Monday Morning – Parade Season is Here

The annual St. Patrick’s Day parades around the country kick off the long-awaited parade season for the year.  In many areas it is still pretty chilly in mid-March, but that doesn’t stop the pipers as they march along celebrating the Irish heritage that is so prevalent in the fire and police departments.  The two “biggies” are the huge parades in New York and Chicago on the 17th with the Windy City continuing its novel practice of pouring thousands of gallons of green food coloring into the Chicago River turning it green for the entire day.

Most communities hold their parades on weekend days so that both marchers and watchers have a better opportunity to attend.  So you end up with about three weekends in March that are filled with the first parades of the year.  This was the case in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 5 when the Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society pipe band gathered in front of fire station 201 for this group photo prior to the stepping-off of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in that city.

In Delray Beach, Florida, they hold what is claimed to be the largest St. Patrick’s parade in Florida and nobody doubts that.  They combine it with a sizeable participation of fire trucks, firefighters, and more pipers making it also one of the state’s biggest fire department parades.

A big part of all community parades through the Spring and Summer months are the firetrucks that are always crowd favorites.  The local FD’s send pumpers and trucks over to fill out the ranks and some areas are fortunate to have local antique firetruck clubs that can bring some old engines over to add to the gaiety of the day.  Yesterday (Sunday) the Raleigh (North Carolina) Fire Department Historical Society gathered some of their antiques for a photo shoot and it looks like they had fun doing it.  I’ll bet they’re looking forward to “parade season,” too.

Alright, it’s time for us to march over to our equipment and get it checked out for today.  Remember it’s Monday, so the long checksheet today.  I’m going to get more coffee started.  See you back in the day room later.

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Piping Season Starts Soon

PIPE BAND FANS IN THE GREATER WASHINGTON, D. C. AREA will want to circle their social calendars for Saturday February 5.  That’s when the Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band will be holding their annual fun raiser fund raiser in Herndon.

Like the flyer says, there will be lots of door prizes, a silent auction, collectibles for sale, and most of all, a rollicking good time!  All of the proceeds will go for uniform maintenance and supplies for the coming year.

NoVa Emerald Society Pipe Band WEBSITE.

Local 2928 photo

The Palm Beach County Firefighters have extended an invitation to all firefighters everywhere, volunteer, career and retired, to join their fellow firefighters in this winter’s great event.  A unique feature this year will be the “flag tunnel.”  You’re already familiar with the traditional pair of aerial ladders raised and suspending a large flag to march under.  Plans call for many such flags along the parade route creating a spectacular display.

And what would a fire department parade be without the antiques, too?  There will be front-line as well as antique firetrucks and of course, pipe bands.  A different department leads the parade each year and next year’s step-off leader will be Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Local 2928

There’s a lot more information in this 8-page .pdf document HERE.  The Local also has a 38-image photo gallery of last year’s parade HERE.

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It’s still summertime, and that means the silly season is still in progress.  Which is another way of saying that still another dubious achievement has been reached by setting an obscure “world record.”  This latest conquest was reached in Mexico City where 2,433 people became the largest number to have simultaneously set off  “Mentos geysers.” 

This stunt, that any 13-yr.-old boy can demonstrate for you, involves dropping a Mentos candy mint into a bottle of Diet Coke and watching the chemical reaction create an eruption that reaches 15 or 20 feet high.  Naturally, this event was recorded for posterity and posted on YouTube:

Ahhhh…..Summertime!

Ok, we’d better get serious and get this equipment checked out now.  I’m going to start some more coffee.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

Ned Devine’s Irish Pub will be hosting the Grand Times from 1 pm to 5 pm and there will be plenty of good times altogether.  Lot’s of food, drink and of course, pipes & drums.  If you’ve never been inside a pub at the same time as a pipe band, you just haven’t lived yet.

From the band’s WEBSITE:

Devine’s is a big family-friendly restaurant and pub, and they are helping the band raise money for our uniforms and for travel to join the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Pipe Band in the Savannah St. Pat’s parade!

$10 Voluntary Cover charge
Happy Hour drink prices!
Food discounts!
Raffle prizes!
50/50
Silent and live auctions!
Tons of Bagpipe Band music, including members of other area Bagpipe Bands!

The pub is located right behind the Centreville Multiplex Theaters just off of Rte. 28.  They have the map and directions on how to find them HERE.

St. Patrick’s Day, 1984

The Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band is pictured above in their inaugural perfomance marching in the Alexandria, Virginia, St. Patrick’s Day parade.

After spending the previous autumn and winter taking piping and drumming lessons, working the practice chanters and drum pads, the Emerald Society  pipers stepped off for the first time.  In the 25 years since, the band has kept together with the usual slight turnover that all bands experience, but a core group of leaders has guided it for the full quarter-century.

The band now marches in 3 or 4 St. Patrick’s Day parades each year along with some other annual events in the Washington, D. C. area such as the Vienna Hallowe’en parade and the Alexandria Christmas Walk each December that is an all-pipe band parade.

The NoVa Emeralds are easily picked out by the experienced parade-goers because they are the only Irish pipe band in the mid-Atlantic area that wears the traditional Irish saffron kilt.  No Scottish plaids for this bunch who plays mostly the Irish pipe and folk tunes in their repertoire.

For the past several years they have been the lead band and coordinators at the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

St. Patrick’s Day, 2009

Congratulations from all the gang at Firegeezer for their milestone.  Best wishes for the next 25 years to come and special thanks to Pipe Major Steve Cochrane, Pipe Sergeant Ed Snyder, Piper Gary Winemiller and Drum Major Brian Brendel.

Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band WEBSITE.

The Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band came away with the honor of Best Music Entry in the parade.

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Photo by Matt DeRosa

The NoVa Emeralds are readily identified by their traditional Celtic saffron kilts.

Congratulations, Guys, and well done!!

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NoVa Emerald Soc. Pipe Band WEBSITE.

THE PIPES AND DRUMS BAND OF THE SEATTLE FD have a good write-up in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer.  They were just formed 3 years ago, but have already made an impact in the area.  Mostly concentrated in the eastern states for the past 100 years, fire and police pipe bands are growing on the west coast now.

THE NEW LONDON (CONNECTICUT) FIREFIGHTERS Pipes and Drums step off the Spring marching season on Wed. May 16, performing at the Downtown Food Stroll.  5:30 to 8:30 pm.