The Penetangore Pipe Band is scheduled to kick off the 12th annual Supercities Walk for Multiple Sclerosis in Kincardine, Ontario at 10 am. on Sunday, April 22. This will be the 10th year the band has supported the event, which has raised well over a million dollars to fight the disease and support those afflicted with it. On May 5, Penetangore will host a 'Penetangore & Friends Celtic Spring Concert' at the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute (OSCVI) in Owen Sound, Ontario. Watch for the details!

Penetangore Piper Paul Turner earned a John Wilson Memorial Trophy at the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario's Toronto Branch Knock Out competiton after coming first in B-Grade Group 1 (two parts strathspey, four parts reel) on Feb. 4.
The Knockout series has three divisions for solo pipers and drummers: Division A includes Grade 1 and 2 players; Division B includes Grades 3 and 4; Division C is a Grade 5 pipers-only contest. The event is held over six dates from October to March at the Moss Park Armoury in Toronto with competitors in Divisions A and B collecting points to qualify for a final round. Competitors in C division have two events without a final round. Paul now advances to the final round on March 4 with six other Division B qualifiers including fellow Penetangore Piper Marshall Chamberlain.
Robbie Burns: A Penetangore mini-band performed at Bruce Power's annual Robbie Burns Evening at the Grand Banking Hall in Toronto on Feb. 2. Musicians Jake Watson, Jeff Swance, Bill Millman, Deb Gauthier, Gerry Radord, Laurie Fleming and Lisa Moore entertained the audience. Bruce Power has been a major sponsor of the Penetangore Pipe Band since 2002.

The Penetangore Pipe Band is pleased to announce the appointment of Jamie Connolly as the new Pipe Major of the organization's Grade 2 program. The position has been vacant since Doug Wickham resigned in August 2011 to move to Europe. Jamie will work with Music Director Jake Watson, Pipe Sergeant Dave Goodall and Lead Drummer Harvey Dawson to continue advancing Penetangore's senior program, which is now moving into its third season.  "Along with a very positive and progressive teaching methodology, Jamie brings many years of experience as a successful Pipe Major with him, including many North American and PPBSO Championships in such bands as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), Dofasco, Celtic Flair and the MacNaughton Highlanders," said Jeff Boyle, Penetangore President. "We congratulate Jamie on his appointment and look forward to a very solid future for Penetangore under his leadership."

The Penetangore Pipe Band is pleased to announce that Rob Hay has been appointed Pipe Sergeant of the Grade 4 band. Rob will work with Music Director Jake Watson, Pipe Major Jeff Swance and Lead Drummer Gerry Radford to prepare the band for competition and performance this season. A veteran piper from Owen Sound, Ontario, Rob joined Penetangore in 2009. He has been mentored over the years by Bill Millman, who stepped down as Penetangore's Pipe Major in 2010 because of an injured shoulder. Bill has since recovered and is back in the line-up as a leading player and coach.

As we have started to gain momentum and now have a couple of months of rehearsals under our belts, the Pipe Majors are telling me we that we are well on our way to another successful season in 2012. As success isn’t only measured by wins but by growth and progress, Penetangore is already experiencing some early successes. I’d like to welcome all of our new members to the organization and hope you are enjoying your experience thus far. I’d also like to recognize our newest sponsor, the Red Chevron Club (Branch 4) and thank them for their support. Finally, on behalf of myself and the Executive, I’d like to wish every member and their families the very best this holiday season and look forward to seeing everyone again in the new year.
Regards,
Jeff Boyle, President
Penetangore Pipe Band

The Penetangore Pipe Band is pleased to announce a new sponsor, the Red Chevron Club, Branch 4, of Guelph, Ontario. Originally formed by WW1 veterans as a meeting place for veterans and their families to enjoy fellowship, the club continues to this day as a non-profit organization. Penetangore will practice at the facility once a month during the rehearsal season in the New Year. More information about the Red Chevron Club can be found at http://www.redchevron.ca.

Jeff Boyle has been endorsed as the new President of the Penetangore Pipe Band. The organization's Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment, which comes almost two months after the band's Annual General Meeting. "I had expressed an interest in possibly taking on this role earlier in the year but wasn't too sure that I would be able to make the time commitment necessary to do the job effectively," said Jeff. "Now some time is available to me." Jeff becomes the 8th President in the band's 11 year history and takes over the helm from Ashleigh Weeden who served during the 2010-2011 term. "I am very interested in working to maintain Penetangore's image as a premier teaching organization with multiple successful bands competing at the highest levels," said Jeff, also a bass player in the organization's Grade 2 band. One vacancy remains on the band's Board of Directors for a Grade 2 Pipe Major. Music Director Jake Watson is filling the role on an interim basis.

Penetangore founder and bass drummer Brian (Brow) Fry has retired from competition after more than two decades of Highland Games and Scottish festivals. Brow was in his mid-30s when he strapped on a bass drum for the first time and got some lessons from son Tyler and neighbour Craig "Hoss" Colquhoun. Before long he was playing with the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band and getting additional instruction from local bass drummer Duncan Campbell. He also gave competition a try, travelling several hours each week to practice with the St. Thomas Police Pipe Band. Tired of travel in 2001, Brow got together with Gerry Radford, Bill McLeod and some other local competitors to form a band in Bruce County that would also draw aspiring musicians from nearby Grey and Huron Counties. The Penetangore Pipe Band was born. Brow's last performance with the band was at the Remembrance Day parade at the Bronte Legion in Oakville on Nov. 6. "I felt it was time before the new music starts [for 2012]," said Brow. "I have not been a big fan of people not showing up for gigs and practice and being as I'm going to be in Florida for 13 weeks this winter, I thought I'd better pack it in." In 2005, Brow was declared Champion Supreme for solo Amateur Bass Drumming by the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario. He followed it up in 2006 by earning Champion Supreme in Professional Bass Drumming. He is the inventor of the Brow Fry Drum Carrier (www.browfry.com) and in 2007 he accepted a volunteer position on the Executive of the Western Branch of the PPBSO. Brow plans to continue his association with Penetangore and hasn't ruled out a return to the contest circle at some time in the future.

Members from both the Grade 4 and Grade 2 Penetangore Pipe Bands performed in a Remembrance Day parade for the Bronte Royal Canadian Legion in Oakville, Ontario on Nov. 6. Regular rehearsals resume this weekend with Grade 4 rehearsing at the Bruce Power Visitors' Centre near Tiverton, Ontario on Saturday, Nov. 12, and Grade 2 rehearsing at the Bronte Legion on Sunday, Nov. 13. There are still some vacancies for new players in both bands. Contact us for more information.

The Penetangore Pipe Band is off the mark this weekend with first rehearsals scheduled for both the Grade 4 and Grade 2 bands. Grade 4  members get together at the Bruce Power Visitors' Centre at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, while Grade 2 members will rehearse at the Bronte Legion in Oakville, Ontario at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. Formed in 2001, this will be Penetangore's tenth year competing as a registered organization in the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario. On Nov. 6, the band is scheduled to perform at a Remembrance Day event in Oakville.