I know for certain that the sense of community does not end at the keyboard.

Piping is very expensive. The contents of my bagpipe case alone are worth about the same as my car (cheap car... still mine and paid for), at this point... add in my Class A uniform and we're taking a big risk walking out the door for a college student.

It's not a lost sense of community on the behalf of xmarks.

To get a piper, figure out what you can afford (even in barter, as previously suggested). Explain what the event is, what you expect, and your offer... then I would post that offer on the bobdunsire.com forum, this forum, and the local craigslist for the area.