Rick Thomson said drum and bugle corps have been described as marching bands on steroids.

It is strictly a brass and percussion unit without woodwind instruments, he explained. Color guards use flags, rifles, and sabres to add motion to the show through their interpretation of the music.

People in Lancaster County and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to see what all the excitement is about while supporting worthy causes.

The Buccaneer Classic drum and bugle corps competition will be held Saturday, July 19, at Hempfield High School's Georgelis Law Firm Stadium, 340 Mumma Drive, Landisville. Gates will open at 5 p.m.; the show will start at 6:30 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Hempfield High School Band Booster Club and the reigning Drum Corps International (DCI) all-age world champion Reading Buccaneers.

Tickets are on sale. There is reserved seating and general admission seating, with discounts for those age 12 and under and age 62 and over. Parking is free. To purchase tickets, go to https://tickets.dci.org, where the events are listed in order by date. Ticket prices will increase on the day of the event. There is no paper ticketing, and there will be people at the gate to assist those who are unable to purchase tickets online. The show will be held rain or shine but could face a delay if there are storms.

"It's a unique entertainment (activity) for families and people of all ages," said Thomson, who is the event coordinator. "It's the only drum corps show in Lancaster County and one of the larger all-age shows on the East Coast."

The lineup features the Reading Buccaneers, Buccaneer Banner Brass, and Buccaneer Alumni Corps from Reading; the Bushwackers and the Raiders from Princeton, N.J.; the Hawthorne Caballeros from Hawthorne, N.J.; Les Stentors from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; the Rogues Hollow Regiment from Doylestown, Ohio; the Steel City Ambassadors from Pittsburgh; and the White Sabers from Rochester, N.Y.

The Buccaneer Classic began in 2017 and has been held annually except for COVID-caused cancellations in 2020 and 2021. Thomson said the Buccaneers host a show in Reading and at one point added a second show in Downingtown. When the organizer of the Downingtown show retired, Thomson and former Hempfield High School band director Bill Powers were tasked with finding a suitable location. Landisville was a natural fit. "There used to be a fairly substantial drum corps influence in Lancaster County," said Thomson. "There is history there. That gave us something to have a hook for our first show (in 2017)."

The Hempfield Band Boosters were an attractive partner for the Buccaneers. "(Hempfield was) familiar with running a show because they run their own band competition in the fall," Thomson said. "They knew the basic parts and processes of how to do it."

Don Discavage, the vice president of festivals for the booster club, said, "The Classic is always a great day for the Hempfield band program and our boosters. We get to showcase so many amazing performers in the visiting corps and raise money that will support our students' growth as musicians and performers."

DCI is the governing body of drum corps competitions and breaks the units into classes based on the proficiency and the size of the drum corps, Thomson said. The drum corps season starts in December and runs through the first week of August. Thomson noted that drum corps work on one show during that span. "Every corps is unique and has their own style," he said. "There is everything from rock to classical and everything in between."