By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
One of the exciting high points of the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps annual presentation of “A Colonial Christmas and Mount Vernon Homecoming” was the corps members dancing the 18th century Virginia Reel with the audience.
This unique Christmas show allows the history of the end of the American Revolutionary War to unfold before the audience’s eyes.
Rylan Pellandini was the narrator during “A Colonial Christmas.”
This year’s program was again performed inside the San Moritz Lodge where, with the logs holding up the high roof, it actually creates a feeling of Colonial America since so many family members of the corps members are also in costume from that era. This Christmas holiday musical play was written with the San Moritz Lodge building in mind by the late Kevin Garland, who founded the Mountain Fifes & Drums. He was inspired to start the fifes and drums corps when he was employed as a baker in Colonial Williamsburg and was greatly impressed by the musical youth programs he saw and heard while there. When he moved to California, he decided to start such a program here.
This original musical concert performance is an historical play performed by the corps as they march around the room. It includes excerpts of the speech George Washington gave to his troops before returning to his home at Mount Vernon at the end of the Revolutionary War. The speeches are given by senior corps members and parents of members wearing authentic era costumes.
Eric Hilleary performed his role as a British citizen for the first time this year and did so because his children so enjoy being in the fifes and drums. Rylan Pellandini was the narrator for the 10th year, which sets the times, location and situations of each scene. Pellandini is a graduate of the corps and said, “I believe this to be a great program and enjoy being in the holiday program. I think everyone should see it at least once, since as the older I get the more unique I see it to be.” Evie Guerrero, who was involved in the corps for 10 years, has come back to tutor the younger fife players and was extremely happy to have a speaking role this year, speaking about the terrible winter the troops spent at Valley Forge.
The audience was interactive with musicians in more ways than just dancing, since the concert includes a dessert of apple pie and homemade cookies made from authentic colonial recipes, along with hot cider and coffee, which are served as a part of the script. The audience gets to sing Christmas carols to the accompaniment of the fifes and drums at the end of the show.
This year the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps is raising funds to attend the Williamsburg Drummer’s Call to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in May.
The fiddler set the tempo for the Virginia Reel.
The role of President Mifflin was performed by Benjamin Perez, whose son Nikolas has been in the corps for three years and is excited about going Williamsburg for such an important anniversary of America history, as he hasn’t attended before.
Frank Valdez, who performed the part of Secretary, has two children involved in the program and is impressed with all the musical and social training the corps give his kids who have been involved for six to seven years. Krista, their mother, is excited about Williamsburg as they went last time and she found the educational values and experience to be a life-changing experience for the members. Krista is the head of the parent group, the Continental Congress, which organizes all the parades and events where the corps performs all over Southern California, raising funds for their program.
Anyone wishing to support the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps may donate to their expenses – including their costumes, instruments and gasoline – by visiting their website, fifesanddrums.org.
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