By Mary-Justine Lanyon
The guests at the Aug. 19 meeting of the Women’s Club of Lake Arrowhead were members of the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps and their director, Joy Hatch.
But before hearing from them, the WCLA members heard from a special guest by Zoom: Jennifer Voisard, the media manager of the Friends of Big Bear Valley.
Voisard noted that the last presentation Sandy Steers made about the eagles she was so passionate about was to the WCLA. Steers, she said, had won a writing contest and was writing a book; she unfortunately passed away before completing it.
Jennifer Voisard of the Friends of Big Bear Valley shared information about the late Sandy Steers.
“Sandy used the last of her energy on the Moon Camp campaign,” Voisard said. “In Sandy’s mind, failure was not an option. It was said we couldn’t do it, but we did.”
Voisard was thankful for the big donation at the end of the campaign that took them over the top of the $10 million required to purchase the land.
“It’s been a journey – it was very rewarding,” she said.
The Mountain Fifes & Drums, Hatch told the WCLA members, had recently returned from Colonial Williamsburg, where they participated by invitation in Drummer’s Call. They played at several locations, including the field in Yorktown where the American Revolution ended. “It made us so proud to represent our community so well,” Hatch said.
Thirteen fifes and drums corps from around the country had been invited to participate in Drummer’s Call. ‘The kids from our community had an amazing time,” Hatch said. “They got to connect with other fifers and drummers. There are no other fifes and drums corps in California,” she added, noting that “people were shocked we are from California.”
Hatch shared something she overheard someone saying: “These guys are the real deal.” That, she said, was her favorite quote.
Representatives of the Mountain Fifes & Drums Corps then played several tunes from the Revolutionary War period, including “Chester,” which Hatch said was George Washington’s favorite tune.
Polly Sauer, the WCLA president, presented Joy Hatch with a check from the club.
Two of the corps members then shared information on their instruments. Eleanor Valez, the 13-year-old sergeant major, explained her fife and 17-year-old Quentin Rafferty talked about his snare drum.
The corps is made up of youth ages 10 to 18. At 10, Hatch said, they don’t have to know music or marching. “We teach them,” she said, noting more than 300 young people have gone through the program which was started 25 years ago by the late Kevin Garland and Cindy Olson.
When asked what the program costs the students, Hatch said the program is free. “It costs the kids a lot of hard work and time.” She has been the director for the past 18 years.
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