FORT LIGONIER DAYS CELEBRATION PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER.

It's no mere historical coincidence that Ligonier is celebrating its 250th birthday at the same time as Pittsburgh's 250th. Ligonier, after all, is the town that made Pittsburgh possible.

That's why this year's Fort Ligonier Days - October 10 through 12 - promises to be one of the biggest ever, featuring musical entertainment, battle recreations, "walkin' cuisine" to rival the best fairs, arts and crafts and a huge parade including the Penn State Blue Band, The United States Army's Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps Band, from Quantico, Va., and popular attractions like the internationally famous Budweiser Clydesdales.

It was from the British fort at Ligonier that British and American colonial troops massed with such force that they caused the French to abandon Fort Duquesne at the junction of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, in November 1758, and relinquish the Ohio Valley during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). And a triumphant Gen. John Forbes, after giving Pittsburgh its name, would return to Ligonier and spend the last Christmas of his life there in a snug cabin at the fort. The fort, restored in its entirety, and its superb museum will be one of the focal points of a celebration that literally covers the whole town nestled in the hills 50 miles east of Pittsburgh on Route 30.

The Marine Corps band will hold a concert at the Ligonier Valley High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Friday, and throughout the weekend there will be musical entertainment from the bandstand of the town's famed Diamond and at various other venues. Performers include the Jaggerz, the popular oldies rock group and the exciting Southern rock band, Second Wind, on Friday afternoon and evening at the center of town. The country group Girlz in Black Hats, which wowed crowds last year, returns to the Diamond on Saturday afternoon. And some impromptu concerts from some of the many parade units are expected.

Fort Days is always touted for the wide variety of excellent food served from booths around the Diamond under the sponsorship of various local non-profit organizations, and for the more than 150 juried crafters, artists and artisans whose booths will be open throughout the town every day of the event. The quality of these vendors has made Fort Ligonier Days a Mecca for thousands interested in hand-made clothing, decorative items, paintings, drawings and other works of art.

Events at Fort Ligonier itself - battle re-enactments, 18th century artillery demonstrations and authentic recreations of the French & Indian War period by various military units encamped there - will be on a scale not seen there before. And crowds who visit the fort for these demonstrations will also get a chance to see a world-class museum display vividly demonstrating that the French & Indian conflict was indeed the first global war. Among the amazing treasures also to be seen at Fort Ligonier are George Washington's personal pistols (a gift to him from the Marquis de Lafayette) and Washington's only personal account of the perilous firefight in which he found himself here in the valley 250 years ago, as British and colonial American troops moved to besiege the French garrison at Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh.

But of all the events that make Fort Ligonier Days such a grand event, the Saturday parade is the most popular. It is a must event, not only for the public, but for many bands and parade units around the country. This year's parade features a host of such units. The Penn State band, 400 strong, will be making a rare autumn appearance away from its own or a football rival's stadium. One of the foremost university bands in the nation, its combination of showmanship and musicianship has won it accolades at the biggest parades in the country. The Quantico Marines, one of the nation's truly great military bands, and a Ligonier favorite for many years, will be returning to recreate once again the peculiar synergy that develops between the band and the huge crowd thronging the tree-lined Main Street of the town.

The Old Guard, the only Army band to perform in authentic Revolutionary War uniforms, will add to the historic atmosphere of the parade. This is the band that performs at all ceremonies for arriving heads of state and other dignitaries at the White House. It has performed at every Presidential Inaugural Parade since John F. Kennedy's in 1961, and has thrilled crowds at events as varied as the Super Bowl, the Olympics and the Indianapolis 500. The world famous

Budweiser Clydesdales, one of the most sought-after parade attractions in the nation, will be appearing in Ligonier once again. It's one thing to see the magnificent Budweiser hitch on television. But to see these remarkable horses (1,800 to 2,300 pounds each) up close and in the flesh, in a superbly disciplined team of eight, pulling the colorful Budweiser beer wagon, is to understand why these "gentle giants" continue to thrill parade watchers across the country.

Bagpipe bands are always a parade favorite and this year there will be five top pipe units participating. They include the Balmoral Highlanders, of Pittsburgh; the Seton Hill Pipe Band, of Greensburg; the Garrett Country Pipe Band, from Maryland; the Laurel Highlands Pipe Band, and the New Haven Hose Company Pipe Band from Connellsville PA.

Fifteen high school bands will be participating, including some of the top high school units in the state. Those who have attended past parades always remark on how units such as Butler's Golden Tornado, the Greater Latrobe Wildcats, the fabled Hempfield Area and spirited Franklin Regional school bands have more than held their own with university and professional units in the huge parade with the verve of their performances.

Other parade favorites like the Steel City Ambassadors, the Western Pennsylvania Firefighter Honor Guard and the many Shriners organizations, will be joined by such attractions as Mr. McFeely, from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and numerous military re-enactment units from both the 18th century and the Civil War periods - more re-enactors than ever before. The Mason-Dixon Brass Band, an authentic Civil War military band will also march and numerous local floats celebrating Ligonier 250 are expected.

Appropriately enough, the Grand Marshal of this year's parade will be Arch Sweeney, one of Ligonier's foremost citizens and businessmen and the man who headed the Ligonier Bicentennial Celebration when it was held in 1958 - a never-to-be-forgotten week of parades and celebrations culminating in the visit of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Fort Ligonier.

The size and caliber of this year's parade and celebration promises to recall the grandeur and excitement of that event a half century ago.