Our very own Eric Chomka, being interviewed before last weekend’s ‘Spirit of America‘ show in Providence.

Congratulations are also in order, as Eric will be getting married to Elizabeth Williams this weekend!

We welcome Declan Charles Haverhampf, born September 20, if the 2am text message I received was close on the heels of his arrival.

We hear everyone is doing well.  What say you, fifer or drummer?

The Mariners will be performing in the annual Guilford Fair parade this Saturday morning, the 19th of September.  Parade steps off at 10am.

Apparently, so will at least one of the ‘Fying Wallendas.’

Now, as if these guys weren’t fascinating enough on their own merits, I have some dim memories of childhood when every stupid acrobatic thing I tried (that mostly ended in disaster) was referred to as “tryouts for ‘The Flying Wallendas’”  So there you have it: for me- hometown parade, hometown memories.  Hope to see some of you there.

The Swiss Mariners have landed, the muster field is being prepared, the ale’s are on ice, everything is in order for the Mariners to kick off their 50th Anniversary Celebration!

 

 
This photo is circa 1960 near Lake Qonapaug in North Guilford.

To Ellen and Andri.

More photos to come…

Wednesday, May 13th, from 530 to 830 is a great event in Downtown New London, just out the door of the Firehouse.  There’s food, music and merriment from about 50 local businesses and it’s a fundraiser for New London Mainstreet, a non-profit doing a great job to help make Downtown New London even greater.  The event is pretty simple- you purchase a button and you wander about the route, sampling a little offering at each stop along the stroll.  Though each individual stop is a manageable snack, you’ll hardly be able to find room for another bite by the end.  Details and buttons are available here.

A ‘Cocktail Corps’ of The Mariners will be out and about , enlivening the streets and pubs with tunes and song, perhaps enjoying a few ourselves (perhaps.)  Hope to see you there.

Joe and Dan’l at an undisclosed location, working on something classified, or at the very least, best left unsaid.

But it might have something to do with a certain Anniversary Muster, coming to a field near you.  Soon.

The Mariners, looking good across the Mystic drawbridge.  The current incarnation of this ‘bascule’ bridge dates to 1924, and counterweighted by 460 tons, requires only 80 horsepower to open and close.

Live webcams without the Mariners are available here, though I much prefer this view:

Here we go!

The Mariners had a good day.  We enjoyed being a part of the benefit for Erin Long at the Company of Fifers and Drummers Hall.  A great job was done by Kate Bolcar and all of the supporting cast.

A shot of your friendly neighborhood barstaff, Neil O’Brien, the Chief Chanteyman and Kevin Brown, the Commodore, in their native habitat.

We then adjourned to our annual season kickoff party in New London.  We try and time this to coincide with the Hygienic Arts Festival, where our contribution is an uninvited and impromptu parade and pub crawl.

All went well, and Greg Bacon, neatly attired and newly iphoneified, spent as much time blogging as he did fifing.

The beer flowed freely, there were even a few margaritas thrown in for good measure.

The only down part of the evening came with a bit of false advertising:

We were summarily not invited in for a beer, or anything else.  “The onliest place in town we WEREN’T welcome.”

We also enjoyed having some members of the Old Guard hanging out for the evening (and the morning after).  Might be a rough Monday at Fort Myer.  We’re sorry Sgt Major Rock. (photos withheld to protect the guilty)

All in all, a great day, and the season is off and stumbling.

So apparently, one must rehearse how to march a parade in some Corps.  Yet another great reason to be a Mariner: marching is merely the means to the pub, I mean end.

Speaking of the end, the final moments of this video show the fife and drum unit of ‘The Old Guard,’ the 3rd US Infantry.  The Mariners own Eric Chomka is second row, second from the left of the screen, that giant ‘Mountain’ of a fifer.  Go Eric!