Madigan arrives!

So far the highlight of our summer has been our newest Grandbaby Madigan. She is so cute and looks alot like her father. She is daughter Sarah and husband Brett Hille's first baby and they are so happy to have her here.

Gatherin' 2008

The Gatherin' is a past event now. The weather Friday made it seem dubious for Saturday. But Saturday, after a cold start, was absolutely wonderful. A good crowd and lots of music made it great fun. There will be lot's of pictures and some video on the web page at http://www.thgatherin.com/ soon. Or check out video from Don Shorock at: http://shorock.com/folk/gatherin/2008/

The Gatherin Festival of Beltane

I am getting ready to spend the weekend at the site of the Gatherin' a festival celebrating our coming from the dark half of the year to the light half of the year. Celtic bands, piping, the highland games; we'll have it all. Check it out at http://www.thgatherin.com/

Last year the weather was terrible and we are hoping for better weather this year. And yet, it was still great fun.

I had the honor of piping at the Hays Legion building on Tuesday evening. The event was the welcome home and flag presentation for a young man returning from Iraq. Curtis Deines is also the son of our Prairie Faith Shared Ministry Administrative Assistant Donna Deines. Whether she works for me, or I work for her is still up in the air! It was a great honor to have her ask me to play. It was a wonderful welcome.

St. Patricks Day

St. Pat's weekend was a blast. On Saturday I got to pipe in the parade in Kinsley, Kansas, twice! St. Patrick and myself went through the parade to my piping, and then I was escorted to the back ofthe parade where I was priveleged to play with the MacPherson Youth Pipe and Drums. We also got to do a bit of street piping.

On Monday, St. Patricks Day itself, I started the day off with a bit of piping at the facility where Amy does her therapy. Later in the day I piped at the St. Pat's lunch at the local Drug store (Cleland Drug). To finish the day Paul MacDonald and I piped at Coffee Rules for an hour. Then we went to LB Brewery to play for our supper (and a pint or two of Irish Red, the newest of their specialty beers). Later we returned to Coffee Rules to join other musicians in an evening of Celtic jam sessions.

How can you beat that???

Royal Scots Dragoons

Amy and I went with a piper friend of ours to Lawrence to see a concert of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. They are Scotlands senior military regiment and only cavalry outfit. Today they don't ride horses but Challenger tanks. The pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards trace back to around 1946. King George VI granted them the privilege of wearing the Royal Stuart Tartan. While they are a top notch pipe band, they are also a highly trained tank brigade.

They performed with the Band of the Coldstream Guards. The Coldstream Guards were formed in 1650 as part of Oliver Cromwell's "new model army". They may be the oldest regiments in the world. The regiment always had drummers and a band of music from about 1742. First they were civilians but they proved to be less than dependable and so the Duke of York appointed a regular attested band. At the concert a section of the Coldstream unit dressed and played in the style and dress of the late 1700's. They even used period instruments! They are now the oldest continuously playing military band in the world. They played and drilled wonderfully.

Together they put on quite a show and were well worth the trip!

I recently piped for the Fort Hays State University Madrigal dinner. I accompanied the Irish Dancers. I also had a good time piping and doing poetry at our local Robert Burns Night Celebration on the last Satuday in January.

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Here is a place to check on what's happening with the Piper and his family. Check it out once in awhile and place your comments.