The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-09-24
HIKING VIOLINIST
VISITS AT HELENA
FRANK. PICCININNI, A WALKING
MUSICIAN, HAS REST AT
CAPITAL CITY
On Tour of United States, Planning
to Visit Every State; at This Time
He Has Visited 20 States; Will at
tempt to Organize Society.

Frank Piccininni of Brooklyn,
N. Y, who is taking a longer walk
because of his love for music than
AL Smith ever took because of his
dislike for the New Deal, dropped
in at the offices of a Helena news
paper one morning recently for
short rest before resuming a walk
ing tour which is taking him
through every one of the 48 states
Right now he happens to be in his
18th state and has covered roughly
1000 miles, He hasn't shaved nor had
a haircut since starting out from Port
land, Me-, with Portland, Ore, as his
destination and when he was seen at
the postoffice in the capital city seven
BARRIERS suffered strokes.
Real Ambition
But Mr. Piccininni, who is 20 years
old and who for five years played the
violin with the Brooklyn Orchestra
society and who hopes some day to pc
as great in musical circles as his
countryman, Toscannini, is not con-
Quoting an ainless tour around the
country.
Back of his long journey is an un-
diving love of classical music which he
hopes to stimulate and revive to its
proper standard in this country. Right
now he is interested IN forming q
musical organization similar to the OLD
Friends of Music group which passed
He would like to see started huge
symphony orchestra representative OF
America and capable Of playing en-
gagements before thousands Of people
in the largest stadia in the country.
Incidentally, Piccininnl, who mas
studied for three years at New YORK a1s
university, would like to direct sucn
y,i1ofinn
But Piccininni realized long ago that
an organization of that kind didn't
lust grow. There had to be guiding
genius behind it. The fact that he
himself lacked the money to do the
travelling necessary to interest me
proper people didn't deter him. He
took to the road with his dog, Judy,
and a few blankets.
All Alone Now
But the blankets got too heavy to
carry so he discarded them. In North
Carolina Judy was run over by car.
Now Piccininni travels alone, sleeping
in haystacks or barns or anyplace
where he can, and eating what and
when and where he can.
Its usually feast or famine,
he says. But his face, what can be
seen Of it through the beard, is tanned
and healthy and he looks as If his
life on the open road has been good
It's a hard life, of course. He says
he's been arrested as many as three
times in some large cities and, be-
cause of the beard and the hair, there
are many who distrust him. Really,
he doesn't look like the sort OF chap
you'd hire to keep little Mary COM
pany or to guard the family jewels
until he speaks.
Then you forget the beard and the
Ut
of a beautifully modulated voice with
lust a touch of the sun of Italy tn
It, and bright fires burning in his
dark eyes you think suddenly this lad
+. has something. And when he leaves
you it is with the idea that perhaps,
if the breaks come right, Frank Pic.
cininni some day will be up there. "
No Rides
Piccininni arrived in Helena about
l o'clock in the morning. He walked
only from Winston because he had
SOME letters to write before he started.
He stopped at the postoffice for some
mail, then set out for MiSSOula.
It's all walking with Piccininni. He
has refused thousands of rides and
coming to Helena had quite an argu-
ment with a motoriSt who wanted to
give him a ''break." But the Brooklyn
musician has set out to walk and that's
that. No rides.
He covers about 80 miles day under
good conditions and has worn out two
pairs of Shoes His route is mapped
to lead him away from the cold Of
winter and he expects to be back in
New York for the opening of the 1899
worlds fair.
So far he feels he's had some Sue
cess on his venture.
"I've made some good contacts" he
saws land feel ENCOURAGED, Some day
this idea Of mine is going to work
And if the Piccininni shoe leather
and determination hold out it prob
ahlv will