ironlips

"Whomever made that last tick ( I blame a horn player -no way it was a drummer ) before the 11 1/2 minute execution gun went off has been quiet and in hiding for 45 years now. " Let's get real. All ticks were equally costly. Rifle, drum, horn...whatever, and the FIRST one in the show shaved just as much from the final score as did the last.

In my view, the Finals performances are rarely the best of the season. Notable exception: Bridgemen '76, (and then they fainted).

No, and now he is. Oversight corrected. Everyone, including the members, assumed he had been inducted years ago. When this was discovered, immediate steps were taken. There are others who "should be in the Hall of Fame". I urge anyone who is aware of an individual who deserves that honor to visit <www.wdchof.org> and confirm whether that person has been inducted. If not, begin the process then and there by downloading a submission form. If we don't value our own heritage, who will?

Action shot: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=2mtQ4QTk&id=EE4A741513DE816E86A75AD73B4084E8B6DA7981&thid=OIP.2mtQ4QTkVmX8FxnGFX-3JwHaGp&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F5a%2F6b%2F38%2F5a6b38a1d3c444772e75f1941fcfa3e8--corp-knights.jpg&exph=495&expw=552&q=Belleville+Black+Knights+images&simid=607987096952706343&form=IRPRST&ck=BE10C058DCEDCC51ABAB4DF507BCF18A&selectedindex=14&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=0&sim=11&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.da6b50e104e45665fc1719c6157fb727%3Frik%3DgXnatuiEQDvXWg%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0

Now THIS was some headgear: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=S5Fgoc4Z&id=DBA06CD05777E20520FC2E9EF0D5A583225B7BE8&thid=OIP.S5Fgoc4Z3AqDNHRpa1zC1AHaJ6&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F2b%2F96%2F57%2F2b96577b7a695c9f9613898acb4b716a.jpg&exph=661&expw=494&q=Belleville+Black+Knights+images&simid=608007278971716411&form=IRPRST&ck=603605254F35AA40439D89FF9BDE1241&selectedindex=15&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=0&sim=11&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.4b9160a1ce19dc0a833474696b5cc2d4%3Frik%3D6HtbIoOl1fCeLg%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0

How'd you get all that in your pipe? (Sorry. I just couldn't resist.) That sounds delicious. Wishing the best to all Cavies, everywhere.

As a pre-schooler, since my parents both worked, I was often looked after by our Jewish neighbor, Mrs. Salloway. At Easter, she would say, "Yes, I know from the Bunny, but do you also know about the Passover Pigeon?" In my little-kid mind I would imagine those two sitting down together at dinner. So, in honor of Mrs. Salloway and all others who commemorate it, "Happy Passover".

In earlier days, the "Open" category bore other names (Div II, Class A...etc) and one of the most successful of these groups was the Milford Shoreliners, who made a habit of defeating World Class competitors when directly matched against them. Their director, Frank "Sarge" Polizzzi, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, will be inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame with its "Lifetime Achievement Award" on Dec. 2nd. His bio is here: https://www.wdchof.org/members/polizzi-frank-sarge/

What an extraordinary group, globally and generationally! Check out their bios here: www.wdchof.org

What I remember most clearly about the Falcons was Bobby Craig's wicked-good drum line.

The DCI board made a significant weather decision years ago by moving Nationals into Lucas Oil. "...and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime..."

I think that's a fair critique, as far as it goes. It is interesting though, that after 37 years people are still discussing it here.

The OP presents some very cogent arguments for adapting the model to suit regional reality. I say "go for it". Having had some personal contact with the management of Les Stentors, I am impressed with their philosophy and family/community style of operation, as well as their creative programming. (Full disclosure: I have the T shirt.) In a conversation about them with Hall of Famer Michel Boulanger, I suggested that this and similar Canadian corps go with their strengths, i.e., maximize uniqueness by changing the ratio of musicians to guard, for example. Consider: Electronics provide opportunities like utilizing a small number of musicians and featured vocalists who might be essentially stationary, accompanied by a massive color guard/dance ensemble for movement, color and field coverage. Emphasize the effect caption, a traditional strength of groups north of the 39th Parallel. When I first marched, Scout House looked and sounded very different from US corps. Their arranging and marching styles were refreshingly unique. They celebrated these things (the Bb bugles and glocks helped) and were not particularly concerned about out-doing the state-side corps at their game. They brought their own. But they consistently "won the crowd", a very gratifying thing for any performer and a great incentive to keep the act together. Many Canadian corps followed this route, Les Diplomates being a prime example. Sitting in the stands at DCI Canada in 1986, my mother (a very hip drum corps fan) witnessed the performance of the 10th place unit, Les Eclipses. During their closer, La Vie En Rose, she turned to me and said, "Now there's a group that knows how to reach an audience". It's notable that she held her opinion even after watching powerhouses like Madison, Cadets, Star, and Spirit in that same show. (Quick, what ear-worm do you have at this moment?) I think there's a lesson in there.

Keep Calm and Consider this...many of those California Girls are grandmothers now.

I don't think Mike is dissing Fred. He's mocking himself for missing the opportunity to learn directly from him. Fred had just come East to take the job at Bergenfield High. His credentials and credibility were stratospheric. His career surpassed even those, as everyone knows. With their deep understanding of both rudimental and "legitimate" percussion, and their extraordinary pedagogical chops, Freddy, Shellmer, and Tuthill moved drum corps to it's next (much more musical) level, paving the way for youngsters like Poole, Aungst, and Hardimon. (Sounds like a law firm, no?)

Maybe, though I think most feel the 1 through 10 mob is pretty much locked, save for exact placement.

Frank Williams has always been brilliant. He's my hero.

OK, OK, Magical Mythical corps aside, in addition to those actual DCI groups aforementioned, does anyone else have a shot at say, 11th or 12th?

They'll have to ask my brother-in-law, Mel. He was a charter member and their drill instructor.

Perish the thought! Pure as the driven snow, right?

And don't forget about the Nahant Navigators. They're on the move again:

This seems quite likely. Who might they be, and why?

This is a fine gesture. There are lots of horns, drums and flags currently languishing in storage, belonging to groups that are no longer functioning. Let's see who within the drum corps community follows Preston's lead.

Ah, yes. Every arranger's nightmare: the Great Hosing Down of the Charts. In this case, it was all for naught and probably cost the corps a couple of placements at Nationals because the GE score stalled when the exposures were removed. In my naivete (this was my first book for a corps of this caliber), I objected so strongly that I was summarily dismissed from the staff. It was clear to me that Tuthill's creative use of percussion, particularly tuned basses and tympani, was the element that allowed the show to make musical sense. In hindsight, this is the downside of being innovative in corps design. It takes a while for the appreciation to kick in, and the ultimate reason why the tick had to die for things to progress. Bobby Hoffman (no stranger to innovation) once told me, "You can't just DO IT. You gotta SELL IT."

And you'll find another prominent DCP poster in that '71 Dallas video, also in the drum line. Guess who. Hint: former Livingston Hilltopper