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07/11/2017 12:00 AMMore than 50 marching corps are expected for the annual Deep River Ancient Muster (DRAM) and Tattoo on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15.
Hosted by the Deep River Junior Ancients, the Tattoo starts on July 14 at 7 p.m. at Devitt Field. The corps spend the weekend on the field and practices, both formal and informal, occur throughout the event.
Saturday’s parade, hosted by the DRAM Committee and the Deep River Drum Corps, begins at 11 a.m. It starts at the corner of Main and Kirtland streets and proceeds down Main Street to Devitt Field. In all, the parade closes the town center for about two hours.
Upon returning to Devitt Field, the corps are invited to compete in the muster hosted by the Deep River Junior Ancients, the DRAM Committee, and the Deep River Drum Corps.
Fife and drum corps from all over the country and beyond make the trek the participate in Deep River’s muster. Beyond practicing their tunes, they train rigorously to march in perfect step in the parade, and also array themselves in historically accurate military attire from the Revolutionary and Civil wars.
The fife and drum were used for military communication in early Colonial days, and also to keep troops moving on long marches. Deep River’s annual musters began in 1953, but fife and drums corps began performing at Devitt Field as early as 1879. Today, the DRAM is the oldest and largest gathering of fife and drum corps. Between participants and spectators, the muster practically doubles the town’s population for the day.
On July 15, parade day, Main Street closes at 10:30 a.m. Parking is available at several locations throughout town, including the Deep River Congregational Church, the Stone House, Deep River Hardware, and the Deep River Public Library. For more information, visit http://dram.fifedrum.org.