4th of July Parade in Black Eagle 

The Great Falls Shrine Pipe Band will be participating in the Black Eagle 4th of July parade this year.
The band will be meeting at 10:00am at the Black Eagle Country Club, at the corner of 12th St and Smelter Ave in Black Eagle.

The uniform for the day will be spats, diced hose, kilt, horse hair sporran, belt, white shirt and Glen Garry. If you don’t happen to have something, wear what you have.

The parade goes east down Smelter Ave to the Black Eagle Community Center, so it should be a fun time!

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Belt Rodeo Parade June 18, 2027

The Great Falls Shrine Pipe Band will be participating in the Belt Rodeo parade on Sunday, 6/18/2017. We will meet at 10:00 in Belt at the usual spot, on the left after the underpass.
The uniform will be spats, diced hose, kilt, horse hair sporran, belt, white shirt and Glen Garry. (For the new members, just wear your issued uniform with a short sleeve white shirt and black shoes.)
We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Kilt o’ the Falls Celtic Festival

The Great Falls Shrine Pipe Band will be participating in the Kilt o’ the Falls Celtic Festival this Saturday, June 10, 2017.
The band will be meeting at 11:00am at Giant Springs state park. 
The uniform for the day will be spats, diced hose, kilt, horse hair sporran, belt, white shirt and Glen Garry. If you don’t happen to have something, wear what you have, we will have lots of different uniforms so it shouldn’t stick out.

We will be playing during the opening ceremony and parade of clans.

All those playing get free admission.

The band will have a tent again, so if you would like to help man the tent in the late morning or afternoon, that would be great.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2017

The Great Falls Shrine Pipe Band will be participating in the Great Falls St. Patrick’s day parade on Friday , 3/17/2017 at 3:30pm.
The band will be meeting at 2:30pm at the south side of the Civic Center.

The uniform for the day will be spats, diced hose, kilt, horse hair sporran, green (or red for drummers) coat, belt and cross belt, plaid and Glen Garry, for those that have them. For those that don’t have all of the uniform, please wear what you have. It may be cold and windy, so please be prepared!

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

The passing of our Drum Major

Ted Byers passed away peacefully last Monday at Peace Hospice in Great Falls. Ted served as the Band’s Drum Major and Quarter Master for many years, and only gave up leading the band on parade after turning 91. Even after retiring from parading, Ted remained active with other band activities including managing the band’s equipment and uniforms as Quarter Master, and assisting with the Shrine Circus.

Ted spent many years drumming with the Elks competition drum corps, and he brought that knowledge and experience with him when he began playing with the pipeband, first as a bass drummer, and then as the Drum Major. Ted’s height and bearing made for an impressive sight leading the pipeband down Central Avenue, and his attention to detail with uniform and parade drill made for a great first impression as the band marched in parades and at other events. 

Ted’s funeral will be held this coming Thursday, March 2, 2017, at 2:00pm, at the Elks Lodge #214, 500 1st Ave South, Great Falls, with a reception immediately following the service.

Kilt ‘O the Falls 

I just wanted to thank Bill, Dennis, Ron, and Iain for showing up, helping man the band’s tent, answer the numerous questions from the public, and playing in the massed band today. We got a lot of really great exposure, a bunch of people interested in playing with the band, and hopefully an annual event that we can stay active with while benefiting both of our groups. Being able to network with other pipers and drummers from around the state was also a side benefit.

Also, be sure to tell Tim thanks for coming up with the idea and chairing the games. He and the board did a great job of getting the word out, getting athletes and vendors to show up, and managing to pull off an event of a nature I never imagined we would see here in Great Falls.

So thanks again to everyone that helped, and let’s hope that all the people who said they were going to come to a practice actually show up!

Kilt ‘O the Falls Highland Games and Gathering August 27, 2016

The Kilt ‘O the Falls Highland Games and Gathering will occur tomorrow from 9am – 5pm (see schedule below) in the field behind the Great Falls Scottish Rite.

The band will be participating in the opening ceremony at 1pm and the closing ceremony at 4:30pm. We will need to meet no later than 12:30pm to get ready for the opening ceremony.

The uniform for the day will be spats, diced hose, kilt, horse hair sporran, belt, white shirt and Glen Garry. If you don’t happen to have something, wear what you have.

This is going to be a fairly large event with clans, vendors, beer tent, live music, highland athletics, and of course the pipes and drums. We will have members from both the Billings Caledonia Pipe Band and the Celtic Dragon Pipe Band from Missoula attending, and my have others show up as well, so it will be a great chance to meet other players and do some in-state networking.

There will also be a solo piping competition that is occuring from about 9:30am, so if you are interested stop down and listen, or even better, compete!

The schedule of events:
9:00 – Gate opens, Games begin, Solo piping registration
9:30 – Solo Piping Competition Begins
11:00 – Piping Workshop
11:30 – Russell Country Cloggers
12:00 – Rare Ould Times
12:30 – Form up for Opening Ceremony
1:00 – Parade of the Clans
1:30 – Great Falls Pipeband Tent setup – Try the pipes!
2:00 – Cry of the Dear
3:00 – Thorns Among Roses
3:30 – Bonnie Knees Contest
4:00 – Thorns Among Roses
4:00 – Form up for Closing Ceremony
4:30 – Closing

This should be a good recruitment opportunity for new members, so please try and make it down to help man the tent from 1:30 – 4:00. I will have a set or two of pipes for the public to try, as well as a practice chanter and sticks and a pad for the drums.

See you tomorrow!

Bitterroot Highland Games

This weekend saw the seventh annual Bitterroot Highland Games and Gathering held on the beautiful grounds of the Daly Mansion in Hamilton MT. Tim Stoddard and Jesse Callender competed in the solo piping competitions, played for 10-15 minutes every hour for entertainment at the event, and in the massed bands both days.

31 pipes and 11 drums at massed bands


It also saw the first public appearance of the new GFPB band tent. 

Tim talking to former GFPB associate member Mike Gillbert


There was a lot of interest in the Great Falls event, which will be occurring at the Scottish Rite this coming Saturday, and it sounds like a number of pipers from around the state will be making the trip.

(Please click the link in the email to view the pictures)

The First Annual Great Falls Kilt o’ the Falls Celtic Festival – August 27, 2016

Kilt o' the Falls Logo

The first Annual Great Falls Kilt o’ the Falls Celtic Festival will be held on August 27, 2016, at the field behind the Great Falls Scottish Rite.

The event will feature clans, vendors, highland athletics, celtic music, and of course  pipes and drums.

Please consider showing up and supporting this unique event!

For more information, please visit the Kilt o’ the Falls Official Website or Kilt o’ the Falls Facebook page.

Great Falls 4th of July Parade

Thanks to everyone who came out for the parade on this breezy 4th. It was definitely one of the best we have had in years, and I heard a lot of compliments from on-lookers.

Here are a few pictures from the start of the parade:


And then after the 16.5 blocks coming to the finish:


Again, thanks to everyone who came out and gave a great showing from the Great Falls Pipeband.

A few more photos have shown up: