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Giants Stadium Drum Corps Memories


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Glenn said:

"John, that was Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I was there in 67 and 68 with Sun. I also marched in that Daily News show in Shea Stadium in 64 with Selden. We were horrible that day. I recall it being very hot for May."

Thanks for the correction, Glenn. I for got it was the (World War II) Memorial Stadium. The old Cleveland one was Municipal Stadium where we did some Browns halftimes.

I was a fan and follower of Selden from '63 to '65 when my friend Brian Farrell was a member. Maybe you knew him? He later went to the NY Kingsmen with Bob Bunce and so many others. I find it ironic that I now am working with the Selden Alumni, trying to get a drum section going again.

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I was a fan and follower of Selden from '63 to '65 when my friend Brian Farrell was a member. Maybe you knew him? He later went to the NY Kingsmen with Bob Bunce and so many others. I find it ironic that I now am working with the Selden Alumni, trying to get a drum section going again.

Small world John. Brian actually stayed over at my house in Deer Park one weekend during the contest season. He lived in Queens and would stay with friends out on the island as it was crazy to go back into the city after rehearsal, then have to meet the bus out in Selden on Saturday morning. He played french horn at that time. Nice guy.

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Giants Statium meant little to Senior or All Age Corps. Yes, there were a FEW things there, BUT, most of what is called Drum Corps was JUNIOR or "DCI". (and the H. Cab. "Grand Prix")

"Some have compared losing Giants Stadium to losing Roosevelt Stadium, site of the Dream, the Preview of Champions," .........

To which I would add YEAR after YEAR, for a LONG TIME. Both Jr and Sr, and almost aways included a Canadian Corps or so. With Huge crowds. Crowds that FAR exceeded any show ever held at Giants Stadium.

...."the First World Open and the 1966 VFW Nationals." ( and DCA Championships ) "While I understand, I still think losing Roosevelt has left a bigger 'hole' in our collective drum corps memories."

Heck, Newark Schools Stadium has more of a History(than Giant's Stadium), at least 4 or more contests EVERY year (season) in it. With names like Blessed Sacrament, Garfield, St. Lucy's, St. Vincent's, Muchachoes, Bridgemen, Selden, Queensmen, Bridgeport PAL, St. Raph. Buc's, Audubon, Vesella Muskateers and Many many more. We're not talking about little (although they did have some of us small Corps also) contests. We are talking BIG names both Nationaly and Regionaly, Jr and yes some Senior.

Edited by OldStyleCorps
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Giants Statium meant little to Senior or All Age Corps. Yes, there were a FEW things there, BUT, most of what is called Drum Corps was JUNIOR or "DCI". (and the H. Cab. "Grand Prix")

"Some have compared losing Giants Stadium to losing Roosevelt Stadium, site of the Dream, the Preview of Champions," .........

To which I would add YEAR after YEAR, for a LONG TIME. Both Jr and Sr, and almost aways included a Canadian Corps or so. With Huge crowds. Crowds that FAR exceeded any show ever held at Giants Stadium.

...."the First World Open and the 1966 VFW Nationals." ( and DCA Championships ) "While I understand, I still think losing Roosevelt has left a bigger 'hole' in our collective drum corps memories."

Heck, Newark Schools Stadium has more of a History(than Giant's Stadium), at least 4 or more contests EVERY year (season) in it. With names like Blessed Sacrament, Garfield, St. Lucy's, St. Vincent's, Muchachoes, Bridgemen, Selden, Queensmen, Bridgeport PAL, St. Raph. Buc's, Audubon, Vesella Muskateers and Many many more. We're not talking about little (although they did have some of us small Corps also) contests. We are talking BIG names both Nationaly and Regionaly, Jr and yes some Senior.

Add The Chicago Royal-Airs to that list for Roosevelt Stadium. In the 1966 Dream Contest, from when we stepped off the line in our company front playing "Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines" till we reached the fifty yard line, I couldn't hardly hear myself playing over the roar of the crowd..... Don't know what the attendance was but it sounded huge.

Edited by royal-air canada
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as a frequent participant in Mickey Petrone's Dream Contest - especially the 1965 tornado event with Grey Knight Post Crusaders - I would never take anything away from this show... It was the premier event for decades... and it did have HUGE crowds... However, they also gave away (or sold for a song and prayer - pun intended) lots of tickets to every nun and priest in New Jersey... the sea of black in the audience was very dominent... so I have to wonder about the relationship of total attendance to paid attendance...

one of my best dreams I was NOT competing. Brigs had a show in Lewisburg, PA in 1968 on Saturday night. One of the first shows I dragged my wife of 41 years to the summer before our wedding... after the show - at our motel in Lewisburg, I said to her "you want to see a real drum corps show, the Dream is tomorrow... let's go"...

So we get up and drive to Jersey arriving about 5 minutes before show time. I go up to the ticket window and ask for 2 of the best seats they have left... The girl laughs and says "they were gone weeks ago"... smiling appreciatively and understanding completely, I take what she has and head into the stadium... We make our way to the seats and I pop out of our aisle and I'm on the 50 yard line half way up - I couldn't believe it... these were quite literally the best seats in the house for any corps fan... We thoroughly enjoy a great Dream Contest...

When I run into Mickey, I tell him about my BAD seats and he laughs... his answer was simple: "It rains on the Dream so often or is miserably hot - no in between - that the ticket people are used to everyone asking for seats under the roof which of course was past the 50 yard line." Since my tickets were NOT under the roof, but directly on the 50 at a perfect height, they were still considered BAD seats...

go figure...

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Hey Gene....I bet you remember your birthday in 1978....120 people singing to you.

Tim

I TOTALLY remember that...that took place in BRIDGEPORT, Ct.. scared the #### out of me!!!

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Hey Gene! Aren't you being just a little too hard on the place? It wasn't all that bad. I can think of a few other venues I marched in that weren't so great, ones that made Giants Stadium look really good. The Yale Bowl immediately comes to mind for starters.

Stay warm and dry and away from the snow!

As far as the snow goes...NO LUCK, but thanks for the sentiment.

Another "wonderful" stadium was the MANNING BOWL (now gone) there never seemed to be any grass...Just a dusty nightmare for white pants!!! I also remember the OLD J Birney Crum field (before it was turf) the lines were VERY slippery. Had my first fall there in Dutch Boy and ripped the sole of my shoe off!!!

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Giants Statium meant little to Senior or All Age Corps. Yes, there were a FEW things there, BUT, most of what is called Drum Corps was JUNIOR or "DCI". (and the H. Cab. "Grand Prix")

"Some have compared losing Giants Stadium to losing Roosevelt Stadium, site of the Dream, the Preview of Champions," .........

To which I would add YEAR after YEAR, for a LONG TIME. Both Jr and Sr, and almost aways included a Canadian Corps or so. With Huge crowds. Crowds that FAR exceeded any show ever held at Giants Stadium.

...."the First World Open and the 1966 VFW Nationals." ( and DCA Championships ) "While I understand, I still think losing Roosevelt has left a bigger 'hole' in our collective drum corps memories."

Heck, Newark Schools Stadium has more of a History(than Giant's Stadium), at least 4 or more contests EVERY year (season) in it. With names like Blessed Sacrament, Garfield, St. Lucy's, St. Vincent's, Muchachoes, Bridgemen, Selden, Queensmen, Bridgeport PAL, St. Raph. Buc's, Audubon, Vesella Muskateers and Many many more. We're not talking about little (although they did have some of us small Corps also) contests. We are talking BIG names both Nationaly and Regionaly, Jr and yes some Senior.

Newark Schools Stadium:

Yes, it also is a "Legend". The MANY "Newak" corps (Blseed Sacrament, St Lucys Cadets, Woodsiders, St Rose of Lima, to name a few) held their shows there, as well as championships for the Penn-Jersy and Garden State Circuits. To add to the above mentioned corps: Conn Royal Lancers, Haddon Heights Vagabonds, Loretto Knights, Bracken Cavaliers, St Marys Cadets, OLPH Ridgemen, St Raphaels Buccaneers, Hawthorne Muchachos, and St Jossephs Patron Cadets all made multiple showings at "Newark".

Thr "Aftenoon" shows at "Newark" were evry bit as HOT, weatherwise as any that took place "Across the Bay" at the Dream's "Roosevelt " legendary venue.

Great memories..... :worthy:

Elphaba

WWW

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The "Dream" was more than attendance. Although I also saw the Hundred's of Clergy in much of the Best seating. I do Not believe that if they were not there it would make a Sigificnt difference in TOTAL attendance. I also for some reason (that I can not explain) never sat in that area (The uncovered area). Even though as you say it was just as good as the other area.

I DO KNOW that the First time I competed in the "Dream" the Largeness of the crowd (as opposed to being a fan in the stands) put the fear of God in me. (Well, till we started our show. then the crowd size mattered a lot less). I had been to the "Dream" many times. -- BUT, Then -- there I was,.... standing there,.......... ready to go,........ IN the show,...... IN Roosevelt Stadium. It was a moment I will Always remember. Much more so than the VFW and AL Nats. Etc.

The "Dream" was more af a Total Experience. Either way. As a Fan or as a Competitor. It was a Total, Sight - Sound - and yes Smell. It was also more like a reunion in many way's. The Charter bus' that filled almost an entire lot of Corps that came in mass just to see it. Reading the Jackets of people at food and suvie area under stadium. AND the people in the stands Knew Drum Corps. They made better judges than the ones on the field often. Those people (over all) did not care if your corps was from Newark, Boston, Chicago or Wyoming. They let you know how they felt.

I know that CYO Nats, Barnum, and Hershey and others were big. But the "Dream" was a thing of it's own. I doubt could ever happen again in the same way. Times have changed but the Memories of the "Dream", will last in each of us, in our own way. "Like sand in an Hour Glass. These were the Days of Our Life"

I know "SoCal Dream" will be holding a show this year in Calif. Called The "Dream Invatational" and would you believe at a stadium named after a "Roosevelt". Is that Great or what. I hope their's grows as big and Memorable, as ours of the past.

Edited by OldStyleCorps
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I marched in two Dreams. Yes, the first one is kind of scary. The view from the starting line is ten times larger then from the seats. And for some strange reason you start to think, do I really belong here? The Dream was usually all about what the crowd wanted to see and that put you in a catagory with the best of the best mostly. You start to relax when the crowd gets into what you're doing. It's a strange feeling. More so than DCA's. I think it's because you're being judged by not only the judges on the field, but by the ultimate judges in the stands. The second one was easier. Confidence sets in and you can perform better. The jitters are gone for the most part. Then there's retreat. That's a whole other story.

The Dream, imitated but never duplicated. On the field or in the stands.

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