Dear Friends of The Pipers' Gathering, With only a few short weeks left until the 2007 Pipers' Gathering, we have some final announcements:
REGISTRATION & LODGING The deadline for mail-in and online pre-registration at $125 is July 27th. After July 27th, registration at the door is $140. Don't forget to book your room at the Killington Grand Hotel. Remember to mention The Pipers' Gathering to ensure you receive our special group rates. Room rates are from $39 up, first come, first served. The Killington Grand Hotel & Conference Center will continue to hold rooms for us until the end of July. After that time it may be necessary to seek shelter elsewhere. And if you are planning a vacation around the Gathering, the hotel will extend our conference rates before and after the event. Registration information and forms are on our website at: <http://www.pipersgathering.org/RegistrationInformation.shtml> Lodging information is on our website at: <http://www.pipersgathering.org/LodgingGrand.shtml> and <http://www.pipersgathering.org/LodgingOther.shtml> EVENT SCHEDULE The event schedule is now on our website at <http://www.pipersgathering.org/Program.shtml> PRIVATE LESSONS STILL AVAILABLE Several private lessons are still available with Fin Moore (Border pipes), Pete Stewart (English/Cornish pipes), Annie Grace (SSP), Barry Shears (SSP), and Eamonn Dillon (Uilleann pipes). CONCERT PERFORMERS We have two fine evenings of piping lined up. The Saturday evening concert will feature Eamonn Dillon, Annie Grace, Fin Moore, and Pete Stewart. The Sunday evening concert will feature Dick Hensold, Bill Ochs, Deb Quigley, Colin Ross, and Barry Shears. MONDAY SPECIAL EVENTS We have two special events scheduled for the Monday morning sessions: Stage Fright - Get Over It! Monday morning we will have a session where participants will have an opportunity to perform for others. Think of it as an "Open Mic" without the microphone. The guidelines are simple. Each participant can play 3 sets, or for 10 minutes, whichever is shorter. This is not a competition, and there will be no judging. This is simply an opportunity for you to play for other pipers. We will have a sign-up sheet at the Registration desk, and will accept the first 15 people. Meet Your Maker A number of the pipemakers in attendance have agreed to do a maintenance workshop where they'll be doing their normal fettling and use this as a teaching opportunity at the same time. If you have questions about how to fix a drone reed or a leaky bellows, this is your chance to stand by and learn from the makers themselves. UILLEANN PIPES AUCTION This year we will be auctioning a brand new C-pitch 1/2 set of Uilleann pipes, built and donated by BC Childress to help support the Pipers' Gathering. The pipes are of mopane wood with brass metalwork, imitation ivory mounts, five chanter keys, and a Mac Harg bag. These pipes are valued at nearly $3,100. You can see pictures of the pipes on our website at <http://www.pipersgathering.org/2007auction.shtml> The pipes will be offered for sale through a silent auction that will begin on Saturday morning (August 11th) and end just before the concert on Sunday evening (August 12th). You must attend the Pipers' Gathering to bid on these pipes, and be prepared to pay in cash or by certified check if you are the winning bidder. NORTHUMBRIAN PIPES FOR SALE Colin Ross is offering for sale a keyless set of Northumbrian small pipes in F, with or without bellows. The pipes are made from antique boxwood with brass ferrules and black buffalo horn end pieces. The bellows are by Tom Swinney and are made from oak. The price for the pipes is $1,000, and the bellows are $400. A portion of the proceeds of this sale will go to support The Pipers' Gathering. Colin will be playing these pipes during the weekend, and they will be available for the purchaser on Monday. You can see a picture of the pipes and bellows on our website at <http://www.pipersgathering.org/NorthumbrianSale.shtml> NORTHUMBRIAN PIPES FOR HIRE We have a set of Northumbrian smallpipes available for hire (rent). The pipes are made by D. Burleigh, serial number 2290, with an eleven key chanter and four drones each of which has a tuning bead with the exception of the large "G" drone which has two tuning beads. The bellows are also by D. Burleigh. The chanter reed was made by Ann Sessoms. The drone reeds are brass body/cane tongue composite. Contact Richard Shuttleworth at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more details if you are interested in renting these pipes, or stop by the registration table at the event. DONATIONS No mail from us would be complete without a reminder to please support this event through generous donations so we can all continue to enjoy a unique gathering of pipes and pipers. Those who were at the concerts last year may remember this mantra: "What is the greatest nation in the world? DO-NATION!" It costs over $20,000 to bring you the Pipers' Gathering weekend each year, only a portion of which is covered by registration fees. We depend on grants and donations to keep bringing the best instructors and music to Killington. Please consider a donation to help ensure that one of your favorite weekends of the year will still be there for you in the future. <http://www.pipersgathering.org/Donations.shtml> -------------------- The Pipers' Gathering, Inc., presenter of The Pipers' Gathering, is registered as a non-profit corporation in the State of Vermont and is recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization under the provisions of section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. Tax-deductible contributions are gratefully accepted by Mark Stayton, Treasurer, The Pipers' Gathering, Inc., 97 N. 3rd Ave., Royersford, PA 19468. Thank you for your continued interest and support, The Board of Directors of The Pipers' Gathering, Inc.: Rick Damon, Chairman Mark Stayton, Treasurer Dawn Littlepage, Secretary Bill Gority Richard Shuttleworth Judy Stayton -------------------- *** If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "Remove" in the subject line *** 3 To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
