Fellow Emeralds,
WOW , what a month March has been! I want to thank all of you who showed our true IRISH SPIRIT throughout the month of March in celebration of St. Patrick's Day and our heritage.
Whether it was at our annual St. Patrick's Day Party, the Hermosa Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade and Block Party, or the Los Angeles St. Patrick's Day Parade and post parade gatherings at McCormick and Schmick's and Tam O' Shanter, we had a fantastic showing of our members, family and friends in unprecedented numbers and spirit!!!
Special thanks to Pipe Major Scott Walton and our Emerald Society Pipes and Drums that played outstandingly at every venue! I heard many compliments both as to the increasing size of our Band(eleven pipers) and the wonderful sound! Our Pipes and Drums led the way and their efforts are much appreciated!
I'd like to thank the following for showing outstanding support for the Los Angeles Police Emerald Society in our celebrations of St Patrick's Day and our Irish heritage:
Tom LaBonge, City Council District 4 Councilman and office, especially Young-Gi Kim.
Ed Reyes, City Council District 1 Councilman and office, especially Sophia.
Spring Street Barbeque (Dan Patterson)McCormick and Schmick's (Elaine Doran)
Casey's Irish Restaurant
Tam O' Shanter (Phil Bowater,Wayne Wood, and Melissa)
Roland Communications ( Annet Peairs)
Irish Import Shop (Ann Colburn)* Members receive a 10% discount with Emerald Society card.
Congratulations to two of our members who retired this month after very long and distinguished careers in the LAPD..our very own Gary Brennan and JJ Leonard!Our Pipes and Drums showed up in force at both retirements and it was an honor to be there and play for two of our finest members!!
APRIL UPDATE
Our special guest speaker for the April meeting (April 2nd) is confirmed. The harp is the national symbol of Ireland and a beautiful instrument it is. Our guest, Slyvia Woods, is a renowned harpist, teacher, composer and arranger from California who has gained an international reputation as one of the foremost folk harp players in the world. In 1980 she won the prestigious All-Ireland Harp Championship in Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland. Today she runs the Sylvia Woods Harp Center (a harp retail store, mail order catalog, and website) as well as a publishing company and a recording label.
Sylvia began studying the pedal harp while attending the University of Redlands in Southern California. After graduation, she became interested in folk harps such as the Irish and Welsh harps, and traveled on her own to France (Brittany) and Ireland to research the folk harp scenes in those countries. She now concentrates on the folk harp, and has been a major leader in the world-wide renaissance of this beautiful instrument.
For more info check the website www.harpcenter.com .
We look forward to seeing the presentation and performance of the harp, the national symbol of Ireland, by Sylvia Woods at our April meeting.
That's all for now Emeralds and I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
Stephen Saletros, President, Los Angeles Police Emerald Society.
PS Does anyone have a copy of the book Harpo Speaks?
