New Windsor - The three-day Independence Day Weekend means time for picnics and family fun. Wrap up the weekend with an old-fashioned band concert at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. Sunday, July 6 at 2pm, the Excelsior Cornet Band will perform patriotic tunes, popular songs, and military marches that graced Fourth of July celebrations in the past.
The Excelsior Coronet Band is a re-creation of a Civil War Era brass band. Playing authentic period instruments and wearing reproduction 19thcentury band uniforms, the band gives a lively look at popular entertainment of the past. Stirring marches, patriotic airs, and sentimental tunes are preformed for us to enjoy, just as Americans did in the past.
Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic snack. Relax while enjoying the summer day and listen to the stirring strains of patriotic music performed on the shady New Windsor Cantonment grounds. In case of rain, the concert will be held inside the Temple of Virtue .
The Civil War Era saw the emergence of the first veterans organization, the Grand Army of the Republic. The commemorations started during that era shaped our patriotic displays. The earliest conflict for which the Purple Heart was awarded was the American Civil War. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is pleased to look back to that time to honor our earliest enrollees.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of those members of the American military who have received Purple Hearts, a medal presented to those who have been wounded or killed in combat. Open Monday -Saturday, 10am to 5pm and Sunday, 1pm to 5pm.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and the New Windsor Cantonment are co- located on Route 300 ( Temple Hill Road ) in the Town of New Windsor , four miles east of Stewart Airport . They are three miles from the intersection of I-87 (Exit 17) and I-84 (Exit 7-S) in Newburgh , New York .
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
