A Highland Heartbeat
THE RESILIENT LEGACY OF SHADLE PARK’S PIPE BAND
The Shadle Park High School Pipe Band & Highland Dancers is an extra-curricular music program that teaches traditional Scottish Bagpiping, Drumming, and Highland Dance. The program has ebbed and flowed over the decades but has been around since the school’s founding in 1957.
The property of Shadle Park was originally owned by Eugene Shadle and his wife Josie Comstock Shadle. Eugene moved to Spokane from Iowa in 1891 working in the dry goods business, later venturing into real estate, and in 1901 Eugene married the daughter of J.M. Comstock, Josie.
The Shadle’s were very generous with their wealth and donated large amounts of land to the city of Spokane; in 1936 the land for Comstock Park on the South Hill, and in 1944 Josie donated the north-side property and had it named in honor of her late husband.
In 1955, Shadle Park was chosen to be the site for the first Modernist-style high school to be built in Spokane and opened its doors in 1957. The identity of Shadle Park High School was built on Eugene’s Scottish heritage, a descendant of Clan Henderson.
The school’s colors, Green and Gold, derive from the tartan of Clan Henderson, it acquired the nickname “Highlanders”, and the Shadle Park Class of 1964 presented the school’s crest with themes from that heritage. The school was entirely remodeled in 2009, and in recent years adopted a mascot; a redheaded, kilt wearing, character named MacTavish.
The Shadle Park High School Pipe Band was formed in the ‘60’s by the late Pipe Major William “Bill” Thomas (1931-2017), a teacher at Westview Elementary and an active bagpiper in the Angus Scott Pipe Band in Spokane. Through Bill’s love of Scottish Pipe Band music he formed and directed the pipe
band which embodies everything that is “Go Highlanders!” The shrilling sound of “Scotland the Brave” from the bagpipes and the thundering of the drums call back to centuries of Highlander spirit while a flood of green and gold kilts passes by; Shadle High has arrived! The Pipe Band performed at games and convocations to inspire their fellow Highlanders. In the mid-70’s, Scottish Highland Dancing was introduced to students and a few of the steps were adopted by the school’s Cheerleaders that are still being used today.
Unfortunately, in the ‘80’s Bill stepped down as director and the pipe band tradition died out. Bill’s infections love of Pipe Band music carried on and the pipe band was revived in the 90’s by another member of the Angus Scott Pipe Band, Pipe Major Shelley Winkey. Shelley was a piper and graduate of Shadle, and her love of bagpipe music inspired her to bring the tradition back to life.
After great success and increasing involvement of students, Shelley stepped down but one of her bagpipe students, Dan Grimes (Class of 1998), stepped in to direct the pipe band. Jeff McMurtery (Class of 1998) was a drummer in the pipe band and went on to further study Scottish snare drumming; a handful of drum parts that he wrote for the pipe band are still used today.
Around that same time, Marie Darling, who studied Highland Dance under the renowned Elizabeth Coyle and went to own and operate a competitive Highland Dance studio in Spokane, coached and formed the Highland Dancers of Shadle Park that became part of the overall program; Shadle Park High School Pipe Band & Highland Dancers.
The program flourished for many years. Marie stepped down as the dance coach but put in her place a prominent Shadle Highland Dancer, Brielle Balazs (Class of 2006). Members of the band made multiple trips to Scotland, competed in Highland Games around the state, performed for cultural events throughout Spokane, but history likes to repeat itself. Around 2016, Dan unexpectedly stepped down as director of the Pipe Band and the entire program fell on to the shoulders of Brielle and other alumni.
Since then, the program has been slowly dwindling, much like what happened in the 80’s, with fewer students joining the pipe band or dancers each year and the alumni moving on with life. The Covid-19 Pandemic made things even more difficult with removing in-person practices and the program moved to online meetings, which for a musician or a dancer is not very engaging.
Two individuals deserve a lot of respect during this period: Heidi Smith (Class of 2015), and Brittney Sargent (Class of 2008). These ladies continued to keep the program running throughout that transitionary period, even during a global pandemic, and they are the reason the Pipe Band and Dancers are still around today.
The Band Director at Shadle is a co-worker of mine in the Army National Guard. During the pandemic, he called me and asked if I would be interested in coaching the Pipe Band as it wasn’t doing very well, and I was the only bagpiper he knew. Being a Shadle graduate (Class of 2008) and had learned to play the pipes from this very band, I agreed to volunteer as a bagpipe coach in 2020, and then in 2021 stepped in as the Head Coach of the program.
Today, it’s me and another Shadle alumni, Jonathan Williams (Class of 2015), co-running the Pipe Band and we have a volunteer Highland Dance coach, Megan Sargent, from Lake City Highland Dance; a prominent Highland Dance studio based in Coeur d’Alene.
To keep students interested and the pipe band relevant with no student bagpipers, an adult
has had to be the bagpiper for this high school pipe band for the last 5 years, and I’ve been that piper the last 3 years.
This school year, we have 5 performing Drummers and 1 Highland Dancer. I currently have 4 students learning to play the bagpipes with one, hopefully, performing next year. At the height of the pipe band there were about 9 bagpipers, 8 drummers, and 16 dancers.
Our biggest fundraiser every year is during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations which is always the Saturday before, or when it lands on, March 17th. The Pipe Band & Dancers perform all day marching in the parade downtown and at local restaurants. We pass a hat around to patrons while we play a short 10-minute set of fun Scottish and Irish tunes, and our Dancers dance all throughout the restaurant. The community, and the students, look forward to this every year.
I also invite other Shadle alumni to join us. Looking back at the history of this little high school pipe band, I feel like we are on the upward swing again, which is encouraging. Having a student bagpiper performing in the band will make all the difference.
Playing bagpipes has been one of the coolest, and probably weirdest, things I’ve been able to do in my life. My wife was a Highland Dancer while we were students at Shadle; she is why I even wanted to play the bagpipes. I thought it was just a fun thing to do in High School, but my parents bought me my own set of pipes as a gift after graduating.
I joined the Army in 2014, and while stationed at Fort Drum, New York I was able to play “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes in front of Soldiers, Senior Leaders, and Government Officials at large memorial
events, as well as smaller remembrance ceremonies for fallen Soldiers. I had the opportunity to deploy to Afghanistan for a few months and it happened to be over St. Patrick’s Day. I made sure to bring my pipes, and I got to perform with a team from the 10th Mountain Division Band playing a Drop Kick Murphy’s tune at one of their concerts at Bagram Airfield along with a guy from the U.S.O. dressed up in a crazy Leprechaun outfit shredding on his guitar.
When I got out of Active Duty in 2017 to move back home and join my dad in his real estate business, bagpipes were not even close to being on my mind. Since agreeing to help out the Shadle Pipe Band, I’ve found myself starting a side hustle bagpipe service performing for funerals and teaching private lessons.
For my part time job with the Army National Guard, I was able to play bagpipes at last year’s Militia Ball playing “Amazing Grace” in a ball room filled with sharply dressed service men and women, their spouses, and right in front of The Adjutant General of the Washington National Guard.
It's been an honor giving back to my community who played a big part in my upbringing. Playing bagpipes at Shadle created opportunities that I could not have ever imagined. I’m thankful for Bill Thomas and his contributions to the bagpipe community in Spokane. I never had the chance to meet Bill, but his infectious love for Pipe Band music has spread to hundreds of Shadle graduates, including myself, and I feel the importance of keeping that love going for another 70 years with the Shadle Park High School Pipe Band & Highland Dancers.
Green and Gold Pipe Band
Shadle Park High School
NOTES
Sophisticated in presentation yet deceptively simple to make, this salmon mousse will upgrade your garden parties, hors d'oeuvre hours and everyday snack time.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cucumbers
Salmon Mousse
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese,
• 1/2 pound smoked salmon
• 1 tablespoon 2% milk
INSTRUCTIONS
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh dill
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1. Peel strips from cucumbers to create a decorative edge; cut cucumbers into 1/2-in. slices. Using a melon baller, remove a small amount of cucumber from the center, leaving the bottom intact.
2. Place the cream cheese, salmon, milk, lemon pepper and dill in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. In another bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into salmon mixture.
4. Pipe or dollop mousse onto cucumber slices; garnish with dill. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
HOME TRENDS: THE RISE OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACES AND DESIGNING FOR FLEXIBILITY
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As the need for adaptable spaces grows, real estate professionals should highlight multifunctional potential when staging or listing properties. Buyers are drawn to homes that offer flexibility to accommodate changing lifestyles, making multifunctional spaces a key selling point in 2025 and beyond.
$658,078 856 918 20 106
$412,500 $563,000 337 217 669 418
Market Insights
Spokane Countyexperienced a moderate increase in the average sale price, rising to $444,413, marking a 5.0% increase compared to February 2024. The median sales price also saw an increase of 3.1%, settling at $412,500. The current inventory rose in a big way to 856 listings, an notable increase of 16.8% from the previous year. This represents a 2.5-month supply, an increase from February 2024, still indicating a seller's market. Residential closed sales also increased by 5.9%, totaling 337 transactions. Additionally, the median days on the market increased to 20 days.
Annual residential sales is up from year’s level, up 3.7%, totaling 669 sales.
In similar fashion, Kootenai Countyshowed slightly increased price performance, with the average sale price rising to $658,078, reflecting a 8.7% increase from the previous year. The median sales price had a similar increase of 9.3%, reaching $563,000. Inventory in the area increased by 4.6% to 918 listings. Residential closed sales also saw a sizable increase of 8.5%, with 217 transactions recorded. The median days on the market decreased to 106 days. Annual residential sales in Kootenai County are up 18.8%, totaling 418 transactions so far this year. As interest rates fluctuate and the market anticipates changes throughout the year, it's crucial to consult with your