Drum and bugle corps stir something powerful within, generally whether or not you are willing to be stirred. A marching band stripped of every timbre beyond the percussive boom and rattle and the martial blaring of brass, the sound is inextricably connected both with a sense of battle and the aura of Colonial days. But the corps are also connected to a long-lived and substantive musical tradition that is resurgent. Drum and bugle competitions are gaining in popularity nationally.
On Saturday, August 4 at 7 p.m., the Children’s Home of Kingston presses the spacious Dietz Stadium into use for the March of Champions’ 23rd annual Drum & Bugle Corps Competition. The event features six competing corps, plus three additional exhibition corps. Tickets cost $20 for reserved seating, and as usual all proceeds benefit programs and services for youth at the Children’s Home of Kingston, which has been in existence since 1876. For reservations, call (845) 331-1448, extension 1140. Day-of-show tickets are available beginning at 1 p.m. The gates open at 5:30 p.m.
For more information, visit www.chkingston.org. Dietz Stadium is located at 170 North Front Street in Kingston.