Five drum corps from across the country and Canada, including the Casper Troopers, will perform their much-rehearsed routines tonight for Casper fans.

Drums Along the Rockies will begin at 7 p.m. tonight on Cheney Field at Natrona County High School. The ticket booth opens at 2 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Premium seats are $25, standard seats are $15 and general admission is $12.

Drums Along the Rockies will feature the Casper Troopers; the Kiwanis Kavaliers of Ontario, Canada; the Seattle Cascades of Seattle, Wash., the Blue Knights from Denver, Colo.; and the Phantom Regiment from Rockford, Ill. Each drum corps can have up to 135 members between the ages of 14 and 22, Marie Puryear, chairperson for the show, said.

Each drum corps has 10- to 11-and-a-half minutes to produce a show featuring bugles, drums, brass instruments and a color guard. The corps will be scored on musical performance, marching performance and overall effect. The color guard will receive a score based on their performance.

While being named the best drum corps is an honor, it is not the most important part of the show, according to Puryear. Winning smaller Drum Corps International competitions does not effect a corps' overall status, Puryear said.

"They will crown a winner for our show (Friday) night, but in the long run, it doesn't mean anything. The ultimate goal is that you are improving each show for the World Championship," Puryear said. "They're fine-tuning their drill and they're changing things musically."

The World Championship will be held in August in Massachusetts.

Mark Crimm, a 2004 NCHS graduate, is the Troopers' drum major this year. Crimm has been a member of the Troopers for five years and said he has been working hard to get the position for a few years.

"I am really excited to do this here," Crimm said. "It's my home crowd."

Tonight seven Troopers will be "aged out," or awarded their official Troopers insignia in front of the crowd in a ceremony commemorating their years with the Troopers. A Trooper is aged out at age 21 or 22, Puryear said.

Color guard Jacob Campbell, 21, has been a Trooper for 10 years and will be participating in the aging out ceremony tonight.

"I'm ready for it," Campbell said. "It's taken a lot of support and dedication from my family here to have been in the Troopers for so long."

"It is a pretty momentous occasion when they age out," Puryear said.

Drums Along the Rockies used to feature more shows in Idaho and Colorado but now has just one in Wyoming and another in Denver. The Troopers will participate in the Denver show Saturday night.

"That's a huge show at Invesco (Field). They have thousands and thousands of people at that show," Puryear said.

Staff writer Carrie May can be reached at 266-0616 or caroline.may@casperstartribune.net.