On the evening of July 3rd, 2026, in Montgomery Park in Montgomery, OH, the Cincinnati Chapter SAR accompanied the Blue Ash and Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (BAMSO) on the epic finale of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture to the delight of a crowd of hundreds.

The 1812 Overture has 16 cannon shots written into the piece, impossible to do with single real cannon.  Furthermore, the arrangement performed was abbreviated somewhat.   

So, we condensed it down to three shots, one at the beginning of the “Bells” section of the finale, one before the famous final segment, and one at the end.

See the cannon firing below:

Many spectators, including many with children, left their folding chairs and blankets and gathered around us for a closeup view of the cannon shots. 

 This free outdoor concert on the evening of July 3rd is a long-standing local tradition and has drawn over 1,000 spectators. 

Attendance was down a little this year due to an ongoing heat wave with heat indexes still near 100 degrees early in the evening.

 The Cincinnati Chapter provided a display of Regimental Flags, an America 250 Poster Display, and much other information and free America 250 themed handouts to our guests, particularly the kids.

 A living history demonstration including a five-musket volley and two cannon shots was performed prior to the start of the concert.