FERGUS – Peter Piper played his pipes every day during the pandemic and now he’s in a peck of trouble with a neighbour.
One could say it’s a real pickle.
Peter Hummel, known in music circles as Peter Piper, is an educational assistant and also a competitive bagpipe player who lives in Fergus.
When the pandemic began and people were banging pots and pans to show their support for frontline workers, Hummel decided to play his bagpipes instead.
He garnered a lot of support on Facebook – he livestreams his nightly performances there – and received a lot of positive feedback from healthcare workers, he said in an interview.
And in his neighbourhood, many families and individuals continue to gather outside his home to watch, including a 90-something-year-old woman who used to play the pipes herself.
But one neighbour – Hummel has only heard about one – has complained multiple times to police and bylaw officers about the noise, and when that didn’t gain traction, they have now taken to sounding an air horn when Hummel plays or practices his bagpipes, Hummel said.
“It’s getting out of hand,” he said, adding there has been yelling, profanities shouted over the fence and these calls to enforcement officers – all of which are disruptive to the neighbourhood.
Hummel said he’s respectful of his neighbours. He doesn’t play outdoors when children might be sleeping or too early on a weekend when adults might be sleeping.
He goes indoors when the shouting matches begin, so children don’t have to hear the profanity, he said. He’s gone to Bissell Park to practice and has gathered a small group of fans there.
And he has tried to talk with his neighbour to reach a schedule suitable to both, but to no avail, he said.
“If I could just have a conversation with this person,” he said, exasperated.
A week ago he reached the end of his rope.
“I’ve had enough of it,” he said. “I’m not breaking the law.”
So he ordered a lawn sign that reads, “Piping isn’t a Crime” with the hashtag #supportyourlocalpiper.
And before he could put it in the ground, others said they wanted signs too.
He delivered 60 signs to supporters on Sept. 3 and has another 50 on order.
“I didn’t think it would take off like this,” he said.
He’s not sure what the sign campaign will achieve but he hopes it doesn’t increase the animosity. Once again, he reiterated his desire to talk with his neighbour and figure out a solution.
“I am open to a conversation,” he said. “I am not open to profanities and belligerent things shouted across the fence.”
Hummel is selling the signs for $20 as a fundraiser, and while he hasn’t decided for which charity, it will likely be music-oriented with widespread benefit. They can be ordered through his Facebook page, facebook.com/kiltmakerPete.
Hummel said he understands that not everyone loves the bagpipes. They are loud, there’s no volume control and the sound can be annoying – especially when the player is practicing something new or breaking in a new reed.
But they are also beloved by many, appreciated by the frontline workers he’s heard from, and his nightly playing has formed a sense of community in his neighbourhood.
Will he continue the nightly performance when the pandemic is over?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I might continue for that one young lady in her 90s.”
