All-Age, All Good ~ DCA Friday the 13th through Labor Day

| |

The DCAssociates Bridgeport, CT, show, the Barnum Festival, was a huge success June 30. This show is back in the black saddle, spurred back into the DCA corral. For a couple of years, the ringmasters took the Barnum Festival off on a slight tangent, featuring superb alumni corps. At the latest show, seven competitive DCA and five alumni and youth corps performed as well as members of the Buglers’ Hall of Fame, including Frank "Ironlips" Dorrittie and John "Grass" Uspruch, sopranos, and Ruben Ariola, bari. Dorrittie flew in all the way from near El Diablo Mountain, CA, to perform.

Most all of the DCA honchos were in Bridgeport, including President Gil Silva, Treasurer Red Corso, Business Manager Dick Eschenmann, Secretary Glen Johnson and Marketing Director Donna Petrucelli. Bill Flaker, DCWorld staff and Hurricanes, along with his wife, Linda, Hurcs souvies, were superb hosts for many. The Reading Buccaneers may have walked off with the honors, but all were winners as the show almost sold out. It will be a sellout next year.

Art Harris, Bill Harris, Bob Miller, emcee Ace Holleran, Mayor John Fabrizi (a drum corps member as a junior), and the entire festival staff did a superb job for the 59th Barnum Festival.

Kilties sign Scott Stewart

Racine Kilties members sure are beaming lately. Scott Stewart, of Madison Scouts fame, has agreed to take on another directorship, leading the Kilties. Hall of Fame member Jerry Kelsey did a phenomenal job as the brass arranger, caption head and program coordinator. Bill Roetzer, president and solo sop, and the board, have made a solid step forward. I had a nice chat with Kelsey, while he worked with the Empire Statesmen at the seaside park in Park City, Bridgeport.

Alliance hosts Georgia show

Alliance is hosting their first show ever, the night after the CorpsVets’ Rockmart, GA, show, in Alpharetta, GA, on August 19. If this town sounds familiar, it is because it hosted a DCI show that included CV on June 23.

Shenandoah Sound is hosting a show in Arnold, MD…Gotcha! This year the show will be in Woodbridge, VA, on July 21. Shenandoah Sound assures me it will not rain like it did last year. Buy your tickets for DCA shows now, www.dcacorps.org .

LMS L.A. will be a shocker with Dream and Renegades

Loud Music Symposium L.A. is Friday the 13th! See SoCal Dream, the Renegades and many more acts.

I recall a DCA show in Dayton, OH, which Tom Peashey ran. Now, Midwest fan$ can see DCA in Salem, OH, July 28. The Empire Statesmen, through the efforts of Allen Buell, business manager, Dave Bruni, assistant director, et al. have set up this show through a local business man. Go see the Connecticut Hurricanes in their new uniforms, new brass, Minnesota Brass, Govenaires, Kilties and CorpsVets.

Thus far, the snafus of last year when DCA corps were judged at some DCInternational contests on non-DCA scoring sheets has been solved as promised. This has delighted members, staff and fan$, who now can get a more accurate read on how corps are doing. Do remember that, in most instances, the judging is done by non-DCA judges through DCI as a courtesy. Thanks to DCI for the cooperation!

Both the Atlanta CorpsVets and Music City Legend will be at DCI’s Georgia Dome contest, July 14.

Corps nuts and the curious are welcome to check out DCA shows that can now be found all across America. Find out why DCA is so entertaining. It’s addictive!

Posted by on Friday, July 13th, 2007. Filed under DCA ... All-Age, All-Good!.