Sep 20 – Towpath Fife and Drum Parade: On Sunday, September 20 at noon in Macedon Village Towpath Fife and Drum Parade. The Towpath Fife and Drum Corps are hosting four drum corps from around the world. These fife and Drum corps come form St. Tropez, France, Ivrea, Italy, Ypres, Belgium and Camden, NJ. This 2015 World Friendship Festival is a colorful and historical event that is exciting for every family. Join us for this fabulous event. This event is free and open to everyone. For more information, call 585-474-4116 or email books_etc@yahoo.com.
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Susan Said,
A colorful, historical, and exciting event! -- but only if you are invited. The C.A. Palmer Ancient Fife and Drum Corps and the Excelsior Brigade are not. Furthermore, they have also been "dis-invited" from Palmyra's Canal Town Days, whose committee decided to finance the Towpath event instead. According to CTD Chairman Tom Klemann, it "took a considerable chunk of our parade budget” to “hire the Towpather's complete festival contingency,” leaving none to hire the two (smaller) corps.
The Towpath Parade will conclude a larger event, a "World Friendship Festival,” which, in the words of Towpath founder Paul Willson will “[bring together] other Fife[s] and Drums to the U.S. [to share] experiences with the local community" (The Wayne County Times, August 1, 2015). How can “world friendship” be shared with a “local community” of fifers and drummers who won't be there?
A prudent solution to both issues, of course, would be including the C.A. Palmer Ancients and the Excelsior Brigade in the splendid but budget-busting “complete festival contingency.” This would allow them to participate in both events -- unless, of course, the CTD Committee is paying ONLY Mr. Willson and NOT the corps themselves. Is that what Mr. Klemann is doing -- is he paying Mr. Willson for a job customarily done for free by Sharon Condit and her parade committee? I for one would like to know if the "considerable chunk of [his] parade budget" is going into someone's pocket rather than to the drum corps who think they are working for it.
Unfortunately, Mr. Willson remains disinterested in *any* solution, prudent or otherwise. He has not replied to my emailed request for an invitation. Apparently, his concept of “world friendship” is one that seeks civic allies to publicly -- and now financially -- support his longstanding agenda of de-friending any fifer or drummer who belongs to any corps but his own. Is this how Mr. Willson plans to “show our guests what it means to be an American” -- by allying with the CTD Committee to damage and divide the local fife and drum community -- AND get paid for it??
Of note, Ms. Condit did contact the Palmer corps on behalf of the CTD parade committee, saying that she did not realize her “dis-invitation” would be considered a slap in the face by its “seven members.” She then offered a substitute venue in some kind of “horse parade." However, since Palmer’s “seven members” are fully cognizant of the unpleasant implications of marching behind horses, they politely declined -- as did the rest of us!! (Apparently she felt that neither an explanation nor an alternative venue was due to Excelsior Brigade. None was sent.)
Ms. Condit, it is my belief that "quality" is not the exclusive purview of "quantity," just sayin'.
Nonetheless, I wish success to both Ms. Condit and Mr. Willson. I am glad they have taken my advice and removed the word “friendship” from their publicity. Perhaps they may succeed in foisting their shallow, exclusionary concept of "friendship" upon non-English-speaking foreign visitors, but the rest of us know better.
Posted on Sun Sep 13, 10:28:00 AM EDT
Kathy Said,
Wow... Very well said!
Posted on Tue May 28, 01:31:00 AM EDT