[baja]

In 1975 I was on staff of the Glassmen. I was the "equipment manager", "truck driver" and "bus driver" at the ripe old age of 22. The corps was a roudy bunch in those days with just a few instructors and maybe a "chaparone" as we traveled in yellow school buses which did about 50 mph downhill. We went on our first tour, ever. It started out from Toledo, then to Cleveland, then Bowling Green,and then to Bellefontaine for a week long rehearsal before going to North Tonawanda and then to Philly. Our hired bus drivers quit after Bowling Green so myself and several marching members took over the driving of three busses and one equipment truck. WE started in the mornig and on the way from Bellefontaine to North Tonawanda we had engine trouble and had to pull out of the show that night. Kept on driving all nighto on down to Philly we caravaned arriving mid morning. Probably a 24 hour trip driving with no sleep. About 2 am we went through toll booth in the mountains somewhere and the corps director saw a few orange cones we needed to set up the practice field sitting there by the side of the road. He directed us to liberate them and they soon joined our traveling circus. Anyone remember the North Tonawanda show in 1975 and who was supposed to be in it?

This post has been edited by baja: 14 June 2012 - 07:45 AM

[Northern Thunder]

baja, on 14 June 2012 - 07:35 AM, said:

Anyone remember the North Tonawanda show in 1975 and who was supposed to be in it?

The scores were:

Optimists 83.45
Freelancers 82.00
Argonne Rebels 81.70
Precisionnaires 76.20
Seattle Marksmen 74.00
Seattle Imperials 73.20
Alabama Charioteers 71.50
Colt 45s 69.60

[KeithHall]

I am from North Tonawanda! I think Toronto Optimists won that show.

DUH! Just saw the scores above LOL

baja, on 14 June 2012 - 07:35 AM, said:

In 1975 I was on staff of the Glassmen. I was the "equipment manager", "truck driver" and "bus driver" at the ripe old age of 22. The corps was a roudy bunch in those days with just a few instructors and maybe a "chaparone" as we traveled in yellow school buses which did about 50 mph downhill. We went on our first tour, ever. It started out from Toledo, then to Cleveland, then Bowling Green,and then to Bellefontaine for a week long rehearsal before going to North Tonawanda and then to Philly. Our hired bus drivers quit after Bowling Green so myself and several marching members took over the driving of three busses and one equipment truck. WE started in the mornig and on the way from Bellefontaine to North Tonawanda we had engine trouble and had to pull out of the show that night. Kept on driving all nighto on down to Philly we caravaned arriving mid morning. Probably a 24 hour trip driving with no sleep. About 2 am we went through toll booth in the mountains somewhere and the corps director saw a few orange cones we needed to set up the practice field sitting there by the side of the road. He directed us to liberate them and they soon joined our traveling circus. Anyone remember the North Tonawanda show in 1975 and who was supposed to be in it?

This post has been edited by KeithHall: 19 June 2012 - 06:45 AM

[ozarkbugler]

June 21. Any year.

[Fran Haring]

1974, a day in July... not sure of the exact date, but it was around the July 4th holiday.

I was with a local-circuit junior corps (Sacred Heart Crusaders from Manville, NJ... we competed in the Eastern States circuit).

That day, we did two parades... then a field exhibition after the second parade... and then two contests.

I'm not sure I've ever been so tired in my entire life as I was at the end of that day.

[7567BC]

I think it was 1976 with BAC and we left Boston Saturday morning to go to Hicksville, NY for the St. Ignatius' show that night. We rehearsed that afternoon and then asked to go on first at 7pm becaue we got a call to go to the Bridgemen's show in Bayonne the same night to fill in for someone who pulled out at the last minute. I may be wrong but I think it was Garfield that pulled out. Rampant food poisoning was the rumor. So we finished the Hicksville show, jumped on the busses, still in uniform, and drove to Bayonne and got their just in time. The LI expressway was jammed so it took a long time to get to Bayonne. In fact they were getting ready for retreat when we marched down the hill to the filed. The crowd went nuts and I had one of my personal best shows. Anyway we finshed the show, and went back to Hicksville that night as that was where we were staying. We stayed there because we had another show Sunday afternoon in the Bronx at the CMCC Warriors show. We left there and went to another unplanned show (for us) in Binghamton, NY Sunday night. That's right, 4 shows in 24 hours in four different places. I got home at 6 in the morning Monday and went to work. That was dumb. We came close to the Bridgemen in Bayonne and when they saw us show up in Binghamton, they couldn't believe their eyes. They knew we had been in Hicksville, Bayonne and the Bronx. Then they smoked us, but we were so #$%&'g tired.

[MilesandCassius]

Easy. Not the hardest day in the corps, per say, but hardest day for me.

We're having one of those "legendary" Garfield-Death-Camp rehearsals in '86' when, in the last number, Thom Hannum gets the idea to get rid of this little call-and-answer two bar break where th horns play and instead have just the drumline play the roll-off from the 20th Century Fox fanfare. It's supposed to be cute. Well, you know how muscle memory gets the best of you? At that point in the show I know what I'm supposed to play, 'cause I've been doing it for 4 months. I play lead baritone. I heard them say for the horns not to play. I heard them. But when we ran it...

I honked the crap out of my part. I'm the only one.

"WHO PLAYED?" (Crap! That was me!)
"Uhh, I did!"
"WHAT ARE YOU, AN IDIOT!? AGAIN!!"
So we do it again I'm beating myself up a little bit. We run it.

I honk the crap out of my part.

"WHO PLAYED!! WAS THAT YOU!!?? RUN A LAP!!!"

(What the hell's wrong with me!? Get it together!"

I run a lap just in tme to run it again.

I absolutely NAIL the part.

"RRUUUUNNNN!!!! RUN 'TIL I GET TIRED!!!!!!"

I must've run +10 laps. It's 95+ degrees. I'm hallucinating. All I can see at the two lines on either side of me on the track. Finally Hannum tells me to get back in line. I'm physically toast.

"IT DOESN'T WORK. DO IT LIKE YOU ALWAYS DID."
All that for nothing. We played it like we did for finals.

You know what? I didn't play it for 4 shows. I was too friggin' scared. True story. That was my longest day.

[Toby]

More recently, MCL had done the Baltimore parades in 2008. I caught the late "bus" out east from Nashville since I had to work the day before. We left around 4:30 PM from Nashville, pulled into the school the corps was housing at around 8 am, then drove to the first parade. Marched 4 parades, and got into our housing site around 5:30, ate dinner around 6:30, passed out around 8:30.

This post has been edited by Toby: 29 June 2012 - 12:52 AM

[Mucs75]

1975 finals day

[BRASSO]

" longest day in Drum Corps " ?

Today.

Its Friday afternoon, I 'm exhausted, and I'm still on DCP.