Alumni Corps United Corps Appears At King Frost Parade
It was still a dream in late September for many former members of the Schuylkill Haven Belvederes, Reading Buccaneers, and Emmaus Sentinels,. On October 30th, the dream came true ? a chance to perform once more in the biggest Halloween parade in eastern Pennsylvania. After four weeks of preparation, three local alumni corps joined forces under the name of Alumni Corps United Drum and Bugle Corps and presented the sound and sight of ?America? to 25,000 curb-sitters at the King Frost Parade in Hamburg, PA.
The Alumni Corps United is a partnership of three alumni drum and bugle corps descended from corps with a long history from past and present times. The resulting corps of corps made its inaugural appearance in Hamburg with 110 marching members. The lineup included a 21-strong percussion group followed by 59 in the brass brigade.
The Belvederes Alumni Corps is the reincarnation of a championship junior drum and bugle corps that flourished for many years beginning in the late 1960?s.The Schuylkill Haven Belvederes Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps were organized in mid-1965 to provide young people from the Schuylkill County and Lebanon County areas something to do after school and during the summer. In 1967 the corps under the direction of Kenn Greene began competing as a full-fledged marching and music group against other junior corps. With expert coaching, practice and experience, the Belvederes? on-field performance progressed to the point where the corps rose to the top ranks of junior corps in the mid-Atlantic states and beyond. The corps won the National Association Championship in 1969 followed by the Eastern States Association Grand Championship in 1973 and 1974. The corps continued to perform for another five years at which time it was disbanded due to declining membership.
The Buccaneer Alumni Association was founded in February 1981. The parade corps was formed October 1986 and began its first marching season on Memorial Day 1987. Today the Buccaneer Alumni Association has 200 members located all across America. Currently 55 of these members are marching in the Buccaneer Alumni corps. The Corps are attired in the traditional Buccaneer Blue, White and Black accent trim.
This year marks the 24th anniversary of the Buccaneer Alumni Corps. The group is one of only two alumni drum corps associated with an active DCA competitive corps. The parent corps, the Reading Buccaneers, has held the title of DCA champion for the past 6 years.
The Emmaus Sentinels Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps formed in 2008 and has been marching for two years. The original corps was started in 1924 and competed for 55 years until 1976. The successor corps has been busy entertaining audiences at parades and in concert performances. They have played the National Anthem for the Iron Pigs, a Triple-A baseball team affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Membership in all three corps is open to individuals of all ages with an interest in performing with or supporting a marching and music group. For more information contact:
Belvederes Alumni ? belvederesalumni [at] windstream [dot] net
Buccaneer Alumni ? RDGBuccaneer [at] msn [dot] com
Emmaus Sentinels Alumni ? emmaussentinel [at] aol [dot] com
The Alumni Corps United is now scheduling appearances for 2011. Joel Miller (610-670-2017, RDGBuccaneer [at] msn [dot] com) is the business contact.
