Guard to join festival parade to add patriotic note

By Matt Felice
Staff Writer

In keeping with what planners are saying will be a much more patriotic brass band festival than in past years, members of the National Guard 35th Infantry Division of Frankfort will lead this year's parade.

They'll be wearing the early 19th century militia uniforms of the Kentucky Mounted Riflemen. The uniforms, furnished with the help of Tom Fugate, curator of the Kentucky Military History Museum, commemorate Kentucky volunteers who in 1813 armed themselves with tomahawks and Kentucky long rifles to join other U.S. forces under Commodore Perry in a series of retaliations against the British that would eventually restore U.S. strength at the Canadian border.

The Battle of Thames was a revenge against the British for an earlier massacre of Kentucky militia on the River Raisin, according to the National Guard Bureau.

Maj. Robert Linkous, executive officer of the National Guard 103rd Forward Support Battalion based in Harrodsburg, said patriotic themes are particularly appropriate in this, the 100th anniversary of John Philip Sousa's ``Stars and Stripes Forever.'' In fact, John Philip Sousa IV, great-grandson of the composer, will be presiding at the event as grand marshal.

Also, since the Band Festival is taking place on Flag Day weekend, the National Guard will have several historic U.S. flags on display at the Norton Center for the Arts at Centre College.

Debra F. Hoskins, director of programs and public relations at the Norton Center, said the patriotic themes will run in conjunction with the circus music themes already planned.

Linkous said the dual themes for the festival provide a greater variety of activities and points of interest that both children and adults can enjoy.

The parade itself will maintain the usual tradition of having the spectators fall in behind the Olympia Brass Band, only this time participants are encouraged to bring American flags to wave during the procession.

Planners of the event are still working out some details, but if all goes as Linkous has planned, marchers dressed in British and Indian costumes will accompany the soldiers in militia uniforms, who will be on horseback.

They will be followed by Guardsmen of the 138th Field Artillery of Harrodsburg in regular battle dress uniforms, the 217th Quartermaster Detachment of Danville in desert battle dress uniforms and the 103rd Forward Support Battalion of Danville in Army green service uniforms.

The Full Time Support Staff of the Harrodsburg armory will be in army blue uniforms, carrying the national colors at the front of the parade. Some of the marchers will be carrying M16 rifles and the costumed soldiers will be carrying muskets and tomahawks.

Since the parade takes place at the very end of the annual training period for the Harrodsburg and Danville armories, ``we can incorporate participation in a parade and list it on our training schedule as drill and ceremonies training,'' said Linkous. Also, Black Hawk helicopters returning from training exercises in western Kentucky will be able to conduct a fly-over at the festival when the Advocate Brass Band and the Hellcats play ``Stars and Stripes Forever,'' marking the close of the day's events.

Just before the fly-over, the bands will play a medley of the hymns of each branch of the armed forces, during which veterans and all military personnel are to stand and be honored.