Expedition to Canada 2008
29 July – 6 de August 2008

Tuesday 29 July
The band arrived at Montreal Airport where we boarded a chartered bus that took us to the Saint Paul’s University Residence in Ottawa. This was an excellent location, as it was close to the Ottawa City Centre.  There were a couple of other bands staying there as well, including our friends from the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band from Nova Scotia.

Wednesday 30 July
It was an early rise for some band members. We had to be at the A-Channel television studios where we would be appearing in the early morning news show to promote the B in the Park Concert that was taking place the following day. The band played its now infamous Mexican medley which had the TV presenter dancing an unidentified Mexican Canadian Jig.

Thursday 31 July
The band played at the National War Memorial, where Mexican Ambassador, Mr. Emilio Goicoechea, laid a wreath in honour of Canada’s fallen servicemen. It was a very solemn and touching ceremony that included Guardsmen from the Governor  General’s Foot Guards presenting arms whilst our Pipe Major played the lament Flowers of the Forest.
In the afternoon, we headed to Confederation Park where we began preparations for the 5th annual B in the Park concert. This year the concert was part of the Rideau Canal Festival, which was being held to celebrate the designation of the Canal as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The concert was organised by the SONS OF SCOTLAND PIPES AND DRUMS and included our own band and the grade 1 band, TRIUMPH STREET from Vancouver.  We were honoured in being part of this important event. Our Pipe Major and Pipe Sergeant also had the distinction of piping in the honoured guests, which included the Honourable Larry O’Brian, Mayor of Ottawa.
Links:
http://www.sre.gob.mx/canada/
http://centretownnewsonline.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=103

Friday 1 August
The Piping and Snare drumming solo competitions were held in Maxville and for the first time all our pipers took part. We also had a brave snare drummer, Daniel Garcia Hughes, who took up the challenge and with Aztec stoicism, went through the gruelling competition.
At the end of the day, we were happy to hear that Alfonso Mercado MacDonald, better known as Fonzie, had placed 3rd in the Grade 4 March. Fonzie is one of the Rookies in the band and this had been his first competition ever! We extend our best wishes to him, hoping this will be the beginning of a long and fruitful career in the solo piping circuit!

Saturday 2 August
The big day had finally arrived and a sense of nervous excitement was felt amongst our clan!
The standard of playing in Canada is very high, and there is a lot of strong competition, especially in Grade 4, which is where our band takes part.  This year, about 24 bands took part in the qualifier, which was divided in 2 groups. Our band was in group A, where most of the best bands were struggling to place in the 6 coveted spots that would give them the pass to go on to the final. All the bands had to play their March Medley, and even though our band played very well, we didn’t make it through the first round placing in 11th place. After our competition, we assembled with the rest of the bands (about 70 bands in total!) for the opening ceremonies and massed bands. This has always been a tremendous experience with the display of more than 1000 pipers and drummers playing in unison!
We were blessed with some very good weather during our performance, which was around 10:30 AM. But after taking part in the first Massed Bands of the day the clouds started to gather and nobody imagined what would come next. At about 3 PM the skies released their fury with monsoon like rain, wind and lightning! The locals said this was some of the worst weather they had ever seen at these games! I don’t know if it had something to do with global climate change or the Aztec rain God Tlaloc not being in his best mood, or something!  There were even a couple of vendors that were struck by lightning! Anyway, much to the disappointment of our Drum Major and Bass and Tenor drummers, who had their solo competitions in the afternoon, all the afternoon events had to be cancelled, including final massed bands. Results were released until 8 pm in the sports arena.  

Sunday 3 August
The following day we had another competition, the Montreal Highland Games. Here we had bad weather from the word GO!  Everyone got soaked during the initial Massed Bands.  Our competition was scheduled until 4 pm. We were naïve enough to think that the worst part of the bad weather was over. Well apparently,  Tlaloc, who doesn’t seem to very fond of people in kilts playing bagpipes, thought otherwise, so he really let us have it right at the precise moment we were competing! But the band members held their ground, and against all odds placed 6th out of 11 bands. In Montreal bands were required to play the Medley, which is technically more difficult than the marches. We also got away with the best Bass Section prize! In Montreal we also had a couple of solo prize winners: Becky Gutierrez, who got 1st prize in the Novice tenor flourishing competition and our Drum Major, Pepe Gutierrez who also finished 1st in the Novice Drum Majors. But the highlight in Montreal is always the Beer Tent, where it has now become customary for our band to play at the end of the day, much to the amusement of the locals, who look forward to the Mexican style of playing with such enthusiasm! Or so they say. I attribute this perception to the consumption of large amounts of whisky and beer.  Hey, after a full day of this anything will sound great. But in all fairness to the guys in the band, they put on a splendid show which now includes the Mexican Medley. But don’t take my word for it. Watch the videos on Youtube. Just follow the links.
We went back to the hotel where we had several celebrations going on, including the Grade 3 champions, the St. Thomas Episcopal School Pipe Band from Houston, Texas. The festivities even made some of our people miss their flight home the next day! Right, Fonzie?
The Pipes & Drums want to thank the continued support our friends have given us. We are especially grateful to David and Elaine Shepherd for their undying commitment they have shown the band since David brought Rafael Gutierrez’ first Practice Chanter more than 20 years ago! At that time none of us imagined where that moment in history would take us. We missed you both on this tour! Hope you can travel with us on the next one!

GO BRAGH/ Por Siempre.

Las melodías de las Tierras Altas ahora en el prmer CD de la Banda de Gaitas del Batallón de San Patricio.

De venta en tiendas de prestigio y en el Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones, Ex Convento de Churubusco.