The Morning Sentinel

SLIDESHOW: Bagpipers keep tradition alive

By Leslie Bridgers

OAKLAND — It’s not unusual for loud noise to blare from the Oakland Fire Department headquarters. But one night a week, it’s a little more melodic.

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Alex Phair, left, of Fairfield, and pipe major George Pulkkinen of Scarborough are among the 30 active members of the Dunlap Highland Band. Some members rehearse weekly at the Oakland Fire Department.

Photos by Jason McKibben

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The band will play in Oakland's Memorial Day parade on Monday. From left to right are Kip McClure, Alex Phair, Vera Maheu, George Pulkkinen, Bill Kelly and Charles Bridges.

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Every Thursday evening, the Fairfield Street station serves as a practice space for the Dunlap Highland Band, a group of bagpipers who come from around the state.

Half the groups practice in Oakland, and the other half meets on Sundays in Old Orchard Beach. The entire band comes together for its dozen or so performances a year, many of which are parades. They will march through the streets of Old Orchard Beach this afternoon. They are also scheduled for the Winslow Fourth of July parade.

It was at the parade in Winslow two years ago that Vera Maheu of Waterville first saw the group perform and thought she might like to try to play herself.

George Pulkkinen, the band’s pipe major, said he remembers getting a phone call from Mahue, who asked him if a French Canadian could learn to play the bagpipes.

“She’s proof that one can,” Pulkkinen said at rehearsal last week.

The members, who range in age from 14 to 71 years old, all have different stories about why they joined the band. For some, it’s way to honor their heritage. Others started coming to practices out of curiosity.

But it’s the friendships formed within the group that keep the members playing.

“It’s the different people you meet, the camaraderie,” said Alex Phair of Fairfield.

And the Dunlap Highland Band is always looking for new members. The group invites people who are interested in learning to play to come to a Thursday rehearsal. Pulkkinen won’t charge for lessons, but the members warn it takes a lot of practice.

“We’ve had several people come and go — who want to try it and it didn’t work out, and plenty who’ve stayed,” Phair said.

Though the members admit they’re not the most skilled bagpipe band in Maine, their purpose extends beyond their performances.

“It’s important to keep the culture going,” Pulkkinen said.

As the band played from the parking lot of the fire station last week, people in nearly every car that passed turned their heads to look. One car even pulled over to the side of the road and stayed a while. Just by bringing their practices to the public, the band fulfills a major part of its mission.

“We really want to expose it to a lot of people,” Pulkkinen said.

Leslie Bridgers — 861-9252

lbridgers@centralmaine.com