On July 2, 2009 band practice was cancelled and members performed at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for their annual night of mayhem know as kilt night. Opening for the Belfast Boys and Albannach band members had a brilliant time! Thank you to all the band members who came out to play & commiserate - and kudos to Annie Nice for putting together yet another wonderful night of celtic camaraderie.
The band would like to congratulate the members of the Wake Forest Fire Department upon their completion of training and certification as fire fighters for the Town of Wake Forest, North Carolina. Members of the District were honored to have participated in the ceremonies ; a few of our band members were quite thrilled to play with the fire trucks. Again - congratulations to newest and bravest members of the Wake Forest Fire Department!
Photos from the graduation take by Véro can be seen here.
As of 12 June 2009 Wake & District Public Safety Pipes and Drums is ranked #1 in Grade V out of 104 pipe bands. Though this is subject to change weekend by weekend throughout the rest of the year - band members are quite proud to say “WE’RE NUMBER 1 in our Grade”at least today.
Congratulations to piper Pat McArdle on his marriage to Rebekah! Several members of the band were in attendance to celebrate the union. Rebekah…can Paddy come back to band practice now? Thank you to Lloyd Johnson for the photos - more to come.
Congratulations to all the folks who competed in Greeneville, soloists and band members alike! Against all odds, still number one… Congratulations also to Alan Armstrong on bringing home the gold in G2 solo piping!
Two bagpipe bands from Wake County will compete this weekend at the Greater Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival in South Carolina. Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums band is a highly successful grade V band assembled in 2005 by piper Joe Brady, a police officer for the City of Clayton. The band took first place in the grade V competition earlier this summer at the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Games in Tennessee. Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums band is comprised of both public safety officers and community members.
The North Carolina State University Pipes and Drums grade III band will also compete this weekend. Two N.C. State University graduate students founded the band in 1968 as an all-student group. Since then, NCSU Pipes and Drums band has come to include members of the community. The grade III band is now under the direction of John Sprague, a member of the original all-student band, and pipe major Steven Fisher, originally from Albany, NY and the Schenectady Pipe Band in New York. The grade III band will compete against Charleston Police Pipes and Drums from South Carolina. Grade III bands are more experienced and skilled bands as a whole. Grade V bands are beginner bands, but have experienced and skilled players, as well as beginner players.
Good luck to the band members traveling to the Greater Greenville Scottish Games and Highland Festival this coming weekend (June 6, 2009). It will be a bit of a small group with 5 pipers, 3 sides, 2 tenors and a bass - but they will without a doubt play well. The group is partially down-sized from our complete contingent due to band member/piper Pat McArdle getting married the same day (more to be posted on the wedding). Safe travels to all of the competing band members and best of luck to all of you in your solo and band efforts.
Band member/piper Chris Mogensen participated in the memorial day services held by Duke/Raleigh Hospital on Monday, 25 May 2009. This event took place with the Boy Scouts of America; Neuse River District - of which Chris is a Scout Leader.
On Sunday, May 24th our Pipe Major joined 3 other pipers from across the state to honor our Armed Forces by playing Amazing Grace during the opening ceremonies at the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600. Shortly after the invocation by evangelist Franklin Graham and the “Celtic Force Pipers” playing Amazing Grace, the heavens opened up and drenched the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 and the race was cancelled. Video from the opening ceremonies can be seen here:
During National EMS Week, May 17 to May 23, the Wake County Emergency Medical System celebrates achievements which show dramatic strides in cardiac arrest care. Recently completed data from 2008 shows that Wake’s EMS System successfully resuscitated 58 people, an increase from 49 patients saved in 2007.
These accomplishments were celebrated at the Cardiac Arrest Save Ceremony on May 18th at the Fletcher Opera Theater, in the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts. Wake County emergency responders and 2008 cardiac arrest survivors celebrated the achievements of the Cardiac Saves program and the efforts of the emergency medical care system; one of the recipients was our very own Drum Major - Lt. Jason Lane of the Raleigh Fire Department.
Thank you to the group of pipers and drummers who came out to the ceremony. This event was also emceed by piper (and Wake County EMS PIO) Jeff Hammerstein and included a keynote address by piper (and Wake County EMS Chief) Skip Kirkwood. Again - thank you to the men and women of the band who came out to honor these heroes and their families by playing a few tunes on the pipes and drums.
Photos by Véronique McMillan can be seen here.
Photos by Lee Wilson can be seen here.
