Millstadt Crusaders Alumni Association To Dedicate Memorial

The Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps Alumni Association will be installing and dedicating a Memorial to the former members, parents, managers, instructors and supporters of the Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps at the Millstadt Village Park, Millstadt, Illinois near the corner of N. Main St. and W. Gooding St. where the Crusaders practiced for many years. The dedication of this Memorial to the Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 2:00pm.

The Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps was founded in 1946 by members of Millstadt American Legion Post 502. The Crusaders proudly represented the Village of Millstadt, Illinois from 1946 to 1969. Many young men and women benefited from the drum & bugle corps experience. The Crusaders were a dedicated, competitive and eye catching drum & bugle corps. The Crusaders wore a uniform with a sparkling red satin top in the 1950’s, a distinctive cross and shield covered uniform in the early to mid 1960’s and a West Point style "Long Grey Line" uniform from the mid to late 1960’s. Many of the Crusaders Alumni still live in Millstadt and Southern Illinois.

The design of the Memorial will artistically depict the important elements of the Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps tradition. During the middle and late 1960’s the Crusaders were called “The Long Grey Line” because of their distinctive grey uniform. The Memorial will be a 6-foot by 3-foot stone of grey granite to honor the “The Long Grey Line”. The edges of the stone will be rough hewn to signify how all members of the Crusaders came to the Corps with unpolished marching and musical skills. The face of the stone will be highly20polished to signify that after much practice, perseverance and instruction the members of the Crusaders developed highly polished marching and musical skills.

The name “Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps” will be located at the top of the Memorial in old English style lettering and colored red as was on the bass drum heads and flags of the Millstadt Crusaders and is shown in the letterhead above. On the front of the Memorial will be a graphic depiction of the two shields that represent two eras of Crusader history. The 1959 to 1964 shield (shown on the top right of this letterhead) was a part of the uniform of that era and will be on the Memorial. The more stylized shield (shown on the top left of this letterhead) that was utilized in "The Long Grey Line" era from 1965 to 1969 will be on the Memorial. The years of the corps, 1946 to 1969, will be shown in the space between the shields.

The words carved deeply into the Memorial will pay tribute to all members of the Crusaders and their parents, past managers and instructors and to the people of the Village of Millstadt. It will read as follows:

Former members, managers, instructors and the parents of former members of the Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps are invited to attend the 5th annual Crusaders Alumni Reunion which will be held in conjunction with the Memorial Dedication. The 5th Annual Reunion starts at 11:00am. To register for the 5th Annual Crusaders Alumni Reunion please download and send in the Reunion registration form that is available on the website. No prior registration is necessary to attend just the Memorial Dedication. The Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps Memorial Dedication is open to members of the press.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Frederick Kent at (614) 895-7859 or visit the Millstadt Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps website at: www.millstadtcrusaders.com or email: kentfrederick [at] hotmail [dot] com