Leslie Cholowsky
Editor
Last September Delin Watmough made public his intention to try to attend the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, not as a spectator, but as part of the Pipes on Parade massed pipes and drums band.
He’d sent in an audition tape earlier in the year and got accepted to come and play.
When we first talked to Watmough, he said that he wanted to go, but would be raising funds to pay for the trip. Watmough now adds, “A couple of weeks after the newspaper article we decided that we were going to go even if we had to load up the credit cards.” As it turns out, however, he and wife Stephanie Crouse managed to raise the funds, with lots of help from friends and family. “It was really incredible,” he adds.
“All the help we received was really appreciated. Everybody played a part in making this happen.”
Watmough says that right from the first practice, he felt accepted and that he fit right in. “It was amazing. I was getting my pipes out and set up, when another small group of pipers invited me over to warm up. More and more of us joined in, until there were 55 pipers.” He said while they were playing, others were going around helping to tune the pipes. “That was a great experience, and it just happened organically.”
The group, which included pipers from five countries (USA, Canada, Australia, Scotland, and Ireland) had 55 pipers, 12 pipe majors, 20 dancers, and the drummers, who together turned into 120 marching members.
After just three rehearsals, the band’s first gig was Disneyland, on New Year’s Eve Day. That was a special day, Watmough says, with the park being very crowded, and a very memorable performance, his first with such a large band.
He and Crouse didn’t get to stay and celebrate New Year’s Eve in Disneyland, as they were up by 3 a.m. the next day to drive to Pasadena. There, in front of thousands of people live, and millions of viewers, the band
marched and performed at the Rose Bowl parade, over the entire five-and-a-halfmile route. Watmough says at one point he got a tap on the back from the person behind him, to say “You’re bleeding.”
“It was only a blister,” Watmough says. “By that point there was just a quarter mile left, and I just pushed through it.”
He says it was the experience of a lifetime. “It was awesome. There was such a high calibre of players in the band, and to be included and treated like one of them was amazing.” That camaraderie is something that will stick with him for a lifetime, he says. Watmough made some deep connections in the group, and says
he’s been invited to join various future performances, in Colorado, Virginia, and even Edinburgh. “Those will have to wait,” he adds, but was honoured to be invited, although he hopes that he can make it to Colorado in 2025.
He says the group really meshed, and made plans to stay in touch. “The support was phenomenal. There aren’t words to describe the experience. “I was worried that I wouldn’t mesh, because I am really just a beginner piper, but everyone made me feel, immediately, like I was part of the group and that I belonged.
“This group has become a family.”
He adds that there was one unfortunate incident in Disneyland when one of the group members went down. “As it turned out, the piper beside him was an EMT/firefighter, and provided immediate care, with Disney first aid people on the scene in minutes.” The gentleman ended up in hospital for heart surgery. His home band mates started a fundraiser to get his wife to California, and the entire band chipped in on the spot
and raised $3,500 to help pay for her accommodations. That’s the calibre of the people I met, from all walks of life, and all orientations. It was awesome.” He says the group ranged in age from age 12 to 76.
Watmough said one big difference during his experience was that practicing included the full pipes, where he is used to using just the chanter for practice. “That really helped me out a lot, and improved my playing. I played the pipes more that week than I have in my entire piping career.”
Another highlight of the trip was a ceilidh (dance/party) held for the pipers on Dec. 29. Watmough says, “There was a DJ booked, but he didn’t play a single song. He didn’t get a chance to. Hey, when you have 50 pipers in one building, they’re going to play.” He says the music was incredible, ranging from traditional songs to popular music, like ‘Sweet Caroline,’ and ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’ Watmough says next up for him is Robbie Burns Night in Killam, where he’s looking forward to again playing with his home band, the Battle River Pipes and Drums, later this month.
“This experience has opened many doors for me, in terms of contacts and future events, and has been a very memorable experience. “I’m looking forward to what might come next.”