By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The year was 1783. The Revolutionary War had ended and George Washington was on his way home to his wife, Martha, at Mount Vernon.
The Mountain Fifes & Drums will be presenting their annual Christmas program, “A Colonial Christmas Concert – George Washington’s Mount Vernon Homecoming,” at the San Moritz Lodge on Sunday evening, Dec. 15 at the San Moritz Lodge on the eastern shores of Lake Gregory in Crestline. The building has the acoustics for the music, with the fifes and drums music resonating throughout the high-roofed building and filling it with music. The log building has a very rustic feel, which is perfect for a colonial celebratory event such as this.
The doors for this concert will open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 6:30 p.m. During the show, there will be an intermission for refreshments served to the crowd by the bandmembers and time for dancing the Virginia Reel with them, too. Coming to this Colonial Christmas concert is truly an interactive experience. Many families of the band members and concert goers attend in colonial period costumes, which adds to the colonial ambiance of the evening. The fifers and drummers in band will also be wearing their authentically styled Revolutionary era clothing This is a Christmas event that is unique, original and memorable, too.
The Fifes & Drums have performed this historical play with speeches and historical reenactments, including the speech Washington gave to his troops before returning to his home at Mount Vernon, annually since Mountain Fifes & Drums founder Kevin Garland wrote the play in in 2007.
The play demonstrates how the Revolutionary War affected George Washington and how happy he was to be able to return home to Mount Vernon and Martha and the children in time for Christmas. Many songs are performed during the play.
Usually, the show ends with the entire audience singing Christmas carols to the music of the Fifes & Drums.
The show is performed by local music students who have joined the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps. These youth, 10 to 18 years of age, learn about music, history, leadership and responsibility, while learning to perform in public. It is a 501(c)(3) free youth music program founded in 2001 as a living history community service program for boys and girls. It now operates under the direction of Joy Hatch. No previous musical skills are required to join but students must have completed the fourth grade to join. Most who join stay involved through the entire eight years of the program.
Their unique skills and historical accuracy are respected and they have previously been invited to perform at locations nationwide, including Colonial Williamsburg, the leading Revolutionary War reenactment community, winning many of their competitions against many East Coast colonial bands. They have again been invited to compete in the Drummer’s Call in Williamsburg, Virginia in May 2026. The band will also be performing locally in the Blue Jay parade on Dec. 7 and many other locations for the holiday season throughout Southern California.
The corps uses the funds they raise at this holiday concert to help pay for their travels to the competitions they attend throughout the country.
Tickets to “A Colonial Christmas” at the San Moritz Lodge on Dec. 15 are $20 for adults; children 12 and under, $15. To order your tickets or for more information on the Mountain Fifes & Drums, visit www.fifesanddrums.org.
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