Mini Corps Associates Organizations 2008 Annual Meeting
Corps’ represented included: Ghost Riders, Golden Eagles, Mass Brass, Amoskeag Sound, Capital Brass, Lambertville Volunteers, CrossmenXtreme, Erie Thunderbirds and Bayonne Bridgemen.
The enthusiasm was apparent to all as Officers were elected and spirited discussions were held on a number of projects for 2008; including several ideas for marketing and promotion, new shows, new members and judging sheets.
The membership was unanimous in applauding the outstanding job the Executive Committee has done in bringing MCA to the forefront of the new genre, and re-elected each of the officers to a new 2-year term. The 2008-2009 officers: President; Rod Keppel…. Vice President; John Moran … Treasurer; Gary Matczak;… Secretary – Susan VanEssendelft
The Executive Committees also made several appointments: Competitions and Shows; Doug Mellenthine… Public Relations and Membership: Tom MacDonald… Legal; Gary Matczak… Liaison to DCA; Frank Ponzo… Rules Committee : John Moran & Doug Mellenthine … Webmaster: Gary Matczak… Harrisburg Show Committee; Rod Keppel and Gary Matczak… Executive Committee Advisor; Frank Ponzo.
A membership drive is in progress as MCA looks to bring more groups into the discussion, development and promotion of this exciting activity. Interest for prospective members has come from across the country; including some that are in development and a couple getting their starts as Brass Ensembles.
Competitions and shows are being discussed for Tonawanda, Rochester and Albany, NY. And, of course, the second annual MCA Invitational, in association with Serenade in Brass, will be held on April 12, in Harrisburg, PA.
The Harrisburg show looks to be even more entertaining than in 2007. A press release will soon be made with more information on this popular event.
Discussions were also held on reviving the traditional “off-season” of indoor shows and competitions. To that end, Andy Lisko, representing the Bugler’s Hall of Fame, and John Yurkin, for the Bridgemen Drumfest were on hand to offer ideas and cooperation in promoting the Mini-Corps caption in their events. February and March competitions are scheduled for Garfield, Bayonne and Bridgeport, and it appears that all three may have MCA members in competition. The possibility of future collaboration between MCA and these organizations is being seriously considered.
Of all of the exciting things happening with MCA, the Rules Committee had some of the biggest news to announce. The committee, which includes John Moran, Gary Matczak, Doug Mellenthine and Donny Allen, has been hard at work this winter on a new judging system for Mini-Corps. Although the details are not yet ready for release, the sheets are being developed with cooperation from DCA, and will provide a more comprehensive evaluation and ranking system; updated for the state of the activity today. This is a major step forward for the Mini-Corps activity. More information will soon be released.
Finally, Rod Keppel reminded attendees about the philosophy MCA was founded upon. The top things the founding members were looking for was camaraderie, entertainment, adjudication, indoor venues and sponsorships. The organization can be proud of the results so far, and intend to continue augmenting and enhancing these attributes as they press ahead in 2008 and beyond.
