Wednesday we finally caught up with the bagpipe busker, Rob Caulder, at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in Innsbrook. Rob played and raised money for his charity at Finn’s backed by supporters from our band, as well as the Irish American Society, Scottish Society, and St. Andrew’s Society. The event was sponsored by the St. Andrew’s Society. I picked Rob up on Tuesday from the Greyhound terminal and we talked piping all the way to Tim’s place. Apparently Tim and Rob played the pipes and entertained the folks for quite a while. I really admire the leap Rob took. He’s coming over here seeing the States and doing one of the things he loves. We should all take such chances. Worst case it will be one of those stories he can tell his grand kids about. Rob is on his way to Raleigh and Charlotte this weekend and places beyond. You can keep up with him at his web site http://bagpipebusker.com Here’s one for the road Rob… Slàinte

Speaking of places beyond… Things are really taking off for the band. We’ve got our more relaxed, yet military looking work uniforms, and we are on the verge of some really big things. Today the Pipe Major will pick up a $4000+ annual check out at Innsbrook from a soon to be named sponsor and there is more lined up on the horizon. Around September/October the band is looking at another sponsor/donation that will shoot us into the stratosphere literally. September is when we in addition to some new sponsors we will have some really big news to announce as well. Once its official and I’d say it’s about 90% there, this news will leave your jaw on the floor and it will be a major coup for the Central Virginia area and for the local piping & drumming community.

Pipie has been busy as yesterday he spent time at a photo shoot out at Innsbrook for his upcoming role as the official piper to MacLaren Jewelers and the Innsbrook Community. There will be more to come on this as you can probably guess. Make sure to keep up with us and all these exciting developments on our blog right here and with our news letter ‘By The Center’ which you can subscribe to here. You’ll want to stay tuned to find out why we are now a registered vendor with the US Army (all I’ve been given permission to speak of, are the words “Great Things in 2010″) Also find out about our move to MacCallum pipe chanters.

Reminder: Mark your calendars now for the Ft. Lee Celtic Bash on July 18th at 6:00 PM, which is a precursor for yet another major event to be held on the base in 2010. We’ll be opening for Seven Nations and Poisoned Dwarf that evening, after our return from the Appalachian Roots Festival in Wintergreen. There could be some other surprises in store, so circle the date. I’ll update everyone once I have more information about the event.

I want to thank all of you at SALPD who got me my new Ross Cannister bag.

I never cared for the older version due to the flimsy feel, but the new style is great with suede which gives it that “Hide Heft Feel”

The new bag style almost looks as if you can get away with out a cover-lol and I know it would appeal to Tom Shuff, since it’s red! LOL

The Gannaway was repaired with Gorilla Glue, but like a repaired tire, you just don’t know how much life is left in it. I transferred the old bag onto my second set of Naill’s for solo and back up.

Pipie

June 25th SALPD Night

We’d like to take a moment and invite you to dinner with the SALPD. On Thursday June 25th you are cordially invited to attend a fund raiser dinner at The Melting Pot Restaurant. In order to participate all you have to do is order off of the special SALPD menu. The menu includes a delicious four course meal starting with a cheese fondue, a salad, your main entree, and last but not least a chocolate fondue. The Melting Pot is located off of Gayton Rd in the West End. To call ahead for reservations call 804-741-3120 or on their website http://meltingpot.com Make sure you order from the special SALPD menu to help us out and have a great meal at the same time.

On a personal note this is my wife’s favorite restaurant. We’ve had dinner there on at least 10 of our 14 anniversaries not to mention a few Valentine Days as well. Including one during a snow storm about 9 – 10 years ago. The ambiance is great as well as the food. I’m not a wine person but they have a great selection of wine and are on several lists for their selection. Please come down have a good time and help us out at the same time. For more information please see the flier on our site Fundraiser_Menu.pdf We look forward to seeing you there.

Old Glory

One of the events the band is doing in a short 9 days is the Flag Day Event in Powhatan. Mr. Childress put on a 4th of July Event there last year to help raise money for Families of the Wounded Fund. He immediately started planning his next event which is this Flag Day Event. The event will help raise funds for The Virginia War Memorial and The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program I can’t say things better than they did in this article in the Powhatan Today (although you do have to ignore the UGLY photo that accompanies the article)

This event is a family friendly event and was quite nice last year. It is worth the drive to see this event and help our wounded veterans and help preserve the memory of those who have gone before. There is no overhead for this event so 100% of the proceeds go to the above mentioned charities. This event is sponsored by the James M. Slay Detachment of the Marine Corp League. For more information about them click here There is also a pdf on our site that has information including driving directions www.salpd.com/FlagDay.pdf We look forward to seeing you out there to help honor our military men and women. Thanks and we’ll see you there.

First a belated thank you to all our military veterans both past and present as well as all active duty military for the work and sacrifices you all have made to keep us free. With that in mind yesterday the Legion performed at the Virginia War Memorial for Memorial Day. As is the case on Memorial Day it is always an honor to play for those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and those that are paying the price right now. The event is always standing room only and that was the case yesterday as well. I think they sit out chairs for 500 or so but there always seems to be another two to three hundred standing around in the grass. The veterans and people who attend are always very appreciative of our contribution to the service. It almost seems like it is us who should be thanking them for letting us help honor those who serve, as it’s such a simple thing we do. The Times Dispatch put together a nice slide show of the event with SALPD providing the sound track. The slide show can been seen here.

Mac in his first performance

Couple of things from yesterday as foot notes: First the work uniform looks really sharp. I know we’ve worn them before but first time seeing such a large group. Second was the fact that we had several new members with us in uniform and on the pipes. Mac McClendon played on pipes with us while Justin Ingram, Al Parker, and Brad Trimble all participated as fully uniformed members. Hopefully Brad and Al will be joining the playing ranks in the next month or so.

Warm up for Memorial Day

As May winds to a close, friends and family of SALPD will gather this weekend for the annual Lock Studley event on the Shuff Estates. Just remember to wear your Studley tartan or suffer the consequences. The first part of June will find us honoring the Fallen Firefighters of Virginia on June 6th at RIR, as well as our military veterans again at the Flag Day Event in Powhattan on June 13th. The Flag Day event will help raise money for The Families of the Wounded Fund and McGuire’s Veteran’s Hospital as well. With that I’ll leave everyone with a Memorial Day poem from our very own Pipe Major Tim Batten:

The Empty Chairs

The Empty Chairs

The crowds have broken, people are returning to everyday life and routines, the chairs are all empty now. They stand serene like markers themselves to memory. Just moments ago, they were all filled, even beyond capacity with people standing beside and behind. Veterans, families of veterans, and patriotic Americans came today to pay their respect and honor those gone beyond before them.

Being not the greatest mathematician , one can only ponder how for each of those chairs, probably 10 men and women who laid down their life for the highest price, were known by someone setting there today, in some cases, the number is even more. Those who survive, bare those memories. Through wrinkles around what were once youthful eyes, they still remember. It was just yesterday, for all of them. They are the sentinels who watch and remember.

My Lord and Savior said “No Greater Love has he, than he who would lay down his life for another” Maybe it could also be said of our veterans and their families, “no greater love returned, than for us to remember always, those that did just that greatest act”

May we always fill those chairs, and never forget.

Pipe Major T Lewis Batten

Jonas Niall Lennon Brown

After the spat of bad news posts it’s good to come back with a really good one. Congratulations are in order for Grandma and Grandpa Fay and Randy King! Born April 28th, 2009 in San Diego, little Jonas weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz., 19 inches long. Mom and Dad are Heather King and Tim Brown. Everybody is doing fine and at least we know the kid is dressed for success if nothing else. Congratulations to the newest addition to the King Family. I wonder how small they make bagpipes? At the very least we need to start a West Coast branch of SALPD.

These notices are never fun and this one is close to us. Pipe Corporal Christopher Fox lost his Dad James K. Fox this past Friday. Mr. Fox was a retired Navy veteran and a retired Richmond City Police Officer. There will be a graveside service Tuesday May 12, 2009 at 2 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The Legion is rallying to help one of its own and will help honor Mr. Fox during the service. Please keep Chris and his family in your thoughts and prayers this week. To view the obituary and sign the guest book please visit the Times Dispatch page here

Joe and his wife, Maggie

Joe Kilna MacKenzie

It was with sad regret to learn today that an oldfriend of St. Andrew’s Legion, Joseph “Joe” Kilna McKenzie of the Scottish music group, Clann An Drumma passed away in the early hours this morning, April 28th, 2009 in Scotland.

Joe with his group, was a frequent visitor to many a SALPD practice back in the days when the group toured the United States. If one goes to the Clann An Drumma website, the silver snare drum he is playing, was presented to him by the SALPD as a gift. I snagged that photo for my memoirs.

Joe wrote the famous tune “Sgt McKenzie” in an immortal tribute to his grandfather, Sgt. Charles Stuart McKenzie, Seaforth Highlanders, who was killed in action during World War One. SALPD was given permission by Joe, to perform the tune, and though many bands across the globe play the tune now, it’s sacred amongst the Legion and it is considered a precious gift from a great musician.

The tune, performed by Joe and Clann An Drumma, became one of the tracks in Randall Wallace’s blockbuster movie, starring Mel Gibson.”We were Soldiers”, soon became prominent on youtube.com tracks across the globe and various other web sites, to honor the brave men and women of the US Armed Forces and Allies.

Joe was an ambassador for Scotland. A true Warrior of the Highlands at heart, he inspired many of us to keep in touch with our heritage. To him, being a Scot was everything. Scotland lived within him, and he lived for Scotland.

When the original group of Clann An Drumma broke up into different directions, Joe undauntily, perservered to keep the name and music of Clann An Drumma going.  Personally, I am grateful to be friends with all the old group members, and more grateful and thankful to still have had Joe as a friend. He and I still communicated after he returned back to Scotland, but sad to say, I was not aware of his illness. For reasons very pesonal, I can only say that Joe and I shared a lot of personal knowledge and beliefs, and to Joe I say this to you my brother of the Gael, You led, you did not yield, and you held your ground. It’s not about us, it’s about our ancestors, and who we come from, that makes us who we are. If heaven truly is a place beyond our wildest imagination of tranquilty, then I know you’re up there, somewhere on a heather covered hillside, beating a new drum for all Scotland’s children to come hame.

“We will remember them” and in this case, Joe,

We will remember you,

 Godspeed &  Alba Gu Brath!

Tim

Joe with Fay King

Wanted to take a quick second to update everyone on some of our upcoming events. This Saturday April 25th at Arizona Joe’s (formerly Dublin’s Irish Pub) we will be opening for Seven Nations. I have it on good authority that there could be something special going on. What? You’ll have to come to find out. Legion starts at 8:00 ish and Seven Nations starts and 9:00ish. Get mad at your fiddle boy!! (don’t know what it means? check out the new album)

May 9th we have been asked to do two gigs and unfortunately we can’t do them both. The folks at the Bon Air Victorian Parade had asked us to come back again but we had already committed to the Ettrick Celtic Festival. For more information on Ettrick check out the Ettrick Historical Society Things kick off in Ettrick at 10:00 AM. Hopefully the weather will be better than last year. For a quick reminder of things click here. May 30th is the Loch Studly Celidih that Pipe Major Shuff throws. It’s a chance for the band to whoop it up a bit in a really scenic and fun atmosphere. Not to mention totally awesome bar-b-que. June 6th finds the Legion playing two events at the Virginia Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the Ashland Strawberry Festival. June 13th we will be in Powhattan with Mr. Childress again helping raise money for the Famlies of the Wounded and McGuire Clinic. It’s always and honor and privilege to play for and help those who have done so much to fight for and protect our freedom. July 4th will be the annual march on Scotsville.

I’m sure there may be some more events sprinkled in here and there as Tim always forgets to tell us about an event or two. We look forward to seeing everyone and performing the music we love. We should have some newer members with us up on pipes. Those not on pipes yet seem to be making great strides since we broke them up into smaller groups and everyone is getting a little more personal attention. Robin has done an amazing job getting everyone to get the basics down. Between Robin and the help of Mary, Chance and Brian at GRPD the entire band is sounding pretty amazing.

One last thing to mention since we haven’t really put it anywhere but a big congratulations to Chris Fox who was promoted to Corporal at the Irish Festival. Chris really deserves it. He works hard and is really technically sound. So when you see him give him a good pat on the back for a job well done. Hope to see you all soon.

SALPD Honoring the past… Marching to the future.

Thanks to all who made it to perform for Westhampton United Methodist Church’s Easter Services and also, we extend our sincere gratitude to the church, Mac Walker & Reverend Rosemary Welch for making us feel so welcomed and giving the SALPD a home. The love the congregation has for us is overwhelming and we’re very grateful to be a part of their service.

Our next major event will be the Ettrick Celtic Festival on May 9th, and we’re excited. There’s even a possibilty we may be joined by another Pipes & Drums unit who just recently formed in the north central part of the State, consisting of 14-25 pipers and  drummers of High School youth.

Keep up the good work, and pass on your knowledge,

Pipie