San Moritz Lodge reverberated with the music of fifes and drums

By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer

The annual Colonial Christmas concert performed by the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps on Sunday, Dec. 15 was a rousing success and again filled the San Moritz Lodge with smiles and excitement.

The Colonial Christmas concert is included within a mini-play of the American Revolutionary War, beginning with the tea tax imposed on the colonists by the British government resulting in the Boston Tea Party, moving forward with the Continental Congresses, the Declaration of Independence and concluding with George Washington’s return to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve, after the war is over and he has resigned from the military.

This concert and play were written for this log venue, so the music of the fifes and drums resonates from the ceiling and reverberates from the logs and wooden walls, making the concert feel like you may be in Virginia in the 1770s, witnessing this very event.

Historically, communications during the American Revolutionary War were often done through the use of fifes and drums, so they were instrumental in the successful coordination of American forces during that war, helping to win the war. The fifers and drummers were youngsters who wore colors that were the opposite of fighting troops, so they were distinguishable as non-combatants.

The performance included Washington’s farewell to his troops, which he delivered on Dec. 4, 1783, before returning to his home at Mt. Vernon. It includes 19 songs, some well-known such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “World Upside Down,” “Joy to the World,” “Gloria” and others.

For the Colonial Christmas concert, the San Moritz Lodge is set up like a concert “in the round,” with the audience surrounding the performers, sitting at tables around the perimeter of the room. Each table was a colony and had to design a motto for their colony when called upon. The whole room also yelled out “huzzah” at numerous points throughout the evening. The audience gets to sing the Christmas carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” to the fifes and drums, which is quite an exhilarating experience.

The Colonial Christmas also includes dessert, within the script, with the parents of the band members serving apple pie in honor of fifes and drums founder Kevin Garland. The show is so interactive that audience members even dance the Virginia Reel with the band members.

During the performance, many pieces of history are shared by the corps members, such as the story behind the song “Yankee Doodle” and how it changed from a song by the British mocking the Americans to one of pride. Band members read portions from the Declaration of Independence and the poem of Paul Revere.

Performing the adult roles in the concert were Rob Pellandini as the narrator, Nole Lilley as George Washington, Frank Valdez as the secretary, Benjamin Perez as the president of the Continental Congress and Ben Johnson. Joy Hatch is the drum major and program director.

“This yearly program is one of the few fundraisers directly open to the local public,” Hatch said.

One couple from Running Springs who came to see the concert were very impressed. “This is our second year seeing this show, and I believe the show was much better than last year,” said Eric Fanhauser, an eight-year mountain resident. Mary Burkin added, “I think it was more impressive this year, and I understood it better. Such a great way to share this history.”

The Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps is one of the few Colonial-style fifes and drum corps in California. Youth, 10 to 18 years of age, learn about music, history, leadership and responsibility, while learning to perform in public. No musical skills are required to join.

In January, they will be again recruiting for members. If you have any children who may be interested in this program, which is free to participants, contact Joy Hatch at (909) 338-5444. For more information, see their website and Facebook page.

Their unique skills and historical accuracy are respected so much that they have been invited to perform at locations nationwide, including several times in historical Williamsburg, the leading Revolutionary War reenactment community.