This past weekend, Old Fort Niagara commemorated Memorial Day with an event called Niagara's Soldiers through the Ages. The fortification on Lake Ontario played host to a variety of events that demonstrated the changing face of warfare over a four hundred year period.

Fort Niagara has existed since 1726 and was a functioning military installation until 1963. The fort has been occupied by the French, British, and Americans in that time. According to Old Fort Niagara Director Bob Emerson it is a place that has seen the art of war change from "muskets to missiles."

On Sunday there were several displays for the public to enjoy including a display called Tents through Time. It showed various types of military encampments, from a seventeenth century Polish camp to a World War Two era Canadian one. Visitors could also journey over to the World War Two command post where there was a wide range of World War Two equipment on hand-from jeeps to a bazooka.

What really made history come alive at the fort were the approximately 100 volunteers who were dressed in the military uniforms of various periods. They populated the camps and the World War Two command post, and they were also an integral part of the various programs throughout the day

The re-enactors were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, speaking to anyone who wanted to learn more about history.

One visitor to the fort, Jeff Jircitano, even stated that the highlight of the day was "the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the re-enactors."

Two weapons demonstrations on Sunday afternoon proved especially spectacular. Re-enactors demonstrated weapons from the colonial period to the Second World War. Spectators learned how weapons from the musket to the machine gun functioned, and their importance to history. No live ammunition was used and most of the weapons were replicas,but there was plenty of noise and the muskets proved very smoky as well.

Those who attended one of the demonstrations got a special treat as a group of re-enactors dressed as British redcoats demonstrated an eighteenth century artillery piece. The weapons demonstrations were well attended and well liked; even those visiting from other nations enjoyed themselves. Sylvia Mitchell who was visiting all the way from England called one of the demonstrations "fantastic."

The evolution of firearms was not all that was demonstrated on Sunday. A mock eighteenth century British fief and drum corps performed military music from the time. The group explained the importance of the fief (a flute like instrument) and drum in the 1700s. The music of the corps was the principle means of communicating orders, and it told the soldiers everything, from when to head to lunch to when to retreat in battle.

Another highlight of the day wasthe Uniforms through Time program. Like the weapons demonstration, the event focused on soldiers from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Viewers could see how uniforms changed towards sleeker less heavyweight designs through the centuries.

The highlight of the program was re-enactor Michael Malecki, who dressed as a seventeenth century Polish Winged Hussar. His uniform consisted of a suit of armor and a strange looking structure rising from the uniform's back with feathers on it. That strange feather structure was used to intimidate the enemy.

Niagara's Soldiers through the Ages was the result of planning that started all the way back in the winter. Emerson explained the reason why so much effort was put into the event.

"We do this event to help educate the public about soldiers' lives from the seventeenth up to the twentieth century," Emerson said. "We hope to help people appreciate the soldiers over time who have sacrificed to give us what we have, all of the rights and freedoms we enjoy."

The event was well attended and those who came enjoyed beautiful weather and learned a lot too.