Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band plays the Grayslake Days Parade

The Grayslake Fire Department, the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce and other friends welcomed the Chicago Stock Yards Kilty Band to the 2009 Grayslake Days Parade.

The Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band (one of the oldest continuous pipe bands in the United States of America) was formed in 1921 by brothers Robert and James Sim.  The Sim brothers came from a piping family in Aberdeen, Scotland where their father made bagpipes.  Both served in World War I (Bob with the 4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders and Jim, who enlisted at 13, with the Royal Engineers Pipe Band and later with the 51st Highland Division).

After coming to Chicago, Bob Sim joined the Canadian Kilties Pipe Band, which has since gone out of existence.  In 1921 Sim decided to form his own pipe band and after obtaining uniforms from ex-servicemen of the British Legion he and his brother organized the British Legion Pipe Band.  In 1925 the Chicago Stockyard American Legion Post #333 was organized and was looking for a musical unit.  The band became affiliated with the Stockyard Post in 1926 and changed its name to the Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band.

The band currently competes in Grade 4 and has won six champion supreme awards, competing in Grades 5, 4, and 3 in the Midwest Pipe Band Association throughout its history.

After the parade the Grayslake Fire Department received many wonderful letters about the band and the department. Hopefully we can bring the Chicago Stock Yard Kilty Band very soon.

Grayslake Honor Guard leads the Grayslake Summer Days Parade

The Grayslake Honor Guard, formed in 2008 made it's parade debut at the 2009 Grayslake Summer Days. The honor guard, made up of Grayslake Firefighters, joined the Lake County Honor Guard in 2004 assisting in parades and funerals throughout the county. Grayslake Firefighters began training on their own time preparing to assist the department in parades, events and most importantly firefighter funerals. The honor guard also serves as the "guardians of the colors" by displaying and escorting the national flag on ceremonial occasions.

Firefighters pledged to 'pink'

Department devotes October to breast cancer awareness fund-raiser

Think pink and support breast cancer research in October. That's the message from Grayslake firefighters who, beginning Wednesday, will be wearing pink on the job for the rest of the month.

They are also trying to get the community in the pink -- and raise money -- by selling shirts incorporating the department logo and a pink ribbon.

"One of our firefighters (Lt. Jim Weidman) works part time in Wauconda, and they did the same thing last year after learning at a conference how another fire department did the same thing," said Deputy Chief Greg Formica.

"It sounded like a good idea to take part in. It's a grass roots fund-raiser," he said.

The shirts are priced $14 each and all profits, about $5 per shirt, will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. All department personnel can wear the shirts during October because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"We raised just over $600 so far. We've sold over 100 shirts," Formica said.

Asked whether pink was hard to wear for the men involved, Formica said, "I think during the other 11 months of the year you won't find pink too much. But when it's for a good cause, people aren't afraid to wear it."

The shirts will also be on sale during the Oct. 19 open house at Station 1, 160 Hawley St. The Exchange Club is also doing its pancake breakfast that day.

As it turns out, Grayslake is not the only department to go pink.

Countryside Fire Department in Vernon Hills is paring up with Guardians of the Ribbon and the Pink Ribbon tour that includes a pink fire truck that will be on display Thursday at Westfield Hawthorn Mall.

Firefighters on the Pink Tour are driving across the country (33 cities) to raise awareness for breast cancer. All cancer survivors are welcome to put their signature on the truck, which will be parked from noon to 4 p.m. in the Sears parking lot. Educational material will be available.

Raffle tickets are being sold to win a pink fire helmet, and the truck will participate in the Vernon Hills homecoming parade.