The 133rd Army Concert Band out of Camp Murray, Wash. performs a medley of music honoring the bicentennial of the War of 1812, July 18, in Sylvester Park, Olympia, Wash., as part of the free to the public Music in the Park Concert Series held by the city. (Photo by Lisa Laughlin)

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Army National Guard’s 133rd Army Concert Band played a concert in the state capital, July 18, as part of Olympia’s free to the public non-profit Music in the Park Summer Concert Series in Sylvester Park.

The Music in the Park series attracts over 13,000 people annually and has been serving the Olympia community for 33 years.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott T. Pierson, the commander and band master of the 133rd Army Concert Band and a Lacey native, said the band has not performed in Olympia for at least six years and he started arranging this concert about a year ago, because he felt it was very important for the band to interact with the community in our state’s capital.

“Music is something that brings people together,” said Pierson. “We as musicians in the military, we get to interact with the public in a more open forum than what anybody else might get to just simply because people love to listen to music and they enjoy coming to performances.”

Pierson said he always chooses a theme for his programs and this year being the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812, he designed the program to honor the Americans who fought in the War of 1812.

“(The War of 1812) is when Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner,” while he was at Fort McHenry and so almost all of the pieces that we are performing tonight are pieces that are based on patriotic songs that were once, are, or were considered to be the national anthem for the United States of America,” said Pierson.

Staff Sgt. Richard Little, a trumpet and coronet player for the 133rd Army Band and a DuPont native, said concerts like these give him the opportunity and privilege to represent his fellow service members to the community.

“The mission of the 133rd is to represent the fine service members of the Washington National Guard to the great people of the state of Washington,” said Little. “We support our service members in welcome home ceremonies, change of command ceremonies, (Family Readiness Group) events, but we also support those service members by getting out into the community and letting these great people know that while we are in front of them playing, we are also representing the citizen-soldiers of the Washington National Guard. That is a great source of pride for me to be able to represent those service members.”