It’s a familiar sound that resonates around Vernon as the evening dusk settles.

In the summer months, a group of musicians blow into their chanters and rat-a-tat on their drums –– the sound of which catches the wind and transports one to a battlefield long ago, or to some misty heather-hewn hill in Scotland.

It has that kind of power.

Long beloved by its community at parades and various events, including this Wednesday’s Remembrance Day services, the Kalamalka Highlanders Pipe Band (KHPB) is 25 years old this year.

Clad in the district tartan Portree of Skye, with burgundy Prince Charlie jackets and Glengarry bonnets, both the pipers and drummers are getting ready for a big celebration Saturday at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre.

The Celtic Connection concert features both the Highlanders and the Arran Campbell Memorial Youth Pipe Band, along with some special guests, and promises to be one heck of a hootenanny, says Norm Crerar, newly-elected KHPB president.

“Folks in the audience of this fast-paced program will have trouble keeping their feet from keeping time. Scottish humour and a few skits will round out this great evening of entertainment suited to the whole family, young and old,” he said, adding the dramatic finish to the program is a surprise.

Growing from a group comprised of members of the old McIntosh Girl’s Pipe Band and founding pipe major Reg Scott, the KHPG have enlisted many new players over the years.

(In 2004, Scott handed over the pipe major reins to Don MacLeod, but has remained with the organization as a piper and recently ended his two-year term as president of the organization.)

As the band continued to grow, the Highlanders also decided to meet the demands of younger players by forming a new pipe band in 2007.

The Arran Campbell Memorial Youth Pipe Band is named after the late Vernon drummer who went from playing with the Highlanders as a wee lad to drumming with the world champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band before he was tragically killed in a car accident.

“I am very proud of the growth and achievements of the Kalamalka Highlanders Pipe Band and the Arran Campbell Memorial Youth Pipe Band” said Scott. “They are great Vernon and district assets and I expect to be a part of them for some time to come.”

The two pipe bands, now totalling 27 playing members as well as 11 piping and drumming students, practise separately, sharing both MacLeod and drum sergeant Neil Morrison for guidance and motivation, but come together for parades and events. And a typical year sees them playing at more than 20 community functions, from Robbie Burns Night to the Vernon Winter Carnival parade to Canada Day in Polson Park to D Day and Battle of Britain commemoration ceremonies.

And then there is Nov. 11, a day devoted to Canadian veterans from all wars past and present.

“The KHPB is proud to be a regular part of Remembrance Day ceremonies, with the main band playing in Vernon and individuals playing in Lumby and at school ceremonies around the area,” said Crerar.

Pipe band members can also regularly be seen and heard at a number of charitable fundraisers, including Run for the Cure, Do It for Dad, Relay for Life and the annual Christmas Pub Crawl for Santa’s Anonymous.

“The KHPB is a registered society and outfits its members primarily through various fundraising efforts,” said Crerar. “As an active supporter of community events, the band has received welcome contributions from the Army, and Navy and Air Force (ANAF) veterans, the Royal Canadian Legion, the City of Vernon and private donors.”

The band has also been successful with many of its members placing high on the scoreboard at competitions, including the Kelvern (Kelowna-Vernon) and Lower Mainland mini meets as well as at Highland games in Penticton, Canmore and Victoria.

“The ACM Pipe Band is fresh off attaining the highest marks in their category at the recent interior pipe and drum mini meet, and their youth and exuberance is a great mix with the age and experience of the Kalamalka Highlanders,” said MacLeod.

Joining the pipe bands at Celtic Connection will be African drummers, who will blend the beat of the djembe with traditional pipes and drums. They start their performance with the moving Nelson Mandela’s Welcome to Glasgow. In turn, the pipe bands will vary their program from marches to slow aires and everything in between. Also included will be Highland dancers, the Scottish Country Dancers, Celtic harp, vocalists and, in a special appearance for their first time on stage in Canada, the Home From The Hunt all-male dance group.

Celtic Connection happens Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors, available at The Ticket Seller, 549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.