Play a little pipe music

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

The sounds of pipes and drums drew a crowd to the town hall in Berwick July 18.

A visiting pipe and drum band from Alberta - featuring a former Berwick resident -dropped in for a short visit.

The pipe band from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 35 from Red Deer, Alberta made a mid-afternoon stop in Berwick, where band member Arnie MacAskill was raised. His dad, Alex, still lives in town and, earlier in the day, welcomed his son’s band to his home. The band, which spent the day touring the Valley, was on an 18-day visit to Nova Scotia, during which time they attended several events, including the Highland Games in Antigonish.

Friends and family who gathered at the town hall to greet MacAskill enjoyed an impromptu practice performance by the 20-member group. Berwick Mayor John Prall, MacAskill’s former gym teacher, was on hand to officially welcome the group with Berwick pins and postcards.

MacAskill has lived out west for close to 30 years and recently retired from teaching. Like many Maritimers who live “away,” he says he looks forward to his trek home to Nova Scotia each summer.