THE LOOP - Ingersoll Pipe Band

Ingersoll Pipe Band
Volume 6 Issue 1
April 2016
Executive & Committees 2016
At the Annual General Meeting in January,
the Election of Officers took place for 2016. The
Executive for this year is as follows:
Believe it or not, Spring is here and parade
season is just around the corner. Our first notice of
parades, booked for the IPB, was mailed out
earlier by our dedicated Secretary, John Lynes
and already we have several gigs and activities
confirmed. I look forward to being your fearless
reporter as we hit the road again for another year
of masterful piping and drumming! Keep in mind
that I am always looking for photos and ideas for
our newsletters, so please share! Thanks,
Veronica
Inside This Issue
Pg. 1,2 Committees and Robbie Burns
Pg. 3 Photos from Our Burns' Night
Pg. 4 London Field Trip for IPB Members
Pg. 5 Parade Season Approaches
Pg. 6 World War I Commemoration
Pg. 7,8,9 IPB Members on Holiday
Pg. 10 Family Affair / Upcoming Events
EXECUTIVE:
President – Doug Glover
Vice President – Doug Collins
Treasurer – Jane Muterer
Secretary – John Lynes
Quarter Master - Laurence Marson
Canteen Convenor – Jon Arthur
Attendance Officer – Nancy Matthews
Assistant Attendance - Aurora Vanderwoude
Publicity Officer - Veronica Jackson
Pg. 11 Parade Listings / Meet Our Town Crier
Pg. 12 Indy 500 - A Look Back and Ahead
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COMMITTEES & CHAIRS for 2016:
Stag Night - Gail MacKay
Burns Night - Wilson McBeath, Jane Watt,
Mary Ellen Muterer, Veronica Jackson
Picnic - Mary Ellen Muterer, Jane Muterer,
Joanne Muterer
Golf
D - Don Gale
Reunion- Jon Arthur, Mary Ellen Muterer,
John Lynes
Christmas Banquet – Doug Glover
Long Range Planning - Jack Habkirk,
Jon Arthur, Doug Collins, Juanita Radford,
Laurence Marson
WWI Observances - Chris Radford,
Jack Habkirk, Gail MacKay
(If your name has been omitted from the lists,
please let me know.)
More January Happenings
From the pages of the newspaper
snapd Woodstock "Bagpipers, traditional Haggis, and good cheer
were in order for the Robbie Burns Day
Celebration at Chartwell Oxford Gardens
Retirement Community. Residents and guests
enjoyed this special day dedicated to the
Scottish Poet and Lyricist!" - Photos: Paul Cluff
Robbie Burns' Dinner 2016
(Tapadh leibh means 'thank you' in Scottish Gaelic)
Once again our annual Robbie Burns' Night was
a smashing sold out success! Thanks to the
hard work of all the members of the organizing
committee, and our members who worked
tirelessly with the setting up, manning the
beverage bar, waiting tables, preparing the food
in the kitchen, entertaining our guests, and
cleaning up, etc. the evening's activities ran very
smoothly. All our guests commented on the
great time that they had celebrating "The Bard of
Ayrshire's" birthday. Many of our guests were
first time participants at the evening's festivities,
and promised to return again to our celebration in
2017. See page 3 for some pics from the night.
Gail and Charlie helped to lead the Robbie Burns
Day festivities for some very attentive seniors at
Oxford Gardens in Woodstock. They dined on
haggis prepared by who else? IPB members!
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Images from Our Annual Robbie Burns' Dinner
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The Ingersoll Pipe Band "Field Trip"
(photos and write up submitted by Piper Doug Collins)
On Feb 2nd a fortunate group of band members, spouses and friends, (20 to be exact), embarked
on a Field Trip to see and hear the Royal Scots Guard and Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Band at Bud
Gardens in London. As one might believe the biggest cheers were for the Pipe Band. Our seats
were
excellent and you could see the details how perfect each band was in so many ways. Not only
LOOK
musically but the precise marching, each line perfect, never flinching, every detail exact. They
actually played several tunes we play, including "Leaving Port Askaig" and "Farewell to the Creeks".
Now if our drummers did the sticks "up to the tip of their nose" thing you would have thought it was
the IPB out there.
Excellent Entertainment and everyone enjoyed a great night out and made it home safe!
A good Field Trip it Twas!
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Get Ready for Parade Season!
AsAs May approaches when our first parades are scheduled for the Victoria Day Weekend, the
IPB is already gearing up for parade season! Drop by the band hall on a Thursday night and you
will see members learning new tunes, brushing up on old ones, and practising their marching and
countermarch turns. Our band leaders would like to pass on the following advice:
Pipe Major Jack Habkirk :
This is the time of the year to check your uniforms as they have the ability to shrink or get lost
over the winter. If anything is amiss, see Laury to remedy things A.S.A.P.
I'm very pleased with practice attendance as we have the W.W.1. Tattoo in August and my plan is
to play "The Set" as well as "The Bloody Fields of Flanders" then.
This year is setting up to be busier than usual but with everyone's cooperation, it will be a lot of
fun.
Drum Major Gail MacKay :
Here we go for Year 106! It hardly seems like it was only yesterday that I began playing.
Everyone needs to look at the list of parades and try to set aside these dates. it looks like it will
be a busy year with our tattoo this summer. The trip to Indy is going to be special because it is
the 100th anniversary of the race. We are taking a large group this year and I'm sure that they will
be happy to see all of us.
Check your uniform to see that you have everything and that it's in good shape. Get those legs
and fingers in shape and have a great year!
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Ingersoll Pipe Band's Salute to
World War I Participants
the Ingersoll Pipe Band almost to a man, joined
the new Overseas 168th Battalion, led by Pipe
Major Johnston and served with the Canadian
Expeditionary Force until the duration of the war.
After the war and the return to Ingersoll of most
of the veterans, the IPB became active again.
Further arrivals of post war Scots immigrant
pipers and drummers bolstered the ranks of the
band. One of these individuals was Alex Collins
who served as a sniper and a Kings Piper in the
King's Own Scottish Borderes.
(postcard of Victory memorial Park 1916 from the
Ingersoll Historical Photo Gallery online at
https://ingersolllibrary.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/me
morial-park/)
As mentionned in Jack and Gail's messages, the
Ingersoll Pipe Band is holding a special tattoo on
the afternoon of Sunday August 14th. We are
taking the opportunity to be part of "Oxford
Remembers Oxford’s Own" program. There
has been or will be 100 special events and
programs hosted throughout Oxford County
between 2014 and 2018 to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of World War One. These
events have been or will be hosted in five areas
of the County. The areas that will participate
reflect the 4 Companies of the 168th Battalion Oxford’s Own, which was formed during the First
World War. These four Companies include
Company A - Woodstock, Company B – Ingersoll,
Company C – Tillsonburg, and Company D –
Tavistock, along with Norwich which has been
added to reflect the unique Quaker history of the
area and the story of the conscientious objector.
The goal is for twenty commemorative events
and/or programs to occur within the County each
year, between June 28th, 2014 and November
11, 2018, resulting in 100 commemorative events
and/or programs during this period.
As highlighted in past issues of our IPB
newsletter, the Pipe Band was represented
overseas in World War ! by several pipers and
drummers. The IPB's first pipe major, Tom
Johnston who assisted with the organization of
the band in1910, was instrumental in connecting
the IPB with the "B" Company of the Oxford
Rifles, the local Militia battalion. During the 1st
World War on the mobilization of the regiment,
The Ingersoll Pipe Band's "signature" tune, "The
Bonnie Lass of Bon Accord", was introduced
to the band when Alex joined. When he had
been on a tour of duty in a small village in
France, another pipe band passed through,
escorting trrops to the front. None of the King's
Own had heard the tune before. So Alex wrote it
down as he listened to it. It was this tune that he
passed onto his piping and drumming colleagues
on his arrival in Ingersoll. It was adopted as the
band's signature tune years later when the band
did a weekly radio show on Tillsonburg radio.
Today, we still play it on parade in combination
with two other tunes.
The WW! Observance Committee along with
some Executive members have begun the
planning for our special tattoo. So what exactly is
a "tattoo"? According to Wikipedia - A tattoo is a
military performance of music or display of armed
forces in general. The term comes from the early
17th century Dutch phrase doe den tap toe ("turn off
the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or
trumpeters to instruct innkeepers near military
garrisons to stop serving beer and for soldiers to
return to their barracks. The tattoo was originally a
form of military music, but the practice has evolved
into more elaborate shows involving theatrics and
musical performances.
We have invited 12 brass and pipe bands to take
part in our special observances. We have had a
few bands decline our invitation as their bands
are already previously booked for other summer
activities. We do hope, however to have a good
representation of musicians take to the field in a
massed band format. We also plan on holding a
get-together at the hall after the tattoo for all the
participants, friends and family. Reserve the
date and stay tuned for more details this
spring.
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Ingersoll Pipe Band Vacation Photos
So what do IPB members do for fun in the winter
when there is no parade season??
They travel of course, enjoy the tourist sights
introduce themselves to the locals, and in general
"eat, drink and be merry".
The following photos were submitted upon
request for the rest of us to gaze at enviously!
The Matthews Family (minus Hamish)
headed to Las Vegas and the Canyons
Alistir on top of the world!
Look who ran into each other in Cuba?!!!!
The Marsons hanging out with The MacKays
Nancy and Harold enjoying the Red Rocks
Hamish in Europe with IDCI buddies
during March Break
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Nancy suiting up for skydiving!
The Glovers in the Dominican Republic
Doug writes - "We went so I could unwind after
the election and as a Christmas present, but it
was the same resort we went to on our
Honeymoon, 13 years ago this May."
Remember Alistir -
Happy Early Anniversary Wishes,
Doug and Catherine
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More Vacation Pics
The Jacksons at a Mardis Gras Gala Party at
LuLu's in Gulf Shores, Alabama
And finally, some photos submitted by Laurie on
his recent trip to his homeland, England ....
Picture of a busker on Westminster Bridge. Apart
from his Glengarry he looks like he's from
Ingersoll. However he was as flat as a pancake. I
am turning into a critic.
I saw three Piper buskers and I talked to the last
one I saw and he was Spanish???
Picture of a young "peasant" Piper sculpted in
1625. It was in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
And Remember if you Travel to Scotland and
then decide to head south into England,
expect Border Security to be intense!
Photos, stories, adventures with us for our
next newsletter this summer!
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A Family Affair
Below are a few pictures, that President Doug
shared of his youngest daughter, Sarah's
wedding at the Fallsview in Niagara Falls. .
Doug writes:
I would like to thank the Band for lending me a
piper sporran and Laurie for lending me his
Prince Charlie jacket and vest. The only
problem I had was one time when I was waiting
alone in the lobby and people kept coming over
and asking me questions and directions. They
thought I worked for the hotel and was a tourist
attraction!! (Could be a new line of work for you,
Doug?)
Upcoming Events
At The Hall
Automated External Defibrillator Training
for all interested members and learners - on
Thursday April 21st at 7:30 pm
Work & Cleaning Morning
All available hands on deck to tackle our
annual spring projects at the hall on
Saturday April 30th stating at 9 AM
In London
Sarah's In-laws and Catherine and me. The
father-in-law is Maurice and he was born in
Scotland but came to Canada at a young age.
His mother lives with them and she still has a
Scottish accent.
7th Annual Western Branch/Kiwanis Indoor
Competition
Saturday, April 30, 2016
The PPBSO in conjunction with The Kiwanis
Music Festival present
a Piping and Drumming Competition.
London Central S.S., 509 Waterloo Street
Immediately following the contest will be a
social and recital by Michael Grey at the
London Club at 177 Queens Ave ; from 3 to
5 pm - tickets $25 including light buffet & one
bar drink.
If you click on the photo above you will get
some idea how talented this piper is!
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Upcoming Parades & Events 2016
It's never too early to get out your electronic or
traditional paper calendars and reserve the
following dates:
Woodstock Victoria Day Parade - May 23rd
10:00 am March Off from the Civic Centre Arena
Did You Know?
One of our recent Beginners in the drumming
core, who has just graduated this spring, is
preparing to "go on parade" as one of our bass
drummers. Welcome, Doug Turvey to the
official ranks of IPB.
But Doug isn't just a talented drummer! He is
also an accomplished actor. He has appeared
on stage for many seasons with Thistle Theatre
in Embro, where he is also on the Executive
and publishes the group's newsletter. And, he
is also well known for his exploits as a Town
Crier!
Thamesford Calithumpian Parade - May 23rd
1:00 pm March Off from the Community Centre
Indianapolis 500 - May 27th to May 30th
Instructions to follow from Drum Major Gail
Relay for Life Tillsonburg - June 3rd/ 4th
Relay for Life Ingersoll - June 24th
(unconfirmed particiaption at this point but we
frequently take part on these Friday evenings)
Embro Highland Games - July 1st
10:00 am Step Off
Algonac (Michigan) - Lions Parade - July 3rd
2:00 pm March Off from Lions Club Field
Delhi Cemetary Ceremonies - July 17th
3:00 pm March Off from the Delhi Cemetary
WWI Recognition Tattoo - August 14th
1:00 pm March Off from the Band Hall to
Memorial Park - Ingersoll
Doug is the Official Town Crier for both the
Town of Ingersoll and the Township of Zorra.
He has been crying across Canada and the
United States for the past 16 years. It is his
wonderful privilege to promote his
"communities" at various events and
competitions. He has placed 5th in the
Provincial Championships many times, 7th in
the North American competition and 11th at the
World competition in Washington State. Doug
enjoys going to all the events as a way of
giving something back to the community. As a
member of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers, he
is a former past-president of the Guild. He has
hosted many competitions in Embro and
Ingersoll. The competition at Ingersoll's
Harvest Festival is the longest annually run
event in North America.
The IPB wishes Doug all the best as he heads
to Perth Ontario for the Ontario Guild of Town
Criers Provincial Championship being held
in heritage Perth Ontario, May 21-22, 2016.
This competition is one of the signature events
that are part of over 200 events celebrating the
200th anniversary of the founding of “The
Military Settlement at Perth.”
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2016 Indianapolis 500
The 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil is scheduled for Sunday
May 29, 2016, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It will be the premier
event of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Juan Pablo Montoya will enter the race as
the defending champion.
The 2016 race marks a milestone as the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. The race
comes five years after the event's Centennial Era, a three-year long commemoration which
celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening of the circuit (1909), and the 100th anniversary
of the first Indy 500 (1911). This will be the ninety-ninth scheduled 500-mile race of the canon,
as the 1916 race was scheduled as a 300-mile race.
Below are several images from past Indy Race Days - spot the IPB members! For those
attending the HUGE event this year, ENJOY!
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