Outdoor Park northwest of Woodstock played host just as well to nearly 3,000 spectators, competitors and volunteers. Gord MacKay, president of the Zorra Caledonian Society, said that the size of the new location at Canada s Outdoor Park made it a lot easier to host the games. It s worked out really well for us. It gave us more space for a number of new events. The shade especially, on a hot day like today, has worked out well, he said. It makes it a lot easier to host the event. The field sizes are probably close to double and the parking is unlimited. To read the rest of Chris' report, click on the photo above. Band members getting ready to perform under the shade of the trees 3

4 Algonac Lions Pickerel Tournament Turns 80 From the Algonac newspaper "The Voice" - reported by Colleen Kowalewski "Downtown Algonac was rocking last week as the Algonac Lions Pickerel Tournament celebrated its 80th annual festival with a rollicking weekend of small-town fun with an '80s flair. Organizers expected record crowds for the 2018 festival, drawn in part by a second night of fireworks over the river. "We know we're going to have better weather this year," Pickerel Tournament Chairman Michael Bembas said on the festival's rainy opening night, looking ahead to a forecast of sunny weather and hot temperatures for the weekend."...and IT WAS HOT! 32 degrees C (feeling like 40 degrees C) on parade day - Sunday July 1st! So members of the IPB converged on downtown Algonac in plenty of time for the parade and we were well stocked with bottles of water, and other types of liquid refreshment! Some journeyed across the water from Ontario into Michigan via the Walpole Island ferry while others arrived via the Port Huron / Sarnia Bluewater Bridge point of entry. Pictured LOOK below is Drummer Harold with his entourage pre-parade at the park where we gather to march off. Harold is wearing his hard earned crown and cape and carrying his sceptre that he received two years ago as "King of the Ferries". 4

5 Pre Parade Photos from Algonac Pre parade rituals - resting; texting; checking MLS scores; applying the much needed sunscreen; hydrating ourselves with the delicious lemonade from the neighbourhood kids' stand; and Highland laddies returning from the park "facilities" 5

6 Heading out on parade at Algonac- photo taken by Drummer Harold! Kincardine Highland Games July 7th As many readers know, several of our band members and associates decided to compete at various levels of piping and drumming at regional highland games. Others are also members of the London Firefighters Pipe Band (LFPB) which competes at the Grade 4 and Grade 5 levels of the PPBSO administered competitions.(pipers' and Pipe Band Society of Ontario).Below are some photos from this year's games in Kincardine. (Thanks, Laurie for the pictures). Tenor Drummers Carole (both bands) & Graham (LFPB) Our favourite Pit Stop at the End of the Parade. Alas! It's closed for good! Piper Christina (IPB) A very disappointed and hot band :( Supporter Chris, Piper Adam and Piper Christina (IPB) 6

7 Canterbury Folk Festival July 14th Associate of IPB Ken Webster (LFPB) Following the tradition of the past 18 years, the pipe band appeared on Saturday afternoon at the 19th festival. Once again we paraded from the Gazebo Stage on Thames Street down Charles St. and into the park - Yvonne Holmes Mott Memorial Park. Mayor Ted Comiskey thanked us for 'officially" opening the festival and after a few brief speeches by the local dignitaries, the IPB entertained the crowd. Another strong performance under an equally hot strong sun! Snare Drummer Lisa - member of both bands! Marching into the park to perform at the opening ceremonies 7

8 Getting Ready to Perform at The Festival Catherine sharing some piping tips Blake St. Denis, one of our "Learners" who graduated to the ranks of the Parade Band Since it was his first parade with us, we made sure we got lots of photos of our youngest talented piper. Blake and George waiting for a "tune up" Veronica, Carole & Catherine with Blake welcoming him on board! Laurie ready to assist with last minute details 8

9 A Pipe Major's Responsibilities Are Never Done Before We March Off Pipers waiting patiently for PM Doug Collins to tune our pipes And... Drummers and Supporter Jackie waiting patiently once again for The Pipers! 9

10 At The Festival 10

11 Thanks to Alicia Dow and Kelly Jackson for all the Festival photos. 11

12 Delhi Decoration Day Sunday July 15th The heat wave continued over the weekend and when IPB members arrived at the Delhi Cemetery, it was certainly extremely hot and humid. Within minutes of tuning our pipes, the skies opened and a deluge of rain fell on us and the colour party, Legion members and the folks gathered to remember their loved ones. But the memorial service continued and the Legion members and the IPB members were able to carry out their duties. At the completion of the Decoration Day service we were invited back to Branch 125 of the Royal Canadian Legion for scrumptious sandwiches and beverages! We played a few tunes there in appreciation of the Legion's hospitality and then headed home in the sunshine! 12

13 Park Place Woodstock July 24th Some Photos of Our Amazing Drummers from Thursday Night Practices The Ingersoll Pipe Band sent a "mini" band over to Woodstock to perform at one of Woodstock's retirement homes. Park Place Retirement Residence is centrally located in the heart of downtown Woodstock, Ontario, in a quiet, residential neighborhood overlooking Victoria Park. The property was originally built in 1844 as two separate homes for the Mayor of Woodstock. In the 1970s, the buildings were converted into a hotel and eventually combined and renovated to create Park Place. The band was very well received and it was an enjoyable time for both audience members and band members. Tenor student Wendy with Tenor Drummer Graham of the LFPB Laurie Hawkins PS Ingersoll Guess who was spotted outside the front doors of Laurie Hawkins School on the last day of school? None other than our Pipe Major Doug sending all the kids off on summer vacation in fine style! Aurora trying out the Bass Drum for size! A First! An Historical Note Thursday July 5th The Pipe Band practised for the 1st time EVER in our air conditionned hall! Learner Billy practising in the circle with Snare Drummers Dave H., Jerry and Lisa 13

14 A Special Travel Report to the IPB Newsletter from Piper Charlie Thomson (Editor's Note: Our Bandsman Charlie's life is full of interesting adventures. I asked him to share his latest with us and he graciously agreed). An Adventure from Paris to Rome When my brother was here on vacation last year I mentioned that I was looking for a trip to take on my bicycle. I said that I was thinking of cycling the Outer Hebrides which would have meant getting to Oban then taking the boat to the Hebrides and after my journey through the islands getting another boat back to the Isle of Skye and cycling back down the west coast of Scotland. This seemed like a wonderful idea until winter started to arrive here and it got me thinking how the weather would be out on the Hebrides in April with the winds blowing across 3000 miles of north Atlantic ocean. So in my wisdom I started to think of any other destination where I might have a better chance of not only surviving but enjoying a springtime bicycle trip. As I thought of other destinations I thought what could be nicer than cycling the South of France and down the Mediterranean coast of Italy? So with this idea I started planning my trip from Paris to Rome. This trip was going to be a combination of cycling and train journey. It is no easy task taking a bike anywhere on a plane and it certainly is more of a challenge when you go to a country on your own and you don t speak the language but if I wanted to do this adventure then I would just have to face come what may. When I left in mid April there were still snow flurries at that time but when I got to Paris they were having the hottest April on record. My first night in Paris I decided to eat dinner in my hotel. The server said that the special was meat along with prawn and shrimp salad, bread and a bottle of water. Well I ordered the special but it wasn t until I was eating that I realized that she said I was getting meat and not beef which made me think that it was more than possible that I was served horse meat, very popular in France - I didn t finish my meal. Cycling around any city can be scary but to cycle in Paris and Rome seemed absolutely insane. When you are stopped at traffic lights, you have to avoid the scooters then the motorbikes and then the cars and they are all racing each other to get to the next set of traffic lights. From Paris I was making my way to Nice in the south of France. To get there I had reserved a seat on the high speed train. After reading about it, the internet made it seem that there is no problem to take a bicycle as long as it is partially dismantled and in a bicycle bag, but as usual you can t believe all that you read. 14

15 Paris What I didn t expect was that the French railways would be having work actions which meant not all trains were running. As I understood it, the trains were running every second or third day so when I was trying to get on my train so were about 600 other frustrated travellers, but I did reach Nice under 6 hours later. Leaving Nice I only had one night in Nice - maybe that was a lucky thing considering the cost seemed a bit more expensive than Paris. The next morning when I was setting out heading towards Monte Carlo, I asked one of the locals the best route. He pointed to a road and said that was the way to go saying that the views were really good. But what he wasn t thinking was that he had travelled that road in a car and I was on a bicycle pulling a heavy load! It seemed as if I was on hill after hill all going up and never down but when I reached Monte Carlo, it was worth it - just to see in real life what I had only seen before in movies or on TV. 15

16 Monte Carlo From Monte Carlo I headed towards the Italian border with a couple of wrong turns along the way. Once I had crossed into Italy the main problem cycling was going through the mountain tunnels. These tunnels were not very well lit and as the cars passed by me, I had to breathe in and cycle on. After spending the night in a small town I started to make my way to Genoa. I was pleasantly surprised by that city, apart from the fact that the hostel I had booked there was on the fifth floor of an old building. The only way for me to get my bike up was to carry it up the stairs but that s all part of the experience. Portofino When I was in Genoa, I took a ferry ride to the picturesque town of Portofino. I first saw this town on PBS when Andrea Bocelli held a performance there and I thought I would really like to visit there one day. 16

17 Leaving Genoa After leaving Genoa it was on to Pisa with the famous leaning tower. I must admit there was not much else in Pisa to see or do so one night was plenty of time to spend there and then it was time to cycle through the Tuscan hills and make my way to Florence. This is a town filled with sights and attractions; you could spend a week in Florence and still not see everything. Next it was on to Siena. Siena is very similar to Pisa as there is not too much to see once you get there but the journey there was spectacular. Florence verty and imagine the hardships of the residents. they may Pisa have been fast but never a danger to me. This was e Siena From Siena, it was the last stage of my journey to the city of Rome. I would say that Rome is a living museum. There was so much to do and see in Rome. If you could spend a week in Florence, you could spend a month in Rome and still not see it all. I did take a side trip from Rome to Naples. Walking the back streets of Naples you could see the poverty and imagine the hardships of the residents. 17

18 Rome - Vatican City All through my journey I met nothing but kind, helpful and considerate people. Even on the roads when I was plodding along, there were no drivers showing any impatience or frustration. In the cities drivers may have been fast but never a danger to me. This was a trip I am glad I got to take. Would I do it again... are you crazy? - Charlie Rome... the end of the road 18

19 The Royal Scots O'Mocha Pipes and Drums Photos Here are some pictures from the June Spring Ceremonial at Port Stanley, the Dutton Highland Dinner, the Arkona Funtastic Day Parade, and the Erieau Parade. IPB members assisted the Royal Scots at different parades and events during the summer. The belief that "Never does a Shriner stand so tall as when he stoops to help a child" is a philosophy that will never fade. This year's continuing fundraising efforts in Port Stanley brought in over $229,000 that will go towards Shriners Hospitals for Children, and for help for a Humboldt victim with serious spinal cord injuries. Shriners Hospitals for Children rely totally on the generous donations from Shriners and the general public. 19

20 Trip to Scotland 2018 In early August, Doug Glover and his wife Catherine played host to a group of Ingersoll band members who will be taking an excursion to Scotland from Aug. 19th to Sept. 3rd with the Pipes and Drums of Canada group based out of Orillia. The band is composed of pipers, drummers and colour party members from across Ontario and other provinces. They are all looking forward to this trip that will include many highlights. The band members will be performing in many towns and cities in Scotland and in Northern England. Some of these include - Berwick on Tweed, Perth, St. Andrews, Dumferline, Dumfries, Blairgowrie, Braemar and Carlisle. The band will stay in Edinburgh at the university and will have the opportunity to see the famous Edinburgh Tattoo. Doug writes: "Thirteen members and associates of the Ingersoll Pipe Band are leaving soon for a Tour of Scotland with the Pipes and Drums of Canada. We will be playing for the Queen at the Braemar Highland Games as well as performing at other sites. On August 4 we had a potluck lunch at my house to share tips for the trip from Nancy, who has done this trip before. Attending was Nancy, Doug and Lois, Laurie, Joanne and her husband Larry and Doug and Catherine. Unfortunately Carol, Harold, Alister, Hamish and Catherine could not attend." IPB members and associates enjoying some fellowship prior to departure to Scotland Recognize the tartan? IPB members attending the Orillia Scottish Festival in July Do you think we've changed much? 18 years can add a lot of "character lines" to those fresh young faces! 20

21 Wedding News Video Highlight Doug and Lois Turvey celebrated the wedding of their daughter, Danielle on May 20th at the Stratford Golf and Country Club. From left to right: Malcolm Isbister (Sonya s boyfriend), Sonya Turvey, Danielle and Gradon Nicholls, Lois and Doug. Congratulations to the Newlyweds and the Parents. Up Next Maple Grove Campground, Thamesford - August 17-6:30 pm - tree dedication and march If you click on the photo above, you can open the "hyperlink" and enjoy watching a short video of the band playing "Leaving Port Askaig" at this year's Canterbury Folk Festival Local Heroes Hold Parade Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history, held a parade and a concert Saturday as a way of saying thank you to their fans and their hometown of Ilderton, Ont. for all their support. As part of the parade groups, the London Firefighters Pipe Band entertained the crowds gathered along the parade route. They also had the opportunity to have a "photo op" with the Olympians. Look front and centre for Carole Marson and Dave Kincaid! Being a drummer pays off! Ingersoll Harvest Fest September 1-12:00 pm - march off from the Ingersoll Cheese and Agricultural Museum Delhi Harvest Fest September 8-10:00 am - march off from Delhi High School Richmond Parade - Good Old Days - September 9-1:30 pm - march off - downtown Battle of Britain Ceremony - Ingersoll Rural Cemetery - September 16-2:00 pm - step off from Cemetery Lane If you click on the photo above, you can open the "hyperlink" and enjoy reading the news report from CBC news. Finally Thanks again to all the contributors for stories, photos and ideas for this issue! - Your Editor 21