Fran Haring Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) The 2008 Harrisburg show... Barbara's first year out in public after her stroke... I asked Larry Hershman if he could dedicate the corps' performance to her. Now... we were staying at the show HQ hotel and went out to dinner with some friends from the Cabs Alumni.... the dinner ran long...service was really slow... so we had to hustle to get Barbara into the Forum in time for the 'Shore Alumni performance!!! It was actually pretty funny... my sister and I basically rolling Barbara and her wheelchair down the street at top speed to get there. It was like a Keystone Kops episode. LOL. Well... we got there, and Larry did the dedication.... we had kept it a secret from Barbara. She was blown away. Edited January 25, 2019 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 (edited) On 1/24/2019 at 2:50 PM, Jeff Ream said: Seeing friends and "family" after the winter doldrums were going away. And how many years did it rain LOL! That, to me, was the best part about the Harrisburg show. Catching up with folks after the long winter. When we attended the show with Fred and Lillian, we pretty much had the same routine... watch a little of the rehearsals, go to Strawberry Square for dinner and some shopping (there was a gift/card store that Lillian liked to visit), than back to the Forum for the show. And that weather!!! Didn't matter on what spring date the show was held... it was uncanny how many times there was some combination of rain, wind, and chilly temps. We made so many trips from Baltimore to the Harrisburg/Hershey area over the years, a decent amount of them for drum corps stuff... that I swear I could have driven parts of I-83 blindfolded. Edited January 27, 2019 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 1/24/2019 at 4:19 PM, Fran Haring said: I still have the draft copy on the "behind the scenes with the Westshoremen Alumni" article I wrote for DCW about that first Forum show in 2002. Brings back some great memories of how you guys pulled it all together!!! especially that year, as it was far from a smooth running machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 1/24/2019 at 9:38 PM, Fran Haring said: That, to me, was the best part about the Harrisburg show. Catching up with folks after the long winter. When we attended the show with Fred and Lillian, we pretty much had the same routine... watch a little of the rehearsals, go to Strawberry Square for lunch and/or dinner and some shopping (there was a gift/card store there that Lillian would visit every year), than back to the Forum for the show. And that weather!!! Didn't matter on what spring date the show was held... it was uncanny how many times there was some combination of rain, wind, and chilly temps. We made so many trips from Baltimore to the Harrisburg/Hershey area over the years, a decent amount of them for drum corps stuff... that I swear I could have driven parts of I-83 blindfolded. the other thing I remember as time went by....faces you didn't see. Five Star being Five Star....your seats were your seats! I knew where to find Danny Filipelli, Jerry and Betty Johnson, Rocky, Bert, Tommy Z....and as time went by, those seats had other faces....or from say 06-10, no one in them. 2 years ago, when they did the vote on the PA house floor for naming part of Rt 74 in Carlisle for my uncle that was killed in Vietnam.....when it was over, we walked to the car....behind the Forum...I looked at dad, he looked at me.....and we walked down the sidewalk to the door the corps all went in. It was open....so we walked in...walked around.....walked out to the stage....even walked up to our old seats....and just kinda looked around. No words. None needed. Just soaking in memories. When we walked out ( the front doors as always LOL)....i walked over to the tree where I proposed to Christine. And to myself, I sang the corps song. Dad walked up, looked at me.....and we played the tap 25 on our chests. We walked back to the car and ###### if I didn't start singing the Beat. And, I had enough time to sing "Beat On" and Beat off". We laughed the whole way back to Dad's house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 (edited) Spot on about seeing the same people in the same places!!! We'd always have a chat with the Raricks before the show... they'd know where to find Fred and Lillian. Skee and Connie would come by. Bill Miller. And God knows who else. LOL. For several years, we'd run into John Laskowski at this show. He was on his way back to Syracuse from Florida for the winter. He'd joke that he hoped the snow had melted by then. Edited January 27, 2019 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 (edited) 22 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: especially that year, as it was far from a smooth running machine That first year, someone asked me if I could go up and operate the house spotlight, to shine it on the 'Shore honor guard as they marched in... they were coming in from the back of the auditorium to the stage that year, in single file. So I went to the back of the house... way the heck up there... and in came the honor guard. Spotlight on. But for whatever reason, a few of them had a big interval gap between them. Maybe they were afraid of running into the person in front. LOL. So... amateur spotlight guy here, the first time in my life I even touched one of those things... I had to keep widening the light stream out to make sure they were all in it!!! Edited January 27, 2019 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 1/24/2019 at 2:50 PM, Jeff Ream said: I did feel a little bad I didnt go back in 16 for the last one, but....I didn't want to be on stage knowing that was it. I was in the honor guard that year, with Brenda, Cecily, and John Kelley. Oh man... when Larry took the microphone and started talking about that being the corps' last performance... we all started crying. Now... I rarely cry, but that day... couldn't help it. I looked over at the rest of the corps on stage and the floor... and we weren't the only ones dabbing our eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 On 1/26/2019 at 8:59 AM, Fran Haring said: I was in the honor guard that year, with Brenda, Cecily, and John Kelley. Oh man... when Larry took the microphone and started talking about that being the corps' last performance... we all started crying. Now... I rarely cry, but that day... couldn't help it. I looked over at the rest of the corps on stage and the floor... and we weren't the only ones dabbing our eyes. i wouldn't have been able to play. I played America through teary eyes at the last Serenade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 17 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: i wouldn't have been able to play. I played America through teary eyes at the last Serenade I think what set it off for us... for me, certainly... was the audible reaction from the audience when Larry said "this is it." It was a great ride while it lasted. And really amazing how good the corps was, given the very limited amount of time we had. Honestly, I have yet to see an alumni corps use its time more efficiently than 'Shore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 6 hours ago, Fran Haring said: I think what set it off for us... for me, certainly... was the audible reaction from the audience when Larry said "this is it." It was a great ride while it lasted. And really amazing how good the corps was, given the very limited amount of time we had. Honestly, I have yet to see an alumni corps use its time more efficiently than 'Shore. i do wish there had been more interest in performing in Annapolis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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