Experience martial music at its best at Fort Ticonderoga – America’s Fort™ July 26 during the Fife and Drum Corps Muster! From the American Revolution, to the Civil War, to modern commemoration, learn about the practical purpose of fifes and drums. Enjoy the stirring rhythms and tunes of these classic marches and camp songs. Admission to the Fife & Drum Corps muster is included in a Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket.

A special evening Twilight Fife & Drum Corps Concert will be presented at 7 pm on the Fort parade ground. Tickets for the evening program are $10, children 4 years and younger are free and Friends of Fort Ticonderoga are free. To learn more about the event visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.

About the Fife and Drums Corps Muster

The Fife and Drum Corps Muster will highlight several Fife and Drum Corps from across the northeast performing throughout the day as well as performances from current and former Fort Ticonderoga Fife & Drum Corps members.

“The Fife & Drum Corps Muster highlights the role Fife & Drum music has played in the commemoration of American history. Fife and Drum Corps gained increased popularity during the American bicentennial celebrations” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. “In 18th -century military life, fifes and drums served as one of the primary modes of battlefield communication and camp regulation.”

Fort Ticonderoga formed its first Fife and Drum Corps in 1926 on the eve of the 150th anniversary celebrations of American Independence. The Corps performed at the Fort each summer until the beginning of World War II. When the World’s Fair came to New York City in 1939, the Fife and Drum Corps was a featured performer on May 10th, Fort Ticonderoga Day celebrating the 164th anniversary of the capture of the Fort by Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys.

In 1973, in preparation for the bicentennial, Fort Ticonderoga revived the Fife and Drum Corps to perform daily during the Fort’s summer season. The Fife and Drum Corps has performed every year since and has been featured performers at many major public events including the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games, the christening of the US Navy Guided Missile Cruiser USS Ticonderoga CG-47, and several Evacuation Day parades in Boston, Massachusetts.

Today the Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps is comprised of Ticonderoga area high school students who are paid employees of Fort Ticonderoga, an independent not-for-profit educational organization. The Fife and Drum Corps is part of Fort Ticonderoga’s Interpretive Department whose focus brings to life Fort Ticonderoga’s specific history through daily interpretive programs, historic trades and special events.

Fort Ticonderoga offers more than one hundred exciting and unique events and programs this season! Visit www.FortTiconderoga.org for a full list of ongoing programs or call 518-585-2821.

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