Area residents invited to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at area restaurants

The Vancouver Firefighter Pipe & Drums and Fort Vancouver Pipe Band will entertain locally on St. Patrick’s Day, Fri., March 16

BATTLE GROUND — Area residents can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at local restaurants and at the same time be entertained by the Vancouver Firefighter Pipe & Drums and Fort Vancouver Pipe Band.

Mill Creek Pub (3 p.m.), Northwood Public House & Brewery (4:45 p.m.), Chelatchie Crossing at Cedars Golf Club (6:30 p.m.), Mill Creek Pub (8 p.m.) and Northwood Public House & Brewery (9:30 p.m.).

On Sat., March 17, the Fort Vancouver Pipe Band will be at Mill Creek Pub at 2 p.m.

Vancouver Firefighters Pipes & Drums was created in 2009. The band was established to promote brotherhood and increase the camaraderie of Professional Fire Fighters in and around Vancouver.  Vancouver Firefighter Pipe & Drum have attended national events with Firefighter Pipe & Drum bands from all over the country to honor fallen brothers. Donations are accepted to help offset the cost of travel and expenses.

The Fort Vancouver Pipe Band was officially formed in 2000.  In August of that year, the band members voted to select the Washington State tartan for the kilts of their official uniform, in a large part because the tartan was designed by a Vancouver resident.

In November of that year, then-Mayor Royce Pollard signed a proclamation naming the Fort Vancouver Pipe Band to be the official bagpipe band of the city of Vancouver. This reflected the fact that the area was first settled through the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the early post headed by Dr. John McLoughlin.  So, Scottish culture has been a part of the community from its earliest days.

While the Army was still based on the grounds of the Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve, the band developed a close association there.  The band name and logo were designed to reflect the place where the band practiced and formed. From 2005 until the Army moved out of the Historic Reserve site, the band held practice in the Reserve Band building.  Whenever requested, the band has supported active and veteran military forces, and appears in the Veteran’s Day parade every year.

Members of the band are from Vancouver, but also from Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal, Ridgefield, Longview, and even Chehalis, as well as from across the river.  The band always welcomes new potential players of the pipes and drums and offers lessons to those who would like to learn.