LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Dogs barking, birds chirping, but bagpipes? Not the typical sound one expects to hear in a neighborhood.
"I heard this noise and I looked to my roof to see if something was squeaking on the roof, and I said that sounds a lot like bagpipes," said Aric Myers who lives in the Andover area of Lexington.
Myers thought he was losing his mind after hearing the unexpected music while in his backyard one day, but he found out he wasn't alone.
"We have a good, active Facebook page for our neighborhood community, and I just put a post on there to make sure I wasn't hearing things," Myers laughed.
Sure enough, he wasn't crazy either. Kevin Murray has been playing the bagpipes for decades, and well, he has to practice.
"I try to practice every day, but that doesn't always happen," Murray said.
When the weather is good, he takes his bagpipes out to the deck and lets loose.
"If I can get outside it's great. In the family room there it's got a nice, high cathedral ceiling, so that kind of helps in small spaces because there's no volume control on the bagpipes. They're just loud," Mr. Murray said.
As it turns out, it is all much to the delight of his neighbors. Richard Harless has lived next door for 18 years, and he said he and his wife love the music.
Harless said, "He does it with a lot of passion, and he plays the heck out of those pipes."
Mr. Murray said children will gather, dogs bark, people will applaud. He said he is just thankful they don't mind.
"Oh, it makes me feel good. People appreciate what I'm doing. It's just kind of a neat feeling," Mr. Murray said.
On a still night, Murray said the music can be heard for at least a mile, so the next time you are in the neighborhood, roll down the windows and enjoy the show.
If you are interested in learning more about the bagpipes you can contact Sandy's Sewing Center at 859-260-2003 or Kevin, the Kentucky Piper at 859-489-0080.
