42nd Infantry Division Band plays free concert in in Port Washington on Friday, August 2

New York Army National Guard band will perform at the Sousa Band Shell in Port Washington at 8 p.m.

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The 42nd Infantry Division band performing at the Saratoga Race Track in 2017.

LATHAM, NY (07/29/2019) (readMedia)-- The New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division "Rainbow" Band will play a free concert at the Sousa Band Shell in Port Washington on Friday, August 2.

The concert, the fourth in a series of seven performances the band is conducting this year, will take place at 8 p.m.

The 42nd Infantry Division Band conducts concerts across the state during the summer months. All concerts are free and open to the public and no ticket is required.

The 42nd Infantry Division is known as the "Rainbow" Division because of the patch the Soldiers wear and its World War I history of encompassing National Guard units from across the United States.

The Band has a long history, first playing for troops in World War I.

The unit's music is broad and varied, with multiple groups performing. Classical music, marches, patriotic selections, jazz, rock and popular music are all within the band's repertoire. Many musicians capably play more than one instrument.

Members of the band train and maintain fitness on the same weapons and combat skills that all Soldiers learn, additionally practicing music.

The band deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of the 42nd Infantry's Division headquarters. Band members played at ceremonies, in dining halls, for Iraqi officials and sometimes alongside Iraqi musicians.

The 42nd Infantry Division Band, based at the Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill, is under the command of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark L. Kimes and 1st Sergeant Leslie G. Saroka.

Upcoming performances this summer include:

* New Village, Patchogue, August 3 at 7:00 p.m.

* Westerleigh Park, Staten Island, August 4th at 5:00 p.m.

* Montauk Point State Park, Montauk, August 5th at 2:00 p.m.