I think everyone will agree with FTD. "No one will top that"
As proof I'm not very good at writing or putting these things in a decent story line....
My Drum Corps history...
I’m not sure this would rise to a "good one" or not. IIRC, I’ve written this before somewhere.
I became aware of the Drum Corps activity sometime around 1958-59 (IIRC, I was about 5 yrs. old). I lived on Rt.107 (Western Ave, Lynn, MA) right across the street from Manning Bowl….
I remember standing on my mother’s second floor porch, which I could see over Manning Bowl’s front and side wall into the field. Watching and listening to all of the Drum Corps was something I hadn’t seen or heard before. (Though at 5 years old I hadn't seen or heard very much of anything!)
Of course what I was seeing and listening to was local small Drum Corps circuits and Marching Band competitions as it would be several more years before the “World Open” would be held in Manning Bowl. By the time the W.O. had made it to Manning Bowl I was competing in it…
When I asked my mother if I could join the Corps across the street her reply was “When you can cross the street by yourself.” That happened at the end of the 62 season and by the 1963 season I was a member of the French Horn section with the Lynn Continentals! (I was moved to the Baritone section by the end of 63.) Fortunately my mother had no idea we were rehearsing more than 20 blocks away on the other side of Lynn. I know she would not like knowing a 9 year old was walking back and forth to rehearsals carrying the horn after dark. (Most DC folks have been to Lynn, MA. It’s not normally advised (especially a 9 yr old) to walk around town alone in the dark. LOL) By the time she learned where our rehearsals were I was walking back and forth with several other members of the Corps. (Amazingly that didn't make her any happier.)
There was a thread on DCP some time ago (the DCI side) and the OP was asking “How did you originally get involved in the DC activity? What Corps got you started?” I replied; “ALL of them.” I was fortunate to see quite a few Drum Corps, of course I thought they all were “across the street”… heh
Blessed with meeting Jimmy Centorino (he was teaching the Lynn Continentals horn line) and getting a “1960’s invitation” to join BAC for the 69 season, (“I’ll come by and pick you up around 5:30, have your horn with you”) I got to see this activity from a VERY different perspective than I had in the Continentals. Going from a very small Class “C” (then moving up to Class “B”) Corps to the Boston Crusaders was an eye opener to say the least. Most of what I do remember from the 1969 season was this 14 yr old keeping his mouth shut and only speaking when I was asked a question. (Which was not very often. LOL)
During the 1969 season we lived on Park St. in Lynn, I lived next door to WDCHoF Richard ‘Dick’ Doucette. (DM of the Renegades and an Alumni of the Lt. Norman Prince Princemen), when I was invited to join the Renegades (RCA Sr Corps from Everett / Boston, MA) after the 1969 season. “Sr Corps” was another eye opener… This is also where I met Donna, who I am honored to be sharing our 43rd wedding anniversary this June! (2014) By the end of the 1973 season it seemed that the Renegades might not be fielding a Corps for the 1974 season. With several fellow members of the Renegades, John “Cupcakes” Curran, Fuzzy Vorell, (Sops) Paul Gaffney (Guard, Rifle Line) and a few others we all headed down to Shelton, CT to check out the Ct Hurricanes.
As the 74 Hurcs were still an “all male” Corps Donna was not able to march the 74 season but she still wished to so when Mike DeLorenzo Sr came up to Poughkeepsie, NY (where we moved to after the end of the 73 season) to speak with several of us (Tom Hart (Hurcs DM) and several Alumni of the Poughkeepsie Pacers) were in the process of starting a Sr Corps, “The Empire State Lawmen” (that never got off the ground) based out of the Poughkeepsie, NY area. There were originally 10 of “us” (The Poughkeepsie Crew) that drove down to Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY and joined the Sunrisers for the 1975 season.
Though the 75 Sunrisers were not “knocking it out of the park” that season, there was something special about the group we were joining that year. Over the next couple of seasons several others, from the Poughkeepsie area, would commit to making that trip with us and joined the Sunrisers as well. That original 1974 October weekend trip down to check out the Sunrisers turned into a 10 year stay with 4 DCA Championship Titles. (77, 78, 82, 83) THANK YOU Mike DeLorenzo Sr for taking the time to drive the 3 ½ hours up to Poughkeepsie!
And in closing this mini-book of happiness, (with apologies for ending on a down note) my “carrier” with the Sunrisers, and my active participation in the Drum Corps activity came to an end on Saturday night / Sunday morning June 9, 1985 in Bridgeport, Ct sometime after 4AM. After the B’Port show several of us (Sun) were driving back to the motel we were staying at for the parade on Sunday. The road curved to the left and I didn’t. The right side of the rear fender of my van caught the road sign on the right side of the road and that “assisted” me in quickly swerving to the right. Right into “the oldest tree in Bridgeport”. (So the court papers said) If the saying IS true, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”, then this did. I was given last rites the first day in the hospital in B’Port and twice in my life since then and I’m “still here”.
There was a post on DCP where I shared a pic of the tree and my van “after”.
http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=106210&st=12300&p=2513622entry2513622
Now you know why I always say “Happy Saturday!” (or whatever day it happens to be.)
“Every day above ground is a GREAT day!” ~ Me