The band got its start as the Desert Thistle Pipe Band in eastern Washington’s tri-cities, Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, in 1976. In recent years, our goals have centered on pipe band competition, and we have teamed with like-minded individuals from across the region; this “regional” characteristic resulted in the name change. Today’s Columbia Regional Pipe Band is made up of pipers and drummers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.