Our bagpipe contingent is up to three! Last December, piper Kim Greeley began playing at the War Memorial Natatorium every Friday at sunset. She volunteered for the gig – playing tunes like Coming Home and Amazing Grace before sounding Taps – as her weekly tribute to the 10,000 World War I servicemen and women from Hawaii whose memories are enshrined at the Natatorium. Later, fellow piper Hardy Spoehr joined in. More recently, piper Theresa Bell, like Kim a member of Celtic Kula Pipe Band, has also helped to patrol the Natatorium gates on Friday evenings. Guest Trumpet On Friday, Oct.
Read More
Archives for Taps
Solemn Sunsets: Bagpipes at the Natatorium
A new tradition has begun. Bagpiper Kim Greeley patrolled the main gate of the Natatorium Friday at sunset, playing Coming Home and Amazing Grace before sounding Taps. She played in memory of more than 10,000 World War I veterans from Hawaii; it was in their honor that the Natatorium was conceived, built and opened in 1927 for the enjoyment of all Hawaii residents and visitors. The Friends of the Natatorium intend to repeat this remembrance ceremony most Friday evenings as the sun goes down. Kim and her pipes, or sometimes a bugler, will perform the somber, sorrowful and soulful traditional
Read More
The Natatorium Bugle Corps: Enlist Now!
The Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium is many things: recreation facility, competition venue, gathering space, cultural icon. It is also, first and foremost, a memorial to those who served our nation, especially those from Hawai’i who served in World War I. It was built as a memorial to warriors, and opened as a memorial 86 years ago this month. The beautiful Beaux-Arts-style ocean pool still stands as a memorial, even though as a recreation facility it awaits preservation, restoration and reopening. A memorial is a living thing. Its meaning is expressed in the interactions between the place itself and the people
Read More