Photo By Andrew Dickson | Soldiers with the Kentucky National Guard’s 202nd Army Band performs a concert at...... read more read more
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard’s 202nd Army Band supported a bicentennial event coordinated by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) at the Old State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., May 17, 2025.
The 202nd played a 45-minute performance for the 200th anniversary off the French officer Marguis de Lafayette’s visit to Frankfort, which happened on May 15, 1825. The band’s performance traces back to the lineage of the early Kentucky State Guard playing at Lafayette’s march through Frankfort in 1825.
According to Ms. Olivia McCants, the museum programs coordinator for KHS, General Lafayette was instrumental in the ideals of the American Revolution. He is considered a founding father of America, even though he was born in France and really worked outside of the American political system, making him a true non-partisan player in the revolution.
“He dedicated his life and fortune to the new United States, risking everything to come here as a teenager and fight in the War of Independence,” said McCants. “He did this for his love of liberty and the ideas of free government.”
McCants was interested in having the National Guard be a part of the experience. She says the naming of the National Guard developed out of respect for Lafayette, who commanded France’s National Guard during his military career.
“It was an enormous honor to have the 202nd play for our Lafayette bicentennial event,” McCants said. “Their performance reflected the past relationship between the Guard and Lafayette, and the Kentucky Historical Society’s ongoing partnership with the KYNG to celebrate and promote military history.”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Catherine Strobel, the commander of the 202nd, conducted the band, full of over 30 members of the National Guard. She also expressed the importance of having the band support the bicentennial.
“Partnering with KHS was a great way for our unit to provide outreach here in Frankfort, and learn more about the history of the Guard,” Strobel said. “We try to tell the story of the Guard each time we do a public outreach performance, but this was a unique opportunity for us to see how the National Guard was relevant 200 years ago and continues to be today.”
| Date Taken: | 05.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2025 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 498845 |
| Location: | FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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