Front Porch: Young bagpiper’s last play at Olympics

Published 10:59 pm Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Today will be the last performance for Alexander Schiele of Snohomish at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

He’s been entertaining with a bagpipe band at curling competitions.

Alexander, 14, began playing bagpipes at age 7. His grandmother bought a “practice chanter” to keep his interest while she told stories of her trip to Scotland. He enjoyed it, and worked his way through all of the lessons in the book that came with it. He soon began taking lessons and joined Northwest Junior Pipe Band.

In Vancouver, he is playing with Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band based in Vancouver, B.C.

For more information, go to snohopiper.blogspot.com.

Benefit tonight for symphony: A benefit is planned from 5 to 8 tonight at WineStyles Marysville, 6608 64th St. NE, Marysville, to benefit the Everett Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets are $20 at the door. There will be new wines to try.

Can you attract tourists to Everett? The city of Everett is offering up to $100,000 in grants to organizations that host an event or cultural activity that brings people to town.

The money comes from a hotel-motel tax and the grant money is intended to encourage more overnight visits to Everett. An advisory group will whittle down the entries and the City Council will make final decisions.

The deadline for applying for grant money is noon today.

The application packet is available online at http://tinyurl.com/EveTourismGrant or call Councilman Arlan Hatloe at 425-257-8703.