The South Park & District Pipes & Drums was
established in 1998 by a group of piping & drumming friends who had a
desire to perform in the Belmar, NJ St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The band was assigned to lead The Women of Irish Heritage of the Jersey
Shore that year, and is proud to have led them in
the Belmar parade every year since. After the 2003 parade season, the
band decided to form up as a full-time pipe band, and began holding weekly
practices at the South Orange, NJ Elks Club.
In addition to the Belmar St. Patrick’s Day
Parade, the band’s parade schedule includes participation in various
parades in the New York / New Jersey metropolitan area. In 2004, the band
became active in the bagpipe band competition circuit. Competing in
EUSPBA-sanctioned contests primarily in the northeastern
United States, South Park & District was ranked 6th overall for 2004 and
was the number one band in grade 5 in the Metro Branch. Prizes included a
first place finish at the Bonnie Brae Scottish Games in Liberty Corner,
NJ. Not bad for a first year! This remarkable first step is a tribute to
the desire and hard work of the band’s members. In 2006, the band
finished first in 2 contests in a row: the NJ Irish Feis in Holmdel,
and the Rockland County Irish Feis at Stoney Point, NY, and finished the
competition season in 3rd place overall, out of 125 bands! South Park
was promoted to Grade 4 by the EUSPBA for the 2007 season.
The name, “South Park and District” is
derived from the two towns in northern New Jersey that are important to
the band: South Orange, where the band rehearses, and Park Ridge, where
the band holds it’s business address. Rehearsals are on Thursday nights
at the South Orange Elks Club, 220 Prospect Street, South Orange beginning
at 7:30 PM.
For booking inquiries, please call Brian
Monteverdi, band manager, at 201-259-7984.
Brian Monteverdi
– Manager
Bill McEvoy
– Pipe
Major Senator Pat Dodd
– Drum Major Emeritus (1938 - 2010)
Bill Cotter – Pipe
Sergeant
Andy Dickson – Drum Sergeant
Paul O’Sullivan – Pipe
Corporal Kevin Teevan – Drum Corporal