Results tagged “Don Ryan” from York Town Square

Whistlemaster Donald Ryan is at the helm of New York Wire Cloth's steam whistle controls, continuing the Christmas concert dating back to the 1920s. The concert is set again this year at 12:15 a.m., Dec. 25. "Mr. Ryan is excited about continuing the concert tradition this year but is keeping the carol lineup a surprise because many listeners like to guess the tunes," a news release states. Background posts: The world's loudest music without amplification from a non-musical instrument and Encore.

York Town Square posts on the New York Wire Cloth steam whistle score among the highest traffic of any individual entries in the two-plus-year history of this local history blog.

But to add to these two-dimensional posts, we now have a sample of what the whistle sounds like - the haunting, fog-horn-like sound that has serenaded York since music teacher, Karl Alex Smyser commenced the performance in the 1920s....

Whistle Master Don Ryan practices on the steam whistle in 2006, as Austin Mohn of Manchester Township lends a hand. Background posts: 20 questions and answers to prove your York smarts and Musical factory whistle drowns out N.Y. Wire's WWII feats.

The New York Wire Company's annual steam whistle concert will be a blast again this year.

That is the York-area's iconic concert in which an old factory whistle, with a sliding valve, blasts holiday music. The concerts are even available on CDs. (For additional posts on the whistle, see N.Y. Wire Cloth/Whistle. For a sample of its sounds, find link at: Whistle ... by the numbers).

In a press release, Mark Platts, head of event supporter Lancaster-York Heritage Region, provided a heads up:

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Whistle workers practice in advance of Christmas concert in 2004. From left, Don Ryan, Nathan Keeney, Scott Ryan work the controls.

So much attention is given to New York Wire Cloth's Christmas-Carol-playing steam whistle that the company's immense contributions during World War II are all-but-forgotten.

Indeed, there's a current drama going on about whether the York plant's whistle, billed as producing the world's loudest music without amplification from a non-musical instrument, will blast this holiday season... .

A boiler malfunction caused the cancellation of the York-area annual steam whistle concert in 2005.

But all is not lost. More on that in a moment.

New York Wire Co.'s boiler lost pressure right before the December 2005 show. Steam from the boiler, regulated with an unusual slide on the whistle, enables whistlemasters to play Christmas carols every year.

Some residents are going through withdrawal, but help is on the way. A CD titled "Factory Steam Whistle, New York Wire Co." is available at York's Borders Books.

The CD jacket claims the whistle plays the world's loudest music without amplification from a non-musical instrument. Its sounds can be heard as far away as 10-12 miles when the weather is right.

The CD, dedidated to longtime whistlemaster Marlin L. Ryan, contains Christmas standards: "Silent Night," "The First Noel," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and "O Come All Ye Faithful."

Another historical note not found on the CD jacket: The whistle was used as part of the civilian defense alert system during World War II. In those days, any whistle that was loud and could play different notes -- such qualities were scarce in whistles of the day -- proved valuable in alerting the public.

The whistle returned in 2006. For photo and story, see whistle workers.

And, there's more... .