BCPipers' Photo Album 22

Friday at the United Scottish Cultural Centre:
The first to compete in the 69th Annual Gathering were these two young ladies. Megan Harrington, from California, was first up in Grade 1 Piobaireachd, and Alison Dunsire, from Washington, was first up in Professional Piobaireachd.	One of a number of plaques / carvings on the walls in the main hall of the Scottish Cultural Center - look up the next time you're there.
Another plaque from the walls in the Scottish Cultural Centre.	There were three women in the professional piping class, of the 15 competitors. Here they are, after the Piobaireachd event on Friday. From the left: Ryan MacDonald (Nova Scotia), Ann Gray (Alberta), and Alison Dunsire.
Saturday at The Simon Fraser University:
Saturday at SFU: One bulletin board, with all the information you want about events, schedules, and locations - It is hard to imagine how much information is actually shown here. (50K photo)	Solo drumming took place on the 4th level of the AQ. Taken with a very simple digital camera, this photo is of the outside of that level of the AQ.
Another external view (it was a beautiful day); this from right above the solo piping rooms. Look down through the window and you would see the AQ main hallways. SFU is a most impressive place.	Once again M/C Bill Elder did a wonderful job of keeping the audience informed and entertained ("some Gaelic tune" - his statement whenever the title was not easy to pronounce - perhaps you had to be there) during the evening events at the Images Theatre.
From the stage, looking up - in the back / top you can see the heads of the judges. By the time of the competitions, all 400+ seats in the Images Theatre were filled, as were the isles, and more.. (47K photo)	A full house watched the Mini-Band contests and the awards presentations that immediately followed. This photo was taken from the front corner of the stage, looking diagonally across to the back of the theatre. (58K photo)
Trophy presentations are fun too - here BCPA President Kim Chisholm, and Senior Judge Jack Watson present trophies. Each of the judges had a turn presenting trophies.	The Architecture of SFU is timeless - many movies use potions of the University as a depiction of a future time or even another planet. Here is a photo of the main courtyard - just in front of the Pub where the Ceilidh was held. (45K photo)
One of the reasons this was the best ceilidh in recent memory was the great performance by the full Maple Ridge Pipe Band (MR PB "A" won the Grade 2 Mini Band event).	The full Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band also gave us an excellent ceilidh performance. (RMM PB "A" won the Grade 3 Mini Band Contest)
Father and son (Bruce and Alex Gandy) leave the 69th Annual Gathering, having won nearly every event and trophy they could.