ajlisko Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) My first drum corps parade was Memorial Day 1959 in the brand spankin' new St. Raphael's Musketeers, feeder corps to their big brothers, the Buccaneers ... it was in Bridgeport CT and it was mezmerizing to this young kid ... WWI and WWII veterens everywhere ... every AL and VFW Post in the greater Bpt area represented ... Fire Engine companies and Police Troops from all local towns ... hours of marchers in line with crowds three deep cheering on both sides of the steet ... fast forward to 2013 ... I'll still be marching to honor all our fallen heores - with the NY Skyliners Alumni Corps ... two parades in NJ ... Hasbrouck Heights and Hawthorne ... who will you be marching with and where? Andy Edited May 22, 2013 by ajlisko 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Not marching right now but might go to Hanover, PA to play water wagon for the morning parade. Depending on heat index might go to Gettysburg for their early afternoon (aka HOT) parade. Only a few weeks before the 150th Anniversay of the battle so who knows what might be in the parade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereese Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Scottsville, New York I'll be drumming for the Scottsville American Legion Color Guard, the Blue Eagles!!! Plus I'll do double duty at the memorial in the rifle squad. Hot dogs and beers afterwards, it just doesn't get any better than this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Not marching right now but might go to Hanover, PA to play water wagon for the morning parade. Depending on heat index might go to Gettysburg for their early afternoon (aka HOT) parade. Only a few weeks before the 150th Anniversay of the battle so who knows what might be in the parade. Exactly the spirit I was looking for ... GET INVOLVED on Memorial Day ... I don't drum anymore but every year I march in a few parades with Sky's Alumni with my Air Horn or DMing when needed or handing out water ... or whatever is needed ... you don't have to be active to participate ... marching is honoring these heroes ... marching to me is honoring the Garbarina Mazarakos AL Post #1523, the Harry Condon AL Post #11, the Raymond W. Harris VFW Post #145, and my day will end at the fabled Hawthorne NJ AL Post #199 followed by some after glow at the Hasbrouck Heights NJ VFW Post #4591 It's Memorial Day ... get involved ... honor your drum corps tradition ... honor those little Posts where it all started for you ... honor the fallen heroes ... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eploskunyak Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 My first drum corps parade was Memorial Day 1959 in the brand spankin' new St. Raphael's Musketeers, feeder corps to their big brothers, the Buccaneers ... it was in Bridgeport CT and it was mezmerizing to this young kid ... WWI and WWII veterens everywhere ... every AL and VFW Post in the greater Bpt area represented ... Fire Engine companies and Police Troops from all local towns ... hours of marchers in line with crowds three deep cheering on both sides of the steet ... fast forward to 2013 ... I'll still be marching to honor all our fallen heores - with the NY Skyliners Alumni Corps ... two parades in NJ ... Hasbrouck Heights and Hawthorne ... who will you be marching with and where? Andy I'll be with The Park City Pride in Orange, CT on Sunday and then in Westport, CT on Monday. Both are short, well-attended parades and manageable for us old-timers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabalumnidrummer Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 The Hawthorne Alumni are in Morris Plains, NJ on Saturday morning, and Hawthorne on Monday afternoon. I'm going to try marching at least part of the way in both, but my best parade days are behind me thanks to a back operation, hip replacement, and ongoing arthritis. My first Memorial Day parade was probably 1961. Hard to believe we're still doing this all these years later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyroo Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 My first Memorial Day parade was in 1949, only four years after the end of WW II. It still meant something. Marched Memorial Days with the same corps until '61. After a break of a few years in the Army, I started doing something on Memorial Day weekend that I've continued since then. Wherever I'm living I go to the nearest veterans' cemetery (or civilian cemetery with a lot of veterans) and plant flags. It started when I went to visit a college classmate who was killed in Viet Nam and I saw that there were no flags or flowers on his or other veterans' graves. Just seems like the right thing to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraber Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 I'll be marching in Hawthorne with the Cabs Alumni - we were rained out on Saturday. I marched my first parade in 1961 or 1962 - can't quite remember back that far!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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