So I might have missed the first few strains of ‘Hornpipe’ but I made the rest of the last parade of the 2010 season.

By Tim Martin for The Day

Thanks to all the parade goers, organizers and fellow fife and drummers who have made another season so much fun.

And in case anyone is wondering, I was NOT the last Mariner in line!

Next stop- the Old Saybrook Christmas Muster.

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?

From the grounds of scenic Fort Griswold, the Nutmeg Junior Ancients Muster.

Two very nice photos by Lisa Kirt-Palm:

The fort has quite the history and a beautiful view over the river of downtown New London.

From the Fort Griswold website: “This is the historic site where, on September 6, 1781, British Forces, commanded by the infamous Benedict Arnold, captured the Fort and massacred 88 of the 165 defenders stationed there. The Ebenezer Avery House which sheltered the wounded after the battle has been restored on the grounds. A Revolutionary War museum also depicts the era.”

The obelisk in the left of the first photo that bears remarkable resemblance to the Washington Monument, being designed by the same Robert Mills, is also open for climbing, all 160-something steps.  And from those lofty heights I captured these interesting, if mediocre, photos of the Westbrook Juniors on stand.

The Muster Season’s winding down, but there’s still time to get out and lift a pint with us in Marlborough or Sudbury MA. Hope to see you there!

The new Mariner summer uniform?

No, just what happens when its hot and a couple industrious minds have too much time on their hands.

This is the return from the “new and improved” tidal swimming hole at Deep River, adapted for a relaxing float, rather than fighting the current.  Laziness breeds the best ideas!

Never wrestle with a pig; you both get all dirty and the pig likes it.

Thanks to Kurt Stalder for the photo.

Two generations of the ‘Pirate in Chains” meet on the 50th Muster Field.

When I saw this photo, all I could think of was, “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat,” a reference to the Jim McKay voice over for ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” from the 70’s.  For those not familiar, or wishing for a refresher, here it is.  I only remember the first 20 seconds, up through the famous ski jumping wreck.

Our fearless leaders, the Swiss and American Commodores, Walter Buchler and Kevin Brown.  They’re affectionately dubbed, “The Commodes.”

Here they are at our 50th Anniversary Muster, celebrating upon hearing the proclamations of “Mariner Day in Connecticut” and “Mariner Month in Guilford!”

Unlike my friend, Greg Bacon, it takes me a lot longer to process these Mariner good times, a lot longer to find words to help me and others understand.

Case in point: I only this week listened to the full recording of our show in Augst, Switzerland from 2007.

Not wanting to wait until 2011, when I have something germane to say, I’ll be sharing photos of the events that capture glimpses into what made the 50th Anniversary so special for me, and I suspect others.

This one’s from Felix Freuler.

As part of our week of celebrations we invited along our great friends from Switzerland. It is impossible to adequately describe how we feel about these guys. But, I can tell you that when we get together we have lots of fun playing music, telling jokes and singing songs over a few ales. For this visit, we had a new pad for all wayward Mariners to hangout. That place is affectionately known as The Firehouse.
 

 

The great thing about The Firehouse is that it is ours. It is owned by a Mariner and for the week the Swiss were here it was home to any that chose to make it so. Here is a list of other cool things about ‘The Firehouse’:

• We can play fife and drum music there until any hour of the morning.
• It is decorated with classic Mariner photos and memorabilia.
  
• It has beautiful stained glass.
  
• It has beautiful pint glasses…at least when there’s beer in ‘em.
  
• It has a walk in cooler with more kegs of beer than your average liquor store.
  
• It sleeps a hundred men in an assortment of hovels and lofts.
  
• There are lofts in the Firehouse where you can sleep till noon and it is still black as night.
• There is a bar in the kitchen.
  
• There is a bar upstairs.
• There are two urinals.
• The bathroom has a cool fire mural in it with a scantily clad fire woman.
   
  
  (incidentally, this painting reminds me of a song about my mother being a fireman…but I’ll save that for another time.)
• When your done in the bathroom, you can ring the fire bell.
• You can hang stuff from the red pipes that wind across the ceiling…and that is exactly what we did.

I set up three microphones for the week and flipped on a recorder anytime there was activity in The Firehouse. They were unobtrusive and guys never really noticed them. What I have, consequently, is a weeks worth of recordings. Fife and drum, fife and table, fife and pans, songs, jokes and laughter. Really it is just recordings of what we do when we hang out together without the crowds of a muster or a performance. Some of it is mellow, a lot of it is not. None of it is rehearsed and most of it is from the wee hours of the morning after spending our days on Block Island or our evenings at the Griswold Inn. And like any beautiful piece of wood where the grain and knots give it character, so too these recordings come with an occasional knot and definitely a bit of grain. I think that is what gives them their charm.
 

The first recording I would like to share is of a tune called Planxty Bill Gallagher. This is a tune that John Ciaglia wrote as a study after Roy Watrous. One reason I enjoy this tune is that we never play it until the Swiss arrive, and every time I think, ‘wow, what a great tune, we should play this’.

To celebrate the Mariners 50th anniversary, we wanted to do more than just host a muster. Sure, party’s are fun, we’ll be the first to admit it. But we wanted more. We wanted to pull back the curtains and give a glimpse of what it is to be a Mariner. There are great medley’s, such as The Whipple and the Gaspee, penned by, among others, the legendary Ed Olsen. There is also the constant reminder that, like Ed, there were many other great Mariners that, sadly, are no longer with us.

We do our best to keep their memory and legacy alive not only by carrying an oar with all their names affixed, but also retelling their stories. Like how Norm Ott once saved a young polliwog from certain death after pissing off another well known drum corps. Like how Roy Watrous could spin a classic tune, called Billy Budd, and give all the credit to the machine that he worked on day in and day out. Like how Babe Kelly could snap to attention and put on a brilliant show after being a bit over-served. Like how Sean Egan could strike up a conversation with beautiful women using outlandish pickup lines. Like how Freddy Bruder helped to start the Swiss Mariners. Like how Howard Hornstein battled, beyond all comprehension, ALS, and remained a vital contributor to the Mariners until his passing. There are many more. Some hilariously funny, some stunningly sad and some inspiring. Throughout the muster we tried to tell these stories. Some as vignettes while we were performing and others as conversations over an ale.

We hope those that attended the muster saw not only a fife and drum corps celebrating a milestone, but also learned a bit about the past, a bit about our music, a bit about our style of fun, and a bit about the brotherhood we share with each other. In short, we hope you learned a bit about The Mariner Spirit.

After scouring the web I have collected here a handful of photo’s that do a nice job of capturing some of that spirit. In addition, we will be posting a series of entries that capture not only the Mariner Muster, but our entire week through the Deep River Muster.
 

The Mariners take the stand during the tattoo.
 
Our Swiss friends arrive in style donning Fasnacht masks.
 
As the sun sets festive lanterns are lit. We stole this idea from the Swiss but have a lot to learn about technique.
 

The stage is lit.
 

Before the parade the bass section lines up.
 

On the Oar or On the Street.
 

Cliff leading us in The German Clockwinder.
 

The Mariners watch as other corps perform.

For other great photo’s from the weekend check out:
Set 1
Set 2

Lastly, thank you to all the corps that participated, gave use thoughtful gifts, performed great music, shared a beer, told your stories and made this a great celebration!