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US Open Memories


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You all have good memories, wow! We went to the US Open a few times and the only thing I remember was 'The Thing', huge corps in white and hues of green with a massive sound. Was it 73? Oh my, I'm starting to feel old :)

Yes, "The Thing" was in 1973. Their combined uniforms (GREEN from St. Patrick's Imperials and PURPLE from the Thunderbolts) really brought a "unique" color scheme to the field.

The one great thing about the the U.S. Open (and several people have addressed this) was how the entire city embraced drum corps. There was also something VERY special about the U.S. Open parade.....

Nothing like 35 drum & bugle corps in a parade!!!!!!!!!!!

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'74 - we played the other corps onto the field for grand finale by going through our entire show (standstill, of course). We had a drum solo that marching went (foot) - at 60/60 - left, right, left, right, left, left, right, left right, left, left - repeat - then went into double time. It was was a riot watching the other corps try to stay with the beat while coming on the field - they had no idea what was coming. It still makes me chuckle.

Also - we were in Marion when Nixon resigned - members were sneaking into bushes in front of houses around the school to try to see a TV and find out what was going on. We knew that there was a major event - but no idea what.

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In 1986 after we performed at the US Open we went back to our buses and one of them had a dead battery. They tried jumping the one bus with our other bus (we only had two buses that year) and for some reason it drained the battery of the other bus. We were stuck, and most of us ended up sleeping on the grass in front of Marion HS that night.

Good times....... :tongue:

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1971......"Go Go Tri-knockers!"

Loved the version of "Someday" (Chicago).

Wow Brian!...YOU are amazing!!! 1971 US Open...The Appleknockers claim to fame...memorable on both counts...The first and only time they made a National finals, they lent a few and borrowed a few hornplayers to the benefit of both corps...TriTown Cadets...TriTown almost won Class A too!(2nd place!) Hence the Tri-Knockers...Plus a sexual connotation...even more fun!!! That's pretty amazing! I'm pleasantly surprised that you remember Someday. It was one of my first arrangements and helped set the stage for so many wonderful years of arranging/teaching etc. for drum corps. It's been a privelege and an honor to do this activity and I never take it for granted.I am forever grateful for that opportunity. Thanks for the memory...It looks like you've struck a chord...

Steve Cooley

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Wow Brian!...YOU are amazing!!! 1971 US Open...The Appleknockers claim to fame...memorable on both counts...The first and only time they made a National finals, they lent a few and borrowed a few hornplayers to the benefit of both corps...TriTown Cadets...TriTown almost won Class A too!(2nd place!) Hence the Tri-Knockers...Plus a sexual connotation...even more fun!!! That's pretty amazing! I'm pleasantly surprised that you remember Someday. It was one of my first arrangements and helped set the stage for so many wonderful years of arranging/teaching etc. for drum corps. It's been a privelege and an honor to do this activity and I never take it for granted.I am forever grateful for that opportunity. Thanks for the memory...It looks like you've struck a chord...

Steve Cooley

Wow, Steve! I just about wore out my '71 U.S. Open album cut with the Appleknockers on it simply because of "Someday". That was a great piece of music!

I was always surprised nobody else played it on the field. I think Catholic Daughters of America my have played it a year or two after Geneva, but it may also have been

"Someday My Prince Will Come" (hard to tell as some corps abbreviated their song titles). Regardless, my hats off to you on tackling "Someday" and successfully implementing it for the Appleknockers.

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Wow, Steve! I just about wore out my '71 U.S. Open album cut with the Appleknockers on it simply because of "Someday". That was a great piece of music!

I was always surprised nobody else played it on the field. I think Catholic Daughters of America my have played it a year or two after Geneva, but it may also have been

"Someday My Prince Will Come" (hard to tell as some corps abbreviated their song titles). Regardless, my hats off to you on tackling "Someday" and successfully implementing it for the Appleknockers.

My hat's off to you for an amazing memory! Keep up the good work!!

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I always liked the "racetrack" loop of one-way streets around the city. Our school buses always had to drive the loop on the way to the stadium, and we'd drive right past "Cadet Hall", the corps' home base. That's when I got really amped up for the show (up until then I was concentrating on my girlfriend). And every store sign on that loop said "Welcome Drum Corps Fans!"

We always had to park the buses blocks from the stadium so we'd walk, almost as a block, to the stadium. The awe of the place was palpable; lot's of old-growth trees overhanging the streets. Approaching the stadium was almost electric, with the chatter growing the closer we got. Seeing the corps line up and filing to our seats in the bleachers...

I was in the eighth grade, and I made the trip to Marion several times. The last few to march...

Great memories, burned in hard.

I'll tell you a "small world" story after dinner.

Ah, shooting the loop. A favorite Marion pastime. I wonder if they still do it?

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Yes that was a big thing when Nixon resigned! We were staying at a church on the main drag and rehearsing out front.

'74 - we played the other corps onto the field for grand finale by going through our entire show (standstill, of course). We had a drum solo that marching went (foot) - at 60/60 - left, right, left, right, left, left, right, left right, left, left - repeat - then went into double time. It was was a riot watching the other corps try to stay with the beat while coming on the field - they had no idea what was coming. It still makes me chuckle.

Also - we were in Marion when Nixon resigned - members were sneaking into bushes in front of houses around the school to try to see a TV and find out what was going on. We knew that there was a major event - but no idea what.

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Who did you march with?

Americanos. And now that crazy drum solo has been bouncing in my head for the last day. And....it was slower than 60/60 at the beginning - maybe 40 - then to double time.

Edited by WIS
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