At 100 years, non-competing North Bay is still having a great time
Often, it’s not the highly successful competing pipe band that’s the piping and drumming pride and joy of a local community but the strictly “parade” band that is more known, present, and connected with a town or city.
The performance included the first airing of “100 Years of Branch 23 Legion Pipes & Drums,” a tune composed by former member Bret Cousins when the local Canadian Legion sponsored the band in the 1980s.
With community supporters, family and friends attending, the event included the launch of Not bad for a street band: 100 Years of the North Bay Pipes & Drums, a 147-page book by Elizabeth Ashworth, a former 26-year member of the band, who signed first-edition copies. With a doctorate from Glasgow University, she lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Ashworth said Not bad for a street band “traces the North Bay Pipes & Drums’ history, including its beginnings in the mid-1920s, growth, transformations, challenges, and rewards. It tells the story of individuals who helped support, teach, and train musicians and guide the band to its present and future. For a century, the band has been integral to its membership and the city it represents. It is hoped that, by learning about the band’s history, readers will appreciate the dedication and service its members provide.”
The CAD$50 book is available at Blurb.ca, and all proceeds will go towards purchasing equipment for the band.
While the North Bay Pipes & Drums aren’t very interested in competing, the band may have lasted much longer being more immersed in its community, enjoying the music and camaraderie.
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