The band was
formed in August 1979 as the
Garrett Highlanders, founded and
organized by the late Honorable
Fred A. Thayer and Charles P.
“Chip” Evans. A class of eight
students began the course of
instruction at Garrett Community
College, Oakland Center. The
band’s first public performance
was at the local ski resort’s
Summerfest in July 1980.
Officially adopted by the college
in 1989, the band continued to be
an affiliate program of the
institution until recently. The
band, now known as the Garrett
Highlands Pipes and Drums, is
under the sponsorship of the
Oakland Volunteer Fire Department
(http://www.ovfd40.com/).
Among its many
performances, the band led the
dignitaries, both local and
international, at the Whitewater
World Championship opening
ceremonies at Frostburg State
University Stadium in June 1989,
performed for the opening of
Interstate 68 in Cumberland, MD,
at Railfest, in 1992, and
participated in the Scottish
Christmas Walk in Alexandria, VA,
in 1991 and 1992. On September
11, 2002, the band played for the
dedication of the Flight #93
Memorial Chapel in Shanksville,
PA. The band usually plays a
major role in the Autumn Glory
celebration held in Garrett County
and Oakland, the county seat. The
band also has served as host band
for the McHenry Highland Festival
since its inception in 1988.
Band
Leadership
1979 - 2001 Fred
A. Thayer, Founder, Pipe Major
2001 - 2008/09
Gerald McGee, Pipe Major (now PM
Emeritus)
2009 - present
Paul Browning, Pipe Major
Current Officers
Clan Chief and Business
Manager/Scribe: Alma Glotfelty
Bursar: Barbara
Kutchman
Drum Major: Kenny Noland
Drum Sergeant:
Rick Kutchman
Drum Corporal: Barbara Kutchman
Pipe Sergeant:
Annie Bristow
Pipe Sergeant and OVFD Liaison:
Rich Ford
Pipe Corporal: Mary Alice Reesman
Quartermaster:
Alma Glotfelty
Archivist: John
McGowan
Guidons (flag
bearers): Members of the Oakland
Volunteer Fire Department
The Tartan
To honor its
founder, the band has adopted the
Colquhoun tartan as its official
kilt pattern. Thayer’s mother was
a descendant of the Colquhoun
clan.
