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Salem fire station turns into stage for bagpipe and drums group

Virginia Highlands Bags and Pipes wants to spread some cheer

SALEM, Va. – On Thursday night, musicians took to the streets of downtown Salem in the hopes of spreading some cheer.

The Virginia Highlands Bags and Pipes turned the space in front of Salem Fire Station No. 1 into a stage. They gathered just before sundown and drew a small crowd to watch.

Bagpipes aren’t the most isolation-friendly instrument, so they wanted to find a unique way to get together during these trying times.

“People love to hear bagpipes and we thought that this would be a good opportunity especially in front of the firehouse, the firemen enjoy listening to us, so we decided we would just keep our distance from each other and just try to make some music and be happy," pipe major Tom Rogers said.

One of the drummers in the band is also a firefighter with the Salem Fire Department.

The group regularly performs at events and ceremonies across the Roanoke Valley.