Submitted photo Three members of the West Virginia Highlanders of American Legion Post 29 were honored at Post 29’s annual Christmas celebration. Those recognized for more than 50 years of service with the HIghlanders Band were, from left, Keith Haddix, Marvin Carr and Tom McLaughlin.

ELKINS — Three members of the West Virginia Highlanders of American Legion Post 29 were recognized for their contributions during the organization’s annual Christmas celebration.

Keith Haddix, Marvin Carr and Tom McLaughlin were all applauded by the H.W. Daniels Post for their 50-plus years of service and dedication to the West Virginia Highlanders Band.

“Those three guys have seen a lot since joining that band many years ago,” said Elkins American Legion District Chairman Donnie Lambert. “Tom (McLaughlin) was a past drum major for the band and Marvin (Carr) is our oldest active member of the band. They all deserve a lot of credit for their dedication to the band.”

The West Virginia Highlanders were founded in 1947 by the H.W. Daniels American Legion. In 1990, the band became a department of Davis & Elkins College, before the group returned to be a part of Post 29 in 2024.

“It’s been great to have them back as part of the Elkins American Legion Post 29,” Lambert said. “It’s great that they are back where they belonged, and I’ve heard nothing but great things from the community about them.”

The West Virginia Highlanders currently have 20 members, and the band can be seen performing at multiple events throughout the year.

“They most recently performed at our Wreaths Across America event, and they always do our veterans ceremonies,” Lambert said. “They did the Gold Star Family Memorial dedication over the summer and they’ve told us that anytime we need them for something, they are more than happy to do it. They are part of the Post and it’s nice having them around.”

Lambert said that the West Virginia Highlanders’ performances aren’t just limited to Post 29 events.

“They go out and march in multiple parades every year, like the Strawberry Festival and Mountain State Forest Festival,” Lambert said. “They’ve also done the Celtic Games in Beverly the past couple of years and participated in some parades up north around Morgantown. So they are out there playing at different places throughout the year. They keep themselves pretty busy.”

Lambert said the West Virginia Highlanders would like to add new members to join the band.

“We are always looking for more members,” Lambert said. “They will teach them to play bagpipes and if anyone is interested they don’t have to pay for anything, the band will provide the bagpipes and the uniforms. If you want to play drums, we have plenty of those. We are always looking for new people.”

Lambert added that American Legion Post 29 is already planning an 80th anniversary celebration for the West Virginia Highlanders in 2027.

For more information about the West Virginia Highlanders, call the American Legion at 304-636-3930.