STURBRIDGE, Mass. – Fife-and-drum companies from all over the northeast will converge on Old Sturbridge Village Sept. 11 for competitions, demonstrations, a uniform “fashion show,” and a combined “parade of corps,” according to a statement.

"Visitors can learn about the importance of military songs and cadences, and how fifers and drummers used specific tunes and rhythms to communicate with troops in battle," the statement said.

The event is free with museum admission, and OSV is also offering free stagecoach and riverboat rides through Sept. 30.

For times and details: http://www.osv.org/, 800-733-1830.

Also on Sept. 11, the museum will hold a day-long Collectors’ Forum highlighting “Ceramics in New England,” featuring noted authors, artisans, and curators, pottery demonstrations, a redware pottery kiln firing, a one-day-only display of ceramics from the OSV collection, and a wine and cheese reception, the statement said.

OSV Collectors’ Forum speakers include Pat Halfpenny, recently retired from her position as director of Museum Collections at Winterthur Museum; Don Carpentier, master craftsman and founder and director of the Historic Eastfield Foundation of Nassau, N.Y.; and independent museum consultant Nan Wolverton, former Old Sturbridge Village curator of Decorative Arts.

The Collectors’ Forum, which includes the “Evening at the Kiln” pottery firing, is open to the public; cost is $80 per person; $60 for museum members.

For details: www.osv.org/collectors; 800-SEE-1830.

Visitors may also attend the “Evening at the Kiln” event separately, which is set for 7 - 9 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Old Sturbridge Village pottery shop, where potters will be stoking the Village’s 24-foot-high brick kiln to 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit and will fire a year’s worth of vintage-style redware pottery hand-crafted at the museum, the statement said.

Guests can try their hands at “throwing” a piece of pottery on the potter’s wheel, and can enjoy appetizers, drinks, and watch the sparks fly from the top of the kiln.

Cost for “Evening at the Kiln” is $35 per person; $30 for OSV members.

Old Sturbridge Village is one of the oldest and largest living history museums in the country and celebrates New England life from 1790 – 1840.

The museum is open daily 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Daytime admission: $20; seniors $18; children 3-17, $7; children under 3, free. Parking is free, and admission includes a free return visit within 10 days. For information: http://www.osv.org/; 800-SEE-1830.