Mike Patrick woke up on the Fourth of July and put on his version of Middle-Eastern garb — a purple smock, a gold-and-purple striped jacket and a gold cord for a belt.
Patrick had been practicing all year for this morning, when his nearly 30-member band would take the stage at the Colorado Convention Center and compete against six other oriental string bands.
Shriner bands would go head-to-head, drum-to-drum, cymbals-to-cymbals.
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine is an offshoot the Free Masons, a fraternal order dating back to the 16th century that has counted Andrew Jackson, Harpo Marx and Mozart among its members.
Mozart, however, wasn’t on the the program at Monday’s oriental band competition, part of the Shriners’ annual Imperial Convention, which began Friday and ends Thursday.
Members of Patrick’s band, with the Khiva chapter in Amarillo, Texas, took their spots before a crowd of about 200.
The judges — three men from various Shriners’ groups — moved their tables so the crowd favorite could have more room.
One member dressed like a homeless person roamed the crowd asking for donations. Another danced through the aisles with a sword.
Patrick, 57, played a musette, a recorder-like instrument. Behind him, men beat on drums. They played lesser-known traditional Middle-Eastern songs, and they also worked in bits of “If I Were a Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Hava Nagila.”
Men in the crowd tapped their feet. Women snapped pictures, and parents brought their children to watch.
Members of the other bands — each with their own distinctive costumes — watched every act, in part, because it is the polite thing to do and, in part, because “you learn some things,” said Ralph Jubb, president of Shriners International and a member of the Al Kader band in Portland, Ore.
The ensembles, which date back 150 years, give the Shriners a chance to bond. Many practice once or twice a week, and some combine their gatherings with meals or charity work.
“It’s something to do, even though it’s silly,” Jubb said of the bands.
“We’re like a band of brothers,” Patrick said. “We always help each other out.”
Liz Navratil: 303-954-1054 or lnavratil@denverpost.com
