The 16th annual Drum & Bugle Corps Competition, dubbed the March of Champions, will take place in Kingston’s Dietz Stadium on Saturday, August 4. A benefit for the Children’s Home of Kingston, the event will feature both competition and exhibition in the often-complex marriage of music and choreography of drum and bugle corps.
If you’re a fan of halftime entertainment, the vast expanse of Dietz Stadium’s artificial turf will be brimming with it during the March of Champions. In fact, the event eschews traditional field-friendly sports played at the home of Kingston High, like football and field hockey, in favor of the pageantry and musical heights of marching bands.
In competition at the event will be teams from New York (the Empire Statesmen, the White Sabers and the Excelsiors), New Jersey (the Bushwackers, the Fusion Core and the Hawthorne Caballeros) and Connecticut (The Hurricanes). Performing in exhibition will be the 20th Century Limited and the Westchester Brassmen, both from New York; and the New Jersey-based Caballeros Alumni.
“One of the wonderful things about the March of Champions is that it is good entertainment for every member of one’s family,” said a spokesperson for the agency, who added that the talent corps was especially good this year.
The 16th annual March of Champions Drum & Bugle Corps Competition is scheduled for Saturday, August 4 at Dietz Stadium, located at 170 North Front Street in Kingston. The opening ceremonies begin at 7 p.m., with competition kicking off one hour later. Tickets to the event cost $20. For more information, visit https://chkingston.org or www.facebook.com/marchofchamps.