Sunday, February 17, 2013
The Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band in South West Florida
Far from the shores of Lake Huron,
the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band is spending a few days in South West Florida.
Most Saturday nights in the summer, members of the band parade the streets of
Kincardine, and entertain at Victoria Park.
This weekend, they piped the grounds
of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, much to the delight of tourists gathered
under the sprawling banyan tree. For the record, the tree covers almost an
acre, but was a mere sapling when presented to Thomas Edison by his pal Harvey Firestone in 1925.
Thomas Alva Edison and his wife Mina
thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Actually, Edison was enjoying his 166th
birthday, so a representative stood in for him. They were accompanied by Henry
Ford.
There were a few Canadian flag wavers
in the crowd. Naturally, and typically, Canadians are not prone to boast their
colours. On this occasion, one could spot a shirt or two with the red and white
flag.
One of the members of the band, Keith
Davidson, has been piping with the band for many years. I must confess I was
tipped to his whereabouts by a mutual friend, Peter Carver. Carver introduced Davison
to me, by telephone, as the “Prime Minister of the Leafs’ Nation”.
I spoke with a few members in the
crowd who knew Carver, a long-time history teacher at the local high school.
“He taught all of our children,” was a comment expressed by many.
“Many of us have worked diligently to
try to get Carver to see the light, and support the Leafs. To no avail. It is
never a shock to see his name pinned to a letter to the editor to stir the
wrath of the locals. He is a die-hard Red Wings fan, and that’s not about to
change”, Davidson told me after the concert.
Carver had told me about Davidson’s
excellent hockey prowess. “I played a little Intermediate hockey. That’s about
it”, he told me modestly at the entrance to the Estates.
Following the concert, the band
enjoyed an afternoon on the shores of the Caloosahatchee River, as they toured
the historic site.
The following evening, the band
walked the streets of Fort Myers, as part of the 75th Edison Light
Parade.
A weekend to remember in South West
Florida!
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 7:11 AM 
