A Christmas Bagpipe Recital featuring Pipe Major Ian Briggs, McPherson, will be held after the St. John Christmas Around the Square festivities at 7 pm on Dec. 3, in the community room of Ida Long Goodman Memorial Library. There will be a free will donation.
Pipe Major Briggs started playing the pipes with the Boy’s Brigade in Haddington, Scotland, about three miles from his home village of Athelstaneford. Later he joined the army and played with the Pipe Band of the Scots Guards where they played regularly for the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, England. After leaving the Guards Ian was a member of the Monkton Hall Colliery Pipe Band who won the World Pipe Band Championship in 1979. He has also been a member of the London Scottish and British Airways Pipe Band.  With the British Airways Pipe band he traveled internationally to places such as Greece, Puerto Rico and Dubai.
Currently Pipe Major Briggs is founder and member of the local highland bagpipe band, The Saltire Pipers Pipe Band, who are known for the variety of marches and medleys they play. The free concert  serves as Friends of the Library membership drive so please consider a 2012 membership (Individual $10, Family $15). Join Friends of the Library in what is sure to be a toe-tapping evening of music and storytelling.