PORT ANGELES, Wash. — It started, like a lot of things lately, with the pandemic.
“My names Erik Evans, I'm called the Parking Lot Piper on Facebook because when COVID hit, everywhere was so quiet. There were no sounds. Everybody was locked down. So I decided okay, I'm gonna go for a walk with my bagpipes and I'll just walk around the block and march around the block and play.
The Port Angeles piper was a relative beginner - and not everyone loves the sound of bagpipes. So playing in public was a leap of faith.
“I'm not a good piper. I'm a journeyman novice at best.”
But Erik's music was exactly what his neighbors needed. He says people immediately started waving, saying hello. So now, three days a week, Erik takes his pipes to local parks. And, exactly at noon, he continues to break that silence. Sometimes, with a little help from his dog Kiska, who occasionally howls along. “She’s part of the group. She’s piper number two!” smiles Evans.
Playing bagpipes for a long period of time comes with years and years of practice. Erik just plays for 15 minutes per session. But for those 15 minutes, his bagpipes do their work.
"The pipes are uniquely suited for emotion, they bring out emotion in people. And there's a lot of sadness going on right now. I have lots of people come up to me and say, you know, this really made a difference to me,” he said.
"We love to hear Erik play the pipes, he started doing it during the pandemic it's been wonderful. Especially a lot of us stuck at home,” said Ronda Lee Crone, who catches Erik when she can with her husband Dave. Ronda Lee has been to Scotland, she says Erik’s piping brings her back there.
For the piper - it's a sacrament.
“It's kind of become a time when can pray, say my blessings, thank my universal creator, and just say ‘please take care of these people’,” said Evans.
And when we can all sit a bit closer together and maybe take off the masks, the Parking Lot Piper plans to keep showing up. Breaking the silence - and counting his blessings.
“My goal is to be the best piper I can be on my last day on earth. And that's what it's all about.”
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