Today we moved our rigs from Brackley Beach to the Green Park Provincial Park near Port Hill western one third of Prince Edward Island, in Prince's County. This is a nice park aside from being mosquito infested! Have never seen anything like it--they attack whenever we get out of the truck or enter the rig, follow us in and we struggle to get the little buggers before they get us some more. This is the first time in the Maritimes that we have had trouble with mosquitoes--they're out in hoards! We will be camped here three or four nights.
Our registration at the park here was taken by a very young man, and Patrice was curious and questioned him. The boy was 13 years old and his family is in the second year of a five-year lease on the campground. The Province does not run the park, the family does. Chandler (the boy's name) acknowledged that if the province were in charge, there would be no way that he would be managing the reception station. The day use area of the park--the beach, a mansion and a museum nearby--are operated and maintained as a provincial park.
After setting up and extinguishing mosquitoes inside the rigs, we drove about 25 miles south to Summerside to see the Highland Storm Show. The show is a summer production by the Piping College of Prince Edward Island in Summerside. Each year the selection and arrangement of music is done by the collaboration of the music director, musicians and choreographers, to put together the show and present it to the public.
Five pipers (bagpipes) anchored the music, twelve dancers perform step and highland dances, and drummers provided the beat on their snare drums, and in some cases on plastic barrels, a hollow log, and a 3-inch PVC pipe. Most of the musicians were multi-talented, and doubled as singers and switching parts in the accompanying small band. A soloist sang several traditional highland tunes, wonderful voice, and a young fiddler accompanied her along with the band--he had a few fiddling solos himself. The bass drummer was the showpiece--he moved with the beat of the music, and carried his drum with artistic expression--he was in most of the sets. The drumsticks he used were muffled with white fur and the beats were perfectly matched to the music. He was fun to watch.
Routines that mixed all of the dancers, musicians, and drummers were so much fun. The bagpipers and the drummers were non-smiling throughout; I was told that it was the concentration needed that made them so serious. All the movements of the musicians on the stage were precisely choreographed--entrances, exits, group placements, and solos.
One musical skit was called "Dueling Bagpipes," where two pipers vied for the attentions of a young dancer. The two made their instruments do complicated and lovely tunes, and even played the "Dueling Banjos" notes, and started shoving at one another. One of them even went offstage and came back wearing one of those showy feathered big black hats you see when highland bands are marching in parades! In the end the banjo player came onstage and played a few simple notes, and the lady ran off with him!
The music and drumming combined with the dancing was mesmerizing. Patrice could hardly sit still. We had no cameras with us, so no pictures. It was an experience that could hardly be captured on film anyway. It was a high-energy, thoughtful, and exciting show. We didn't want it to end--it was so much fun!
Marge and Jerry attended this show 12 years ago and they said it was nothing like it is now--it is so much better.
Tomorrow we drive around the western shores of PEI.
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