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Trail theatre welcome Scottish music, dance extravaganza

Pipe Bands Anniversary Celebration will hit The Bailey stage on Tuesday
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Trail Pipe Band 1924 (Submitted photo)

Read more: Trail Pipe Band turns 90 (2014)

Read more: Kootenay Kilties turn 100

Read more: Trail pipers honour end of First World War

The Pipe Bands Anniversary Celebration

Join the bands for an evening of piping, dancing, fiddling and singing as they celebrate the 95th anniversary of Trail Pipe Band and the 100th anniversary of the Kootenay Kilties Pipe Band.

Featured performers include: the Trail Pipe Band; Nelson’s own Kootenay Kilty Pipe Band; Rossland Glee Club; The Bibby Sisters; Bree Hurlbert and the Scottie School of Highland Dance.

History of the Trail Pipe band taken from trailpipeband.ca:

Today the Trail Pipe Band has an active roster of 10 pipers and 8 drummers in performance led by Pipe Major J. Gordon Titsworth, a 20 year veteran of the band.

Members of the band continue the tradition of teaching students the skills of both pipes and drums.

The band has represented our greater community throughout the Pacific Northwest, with participation in many community celebrations in Idaho, Washington, and British Columbia including major performances at both of the most recent international Expos in Spokane and Vancouver.

The band has played continuously under this name since the 1920’s when William McCleary of Nelson came to work at the foundry in the CM&S central shops and congregated pipers and drummers from a variety of local bands to play together.

Initially, playing in parades wearing personal gear of a mixture of kilts and trews; the first official uniform was white pants with a tartan stripe down the pant leg.

In 1942, the band was measured, and purchased the pattern they wear today, modeled after the uniform of the Scots Guards: Royal Stuart tartan kilts and plaids; with green tunics for the pipers and red tunics for the drummers.

The band adopted the feather bonnets in the early 1960’s for use with the formal uniform; and continued to use the Glengarry with a cock feather for the warm days of summer when they wear the white cotton shirts and ties.

Pipe Major McLeary as the head of the foundry, had the original plaid broaches cast and finished in the shops.

As with many other community organizations in the social fabric in greater Trail, the band has benefited from the CM&S deliberately recruiting and hiring members of the band.

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Kootenay Kiltie Pipe Band 1919 (Submitted photo)