Music under the Stars: Drum and bugle corps show returns to Hornell Aug. 13

Hornell is getting ready for the pulsating percussion and the energizing brass of drum and bugle corps music.

Maple City Sound’s Music under the Stars, a popular Hornell summer tradition that was silenced by the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years, will return next month.

Four all-age drum and bugle corps — as well as the Hornell Intermediate School Drum Line — are booked to perform at the Hornell athletic complex at 7 p.m., Aug. 13.

The Hornell Chamber of Commerce and the Maple City Sound Committee are co-sponsoring the event. Tickets are $5.

The exhibition will be the first drum and bugle corps show in Hornell since July 13, 2019, and four of the corps that performed under the stars that night — the Hamburg Kingsmen, Mighty St. Joe’s of Rochester, Syracuse’s Brig Juice and local favorite, the Dansville White Sabers — are slated to take the field.

The Intermediate School Drum Line, a past New York State champion, will get the night started with its performance while the White Sabres will close the show.

“It’ll be two hours of entertainment people haven’t seen in a while,” said Shawn Hogan, chairman of the Maple City Sound Committee. “We’re very happy about reestablishing it."

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Hogan said each corps will have extra time to showcase their repertoire.

He explained, "We asked (each corps) to extend their performances from the usual 17 minutes to 20 to 25 minutes, so we’ll have each corps perform about 25 minutes by the time they get on and off.”

'Another step toward normalcy' after COVID-19

"The return of Music Under the Stars is absolutely another step toward normalcy after a two-year hiatus," said Hornell Mayor John Buckley. "This is such a wonderful community event and I commend the Hornell Chamber of Commerce for spearheading the effort to bring it back to the Maple City this summer."

Hogan said called the chamber's involvement and co-sponsorship a "major milestone" for the business group.

“I think this not only helps the Hornell Chamber of Commerce improve their profile and show that they are actually involved in our community and doing positive things, it helps with their public persona. It helps the Maple City Sound with the administrative help that they need.”

Hornell is steeped in drum and bugle corps tradition

Unofficially, this will be the 29th Music under the Stars show in Hornell, but the city’s drum and bugle corps tradition dates back to at least the 1960s when the Tiersmen, a group sponsored by the VFW, performed in parades and community events.

“Drum corps was quite popular, quite big," Hogan recalled of the era. "This group approached the city in the mid-to-late 80s, and we were able to get a show together starting in 1988. We had a corps called the Bluecoats that came to Hornell, stayed, then put on a show.”

Starting in 1989 and continuing for about 25 years, Hornell was a yearly stop on the highly competitive Drum Corps International (DCI) tour, Hogan said. DCI corps are limited to younger members, and they practice and compete full-time during the summer months.

When DCI took the Maple City off its tour slate, Hornell switched to hosting independent shows featuring all-age corps affiliated with the Drum Corps of America (DCA) organization.

Hogan said Hornell provides a great home for the music and pageantry.

"It’s because it is an intimate venue where the people are close to the field, so they get energized by the reaction of the people," he said. "They just love the crowd interaction that they’ve experienced in Hornell. That’s why the corps are thrilled to come.”

White Sabres plan extended stay in Hornell

The White Sabers have been regular performers in Hornell while racking up honors. The Dansville group, which was originally formed under the American Legion Daniel Goho Post #87 in 1928, was reformed to place second in its first DCA World Championships in Rochester in 2006.

The White Sabers are currently gearing up for another championship run.

"They’re excited about being here. In fact, they’re going to come in on Saturday and practice all day, then they’re going to stick around and spend the night, then practice here on Sunday to get ready for their DCA championship performances," Hogan said.

Where to get tickets for Aug. 13 Music under the Stars

Tickets for Music under the Stars are available at the Hornell Chamber of Commerce Office, Wegmans, Michael John’s and the Arkport and Canisteo Shurfine stores. Gates open at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13.

Hogan said organizers are focused on providing an affordable event.

“This year we’re only charging $5 per ticket which is incredibly cheap, and that’s a realization that people’s budgets are stretched as the result of inflation and the cost of things during this period," Hogan said. "We want to reflect that and be sympathetic to it.

“We’re trying to make the show come alive. It was always the highlight of some people’s summer and we draw people from all over Western New York. They’ve always been well-received. We’re making an effort to rekindle the shows and also try to get life back to normal.”

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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Percussion and brass: Music under the Stars makes comeback in Hornell