The sounds of fifes and drums filled downtown St. Charles Saturday as units from across the Midwest paraded down historic South Main Street.

The Freezer Jam Midwest Fife and Drum Conference also included a concert Saturday night at Lindenwood University.

Participating units performed historical American military music and flew flags from different eras, from the American Revolution to the Civil War. Fife and drum corps in the 18th and 19th centuries entertained troops and played a role in the Army's communications system of the time, as they were used to relay orders to troops and alert armies to position and movement of troops.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the 1992 founding of the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps, a St. Charles group comprised of youths 10 to 18 years old. Their uniforms are patterned after those worn by the U.S. Army First Infantry field of musicians of 1804-1810 and include coats of red wool trimmed in blue, round hats adorned with black fur, white tails and a black leather cockade with an eagle badge. The flag bearers are dressed in opposite colors, blue coats with red facings, and carry the 15-star flag that represented the United States from 1795-1818.