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 The Gates Keystone Club Police  Pipes and Drums

is a Police-Fire-EMS band formed in 1998 by six members of the Gates Police Department and sponsored by the Gates Police Union, "The Keystone Club" in The Town of Gates - A suburb of the City of Rochester, New York.

The band was founded for the purpose of honoring our fallen brothers and sisters and to participate at official ceremonial events. Prior to its founding, there were no public safety pipe and drum bands in the local area. The original members had no prior pipe and drum band experience and started from ground zero. Today, the band has grown to 45 members from various public safety agencies and includes a number of very dedicated civilians from the local community. The band travels throughout the upstate New York region performing at line of duty funerals and other special events. The band/Soloists participate in 50 plus events each year lending strong support to the local Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS and assisting local military units during their time of loss. 

The Earl of St. Andrew is the official tartan of the band.  The predominately blue color is symbolic of the emergency services representing peace, loyalty, wisdom and integrity.  The badge, gun holster and patch are part of the emergency services dress code.  The feather bonnet, white spats and doublet dress coats are representative of the quasi military world in which  Police, Fire and EMS personnel function. The Irish tradition was also incorporated into our uniform. The patch features a shamrock and a leprechaun. On special occasions, the drum major wears a tri-color sash while tri-color hackles are worn on the pipers bonnet and the drummers Glengarry cap.

In closing, we hope you will take the time to visit the various areas of our web site.  We do it all! ...Fun and somber events.  There is no greater honor than to pipe a new recruit across the stage at a graduation ceremony or to pipe a fallen comrade to their final resting place.  As a Police/Fire/EMS Pipe Band, we work for God.  It is only through his grace, "Amazing Grace", that we go to work each day and fight the evils that try to infiltrate the mother land of the U.S.A. 

     Blessed are the peace keepers, for they shall be called sons of God