‘We’re honored’

LITTLE ROCK — The skirl of bagpipes drifted across downtown Conway on a recent afternoon, causing some motorists to roll down their vehicle windows to listen for the source.

The music was coming from Central Fire Station, from a member of the Conway Firefighters Pipes and Drums.

“Three of us pipers tried to learn about three years ago - it was a futile attempt,” firefighter Stewart Wilcox said with a laugh.

“In 2011, we all got together and said we were going to do it and stick with it.”

The Conway Firefighters Pipes andDrums include Wilcox, Rick Stapleton and Shon Randles on bagpipes, and Mike Cullum joined most recently to play the snare drum.

Stapleton said the idea came after he and other Conway firefighters attended a national firefighters memorial event in Maryland, where no Arkansas pipe bands performed.

“We kind of thought, ‘Man, this is something we need to do, we want to do,’” Stapleton said. “It took a couple of years to get the gumption up and find somebody to teach us.”

That somebody was Chris Knife, formerly of Conway. Roy Eggensperger of Conwayis now the group’s teacher. Eggensperger fell in love with the bagpipe sound, which is called skirl, about six years ago, and Knife taught him to play.

Eggensperger is a member of the Prince Street Pipe Band, which is purely for fun, not competition, he said. It’s made up of about 10 men and women, some of whom were taking lessons from Knife at about the same time.

“We would actually consider the firefighters part of our band, as well,” Eggensperger said.

Stapleton said the bagpipes didn’t come in until Christmas, but bagpipers first learn the fingerings on what’s called a practice chanter.

Stapleton said he’s never played another instrument.

“I’m still not very good at reading music, but until last September, I’d never attempted to read music,” he said.

“It’s been challenging,” he said, laughing. “If it wasn’t for Roy, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

Wilcox agreed.

He plays a little guitar, but that’s it, Wilcox said.

It was not music to many people’s ears when they started.

“We took a lot of ribbing at first,” Wilcox said. “Trust me. In the beginning, it was all the rest of the guys could stand, but we’ve gotten better.”

Stapleton called Wilcox the “phenom” of the group at being able to read and memorize music.

“I played my first wedding this past Saturday and got to walk the bride down the aisle to the playing,” Stapleton said.

“It was kind of a smaller church, and whenever I struck those things up before her and her dad walked out, it was one of those deals, if you were sleeping beforehand, you weren’t sleeping afterward,” he said, laughing.

Wilcox played in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in LittleRock this year. He said although the band performs together and individually at various functions, honoring firefighters who have died is the band’s purpose.

‘Our main focus is for our fallen brothers, whether it be in-state or out-of-state, and for firefighter-graduation ceremonies and funerals,” Wilcox said.

Stapleton said that last week they planned to play at the funeral of Jacksonville Fire Department Capt. Donald Jones, who was killed Monday night when a speeding car struck him as he was workingan accident on Arkansas 161. The driver was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Although the group has played for veterans’ funerals, this is the first for a fellow firefighter, Wilcox said.

“It’s not something we look forward to, but it’s something we’re honored to do,” he said.

Wilcox said the tradition of firefighters playing the bagpipes goes back more than 150 years when Scottish and Irish immigrants came to America, especially after the Great Potato Famine. The only jobs the Irish could get were dangerous ones, such as working as firefighters and police officers, and the Irish played thebagpipes at funerals.

Stapleton said the Conway pipers can perform “simpletype funerals; it’s whatever the family wants.”

“We can make it a production, or a lot of them want it simple,” he said. “You can’t control the volume on the bagpipes; they’re either on or off. When you play that second time through, you turn and walk away.”

Although Stapleton said there are “happier-type songs,” the three standard bagpipe songs for funerals are “Amazing Grace,” “Going Home” and “Dawning of the Day.”

Members of the Conway Firefighters Pipes and Drums wear black jackets called doublets. Their kilts, ordered from USA Kilts in Pennsylvania, are made of the firefighter memorial tartan, which is primarily red and black, a design specific to that company.

“We wear it proudly,” Wilcox said.

Stapleton said the Conway firefighters bought Gibson bagpipes, made in Ohio by a man who previously made them in Scotland.

“They have a great sound; they have a lot of good reviews. We’ve been real happy,” Stapleton said.

Members of the ConwayFirefighters Pipes and Drums are supported entirely with donations, Stapleton said.

It cost each man about $3,500 for the bagpipe and uniform.

“We’re not actually a department band,” he said. “With the city being in the financial situation it is, they haven’t actually given us any money.

“Luckily, we’ve got a really good community. We went out and have done some fundraising. We charge for the fun stuff. We don’t really have set prices. We kind of go off ‘pay us what you think we’re worth.’”

The f i re f i g hters don’t charge to play for funerals, he said, “but if somebody wants to make a donation later, that’s fine.”

Donations may be sent to Conway Firefighters Pipes and Drums, P.O. Box 1472, Conway, AR 72033.

“We’re not great, compared to a great piper who’s been doing it for years,” Stapleton said. “Probably in the last eight months, I’ll bet there’s been maybe five days I didn’t touch the practice chanter or the actual bagpipe.”

The age-old question had tobe asked: What does one wear under a kilt?

“Socks and shoes,” Wilcox said, laughing. “We wear stuff under it, but some people might not. I don’t know - I don’t have the guts to look.” Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.