Northern Branch - Western U.S. Pipe Band Association

The Northern Branch of the Western United States Pipe Band Association (WUSPBA) was created to offer a local presence to its member bands. WUSPBA's Northern Branch is one of two in California and represents both Northern California and Nevada. Currently the branch consists of 14 bands and also consisting of solo pipers, drummers and drum majors.

Regarding e-mail addresses:
• E-mail addresses listed below must be retyped into your mail program.

Northern Branch - Winter News (January 2010)

Happy New you to all of my fellow musicians!

I am sorry that I have been lax in getting more information to you, but we have been scrambling getting the competition season off to a running start. Check out the WUSPBA Events page for informatin about our first Northern Branch event, Ardenwood, on April 10th. We will have the forms to sign up soon. Please keep your eyes open for that.

ATTENTION DRUMMERS!
The winter school for the Celtic Arts Foundation is looking for more drummers. Bass drummers are you listening? That means you too. Please check out their web page and let Skye know that the Northern Branch sent you! DO NOT WAIT. Sign up as soon as possible:
celticarts.org

As always, I hope everyone can support as many games as possible. The games would not exist if you do you help by coming to them.

Thank you all! And I'll see you at the games.

Cheers,
Donna Willy
NB Secretary

Northern Branch - Winter News (March 2009)

Hello everyone! The NB has a lot of games this year to attend. I do hope you look at all of the opportunities to come out and play. I do understand that many of us have lost their jobs or are face hardships. It is sad to see the Campbell Games canceled. Going to a local game and seeing friends is a 'cheap date' so to speak. We need to support the games the best way we can. If we do not attend the games, the games may not be there next year.

We start off the season with Ardenwood: April 4th, Woodland:April 25, Mt. Tam: May 9th, Caboose Games: May 30th, Dunsmuir House: July 12th, Monterey: Aug 1st, Caboose Games: Aug 8th, S.F. Caledonian Club (Pleasanton) Games: Sept 5th, Loch Lomond: Oct 3rd, Reno Oct 3rd.

I am very proud of our branch and I do appreciate your support for all of the games. If you would like the Caboose Games in August to be just Piobaireachd, please let Liz know. She has been working hard for all of us, but we need to hear from our membership.

I also want to thank our Judges. Without your support, we could not hold these games. Thank you for taking the time to be adjudicators and helping us all improve.

See you at Ardenwood, a new event hosted by the East Bay Scotts.
Cheers,
Donna Willy
NB Secretary

Northern Branch - Winter News (Dec 2008)

Happy Holidays to all of our Soloists and their families. I am thankful to be apart of this great group of people. I would like to say a special thanks to Jimmy MacColl. Thank you Jimmy for playing so musically. Thank you for teaching many of us Piobaireachd, and being so patient with us, as some of us struggled to understand the tunes. Thank you for your continued support of soloist and band members alike. We look forward to another concert soon.

James McColl:
(Highland Piping) was born in 1928 in Shotts, Scotland. Jim's first teacher wasP/M Tom McAllister. He later received tuition from P/M Willie Ross, Iain MacPherson and Robert Reid. He was a member of the Shotts & Dykehard Pipe Band from 1939-50. Between 1950-54 he won most of the major piping awards in Scotland including the aggregate at Cowal, four years in succession, and the Oban Gold Medal. He emigrated to California in 1955, and since that time, he has taught many of the top players on the west coast of the USA.

2008 was a great season with many new games from the Northern Branch. We are getting the dates for the 2009 events lined up and will get the dates to everyone soon. Liz, Sue, Gloria, Bill and I have worked to make this branch more active. We all thank you for helping support the NB events and all of the WUSPBA events. I again thank all of the people who ran events, THANK YOU.

Donna Willy
NB Secretary

Northern Branch - Fall 2008 News

The Caboose Games was another nice event with our annual meeting after the competition. It was nice to see members stay for the NB AGM meeting. This is your branch and it is at these meetings that we listen to the members. We like to hear about your concerns and directions that you would like to see the branch head.

Pleasanton cooled down for the games, the piping and drumming events were well run. It was great to see friends and families.

With sad news, Richard (Dick) Boyd recently passed. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion PB, the Lockheed (later Dunvegan) PB. He was the PM of the Wallace Guards PB in San Jose. More recently he was helping his friends in the Los Gatos – Monte Sereno Police Pipes and Drums. Ozzie Reid has written a Slow air called "Farewell To The Jokester" in memory of Dick. The family is in the throws of establishing a scholarship fund for young pipers, more details will become available in due time. The memorial will be help on Saturday September 27th at Hold Spirit Church 1198 Redmond Ave. San Jose starting at 11:00am.

October 4th, is our Branch's last 2 events. If you have not signed up please do so. The Loch Lomond Games in Ben Lomond is a great event by Santa Cruz, CA. A nice event, please contact Andrew Lenz Jr. (A big thank you to Andrew, who is the webmaster for WUSPBA and runs the competition at Loch Lomond!) The other event takes place in Reno NV. After 25 years of no competitions, this will be a welcome back event to the Reno area. We hope you sign up for either event.

I would like to personally thank all of the 'behind the scenes' people who help run the games. This would include, the planners for the events, the sanctioning people, people who send out applications for the events, people who line up the judges, the judges, the stewards, and the contestants. A big THANK YOU. It does take time, and energy to run an event, and hope the membership comes to your games. Some people have been involved for years at a time, others have just started to help. If you like a game, or event, think about helping out and contact that games person. I am sure they would like your help. Your help keeps the games functioning. So, to all of you behind the scene folks, I appreciate your time and I thank you for keeping piping and drumming alive, fun and a great family activity.

Cheers,
Donna Willy
NB Secretary

Northern Branch - 2008 AGM Minutes

Board officers present: Liz Tubbs: President, Sue Altmeyer: Vice Presdient, Gloria Cardenas: Treasurer, Donna Willy: Secretary
Members Present: Lyle Seaband, Gary Speed, John Willy, Bill Tubbs, Jim Laughton, Jan Lantz, Molly Steuber.

President’s Report: The biggest goal was to get more solo events for this year, 2008. The Reno Event will be 10th of October. Reno will have Piobaireachd. There has been a lot of support this year from the solo entries. This is important to help pay for the events.
The branch has received donations from Mcallum Bagpipes, Pipers Hut, House of Bagpipes, solo pipers and board members, all of which has helped raised funds for the branch events. All donations have been greatly appreciated.

We would like to get more soloists involved in our general meetings. It is though these meetings that ideas of what direction the branch is going. It is great to see members here today, so thank you for taking an interest and coming to the meeting.

Next Years Events: Ardenwood (Fremont) early April, Dunsmir/Hellman Games, July, and Caboose Games. Anticipating Reno 2008 will go well this year.

VP Report: Will send in Reno’s games for sanctioning. Trying to get more participation at meetings has been a concern. It is nice to see members here today.
Jim suggested calling Pipe Majors of Pipe Bands. He says the personal contract to the Pipe Majors may encourage more participation at the events and get the word out to band members that there is a competition. He volunteered to help Sue to make the personal calls. Lyle suggested that band members should be required to compete, especially the young students.
Jim suggested that the kids be walked though the process, since many young people do not know the steps it takes to enter the contests. We need to make the events as friendly and personal as possible. With the personal contracts we would ‘sell’ the events.

Treasurer report: Treasurer’s report. Bank Balance $2,010.80.
Jim suggested changes. Liabilities are owed monies. If the monies are paid, then the column should have a different name. Jim will be glad to help the Treasurer reorganize the treasurer’s report. Gloria will email the secretary with the current Treasurer’s report, since the one brought to the meeting, is imcomplete.

New Business:
By-Law change:
Article IV-Officers. Section 4. Reimbursement of Officers: Reimbursement of Officers- NB officers shall serve without pay or honoraria, but shall be reimbursed for expenses directly related to fulfillment of the responsibilities of office.

Gloria proposed an amendment to change the By-Laws: Gloria would like to have NB officers reimbursed for mileage. With the going rate of mile reimbursement following the CA. State Government rates.

The motion was made to amend Article IV, Section 4: NB officers traveling to NB meetings, should be reimbursed for mileage at State Government rates.

By-Law change would read: Reimbursement of Officers-
NB Officers shall serve without pay or honoraria, but shall be reimbursed for expenses directly related to the fulfillment of the responsibilities of office, to include mileage reimbursement at the current CA. State Government rate.
Sue seconded the amendment.
Lyle called for a vote. All approved. Passed.

Gary would like to make an addition to the contest rules to the AGM meeting. At a Sanctioned Event, this is the following proposal: That there would be a Senior Division within the normal Grade Events: A competitor at an age of 50 or older be noted on the score sheet. (Senior Competitor). Logistics would run along this line: Administration notation to be made on the score sheet, that the competitor is in the Senior group. The judge would place all competitors, and then place all senior competitors. Senior competitors could receive the placement in the standard portion of the grade and also in the Senior portion of the grade. For example; it would be possible that a Senior competitor to have 2 first place medals, or not place at all.
There would be an additional fee for this category. A suggested fee would be $5.00 to help cover administration and award costs. Senior competitors could afford the additional costs involved.
The reasoning behind this is to encourage all older competitors to compete. Often new senior drummers and pipers are discouraged in competition due to the wonderfully talented younger competitors. The goal for the NB is to encourage more family participation, including older members along with the younger members, at all grade levels.

This has been accepted by the NB membership and Liz and Gary will get together to rephrase the wording, prior to the AGM, if necessary.

Sue would like to see the WUSBPA representative, per diem increased from $45 to $60.
Gary seconded the motion.
All approved.

Election:
For the position of VP: Sue Altmeyer
For the position of Treasurer: Bill Tubbs
Gloria would get the Treasurer Books in order and get the books to Bill by the Pleasanton Games, August 30th.

Comments:
Lyle wanted everyone to know for the record, “I would think that the membership in attendance should congratulate the committee the NB event for August 9th.” The membership in attendance agreed.

From Jim, he appreciates the efforts that this branch has done. He would like to get more Pipe Majors involved. Jim would like to get together with Liz and get some ideas to make the games successful.

Liz commented that she can try to get sponsorship in programs of games to try to get the word out. Gloria said maybe we can get sponsorship from Clans, as was done in the past.
Bill suggested that award sponsorship plagues would have a name associated with the games, for example; Guinness would sponsor the awards at the Caboose Games, and their name would be on the awards.

This page contains information on the Northern Branch, bylaws and rules, judging, membership, and officers.

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Northern Branch (Nevada, Northern California)

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