The invitation to Dad read as follows:
Please join Buzz, Karen and Foof
for music, scotch and cigars
with the
Winnipeg Police Pipe Band
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tavern United Rooftop
adjacent to the MTS Centre, Winnipeg
Dress Code: tartan Transportation courtesy FoofCo.
That's right. It was the day before Dad's
91st birthday.
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| Fine scotch + fine company = fine time Murray Fraser with daughters Myrna (at left) and Karen |
The Scotch tasting is a fundraiser held by
the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band each May. There are several tasting stations where you
can try a wide variety of scotch samples. Score cards introduce each one, and allow you to track your favourites. It is amazing how different they can be. And the more you taste, the smoother they seem to be!
The night includes free snacks, cigars (for
those inclined - on the rooftop), and, of course, entertainment provided by the
Winnipeg Police Pipe Band.
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| The Winnipeg Police Pipe Band, looking resplendent in their Royal Stewart kilts, at the Manitoba Legislature (from their website) |
The Band marched in to much applause. While they were settling into place, I slipped over to speak to their Pipe Major. I told him we had a good Scot in the audience, Murray Fraser, on the verge of his 91st birthday. Would it be possible, I asked, if he would say happy birthday to him from the podium?
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| The Winnipeg Police Pipe Band at their 2010 Scotch & Cigar fundraiser |
Well, the Pipe Major did me one better. Expecting a short greeting from the microphone, imagine my delight to hear him acknowledge Dad and then have the pipers launch into a full rendition of Happy Birthday! Here is but a wee snippet of that:
We were delighted and surprised, and Dad
felt very honored and happy. The crowd loved it, too, and several folks (and band members) stopped
by our table to shake Dad's hand and wish him well.
I wish I could take credit for having lined
this up so carefully, as Dad assumed, but it was really a spur of the moment
thing, and it was the good nature of the Pipe Band that made it special. They
were great sports and so generous.
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| Murray Fraser, age 91 less a day |
Cheers to Dad, and cheers to the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band for creating a special memory for us. They are top-notch guys and a first-class pipe band. Have a listen (below) as they accompany Paul McCartney playing Mull of Kintyre. It is a favourite song of mine, and especially meaningful if you recall that our ancestor Peter Reid (born April 18, 1829) was from Kintyre, just across Kilbannan Sound from the Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Ah, but that would be another blog post, wouldn't it?
