NORTHPORT PIPE & DRUM
HISTORY
1984
The big reveal...
The remaining six members attended their first public performance that summer at the Eatons Neck annual Fourth of July parade. Having no real uniforms, they outfitted themselves in Bermuda shorts, sandals and white t-shirts. The Rowan Tree set - consisting of the tune Rowan Tree-was the extent of the band's repertoire. These pipers might not have looked like the Black Watch or played like Shotts and Dykehead, but they possessed a unique spirit that mattered more. The Northport Pipe Band was born.
The Idea...
In 1984, Northport Police Chief Bob Howard got together with members of the local fire department to create what was hoped to be the Northport Fire Department Bagpipe Band. The first meeting was held at the American Legion Hall just off Main Street. About twenty people showed up, each looking to fulfill a personal dream of playing the pipes and joining a centuries-old tradition. It wasn't very long, however, before piping basics such as doublings and grips contrived to dampen much of the initial enthusiasm, and fourteen members dropped out of the group. The remaining six decided to press on, abandoning the occupational requirement for membership and opening up the band to any and all.
1984
1985
The ball is rolling...
The band was ready for more parades and real uniforms. Each member purchased his own kilt, sporran, hat, belt and hose. A bagpipe instructor was hired, and a few more tunes were added. That summer, the Northport Pipe Band marched in four parades.
A new era...
Don Goller, a former pipe major of the Nassau County Police Emerald Society Competition Pipe Band, came on as instructor. Goller brought with him the discipline and expertise the band had been looking to acquire. With a patient yet firm way with his students, he simply pushed the members to reach their potentials, challenging them with more complicated tunes. Goller invited some players to participate in his own Celtic Cross Pipe Band, a competition-only band he had formed with players from several bands across Long Island. Celtic Cross competed successfully in Grade 4 competitions, providing several members of the Northport Pipe Band with that experience that proved valuable in raising the overall quality of the Northport band.
1995
2002
Competition...
In the spring of 2002, Pipe Major Mike Dow put the band in its first competition. Competition fervor grows and ebbs with personnel, their families and responsibilities. However, since Westbury stopped hosting competitions, the band has focused on parades and other local events.
Social media...
Social media has become an integral part of how we interact. NPD finally has joined facebook to reach our wonderful community. We are continuously updating and posting new information and pictures to let our followers know what we are doing.
2010
2012
Non-For profit...
The band has been a non-for profit group since its conception, but now it is official! We regularly donate to our local food pantry, sponsor family's during the holidays, donate to a few organizations that make our efforts all worthwhile. This is a great achievement for the band that we strive to provide.
Currently...
As years passed, and the band's repertoire gradually expanded, so did our members. Instructors came and went, members dropped out, but even more joined and the band's roster grew. Today, three of the original six members remain: Ted Unkel, Bill Howe, Dan Madigan. The band regularly performs in parades and other events that cover Long Island end to end - from Montauk to Manhattan. Practice is still held Monday nights at the same legion hall that saw the band's first practice almost 40 years ago. The band proudly leads the town's Memorial Day and Cow Harbor Day Parades each year. The future holds great promise for the Northport Pipe Band, but its roots will always be firmly planted in the community that gave it its start.
