Latrobe's Finest

You may have already tried this, but check the different airlines late at night. For whatever reason, they change their prices all the time, so you might find a great rate at night. The other idea that was already posted is good: look at nearby airports and renting a car. Chicago is 3 hours from Indy.

We're looking forward to it! This actually won't be our last show before prelims; we'll be at the Reading show the following weekend.

Bump again. Guard folks, we want you! PR@ShenandoahSound.org for info

They finally got over the 75 hump. Hope to see another jump in Toledo.

Which I learned from experience-on the flight to everydays! I was freaking out at the airport. They lost my suitcase of clothing for tour too, but I got it back a few days later. Somehow my mello came a couple hours after I arrived but my clothing took a few days. I flew to our Atlanta show this weekend and I used a duffel bag to carry the horn on the plane. I wrapped it in a fleece blanket and used packaging foam to protect key areas. It worked out nicely. I measured my hard mello case and technically it would qualify as a carry on, but I was eying up the overhead bins and I'm not entirely sure how well it would fit.

Shenandoah Sound is in G. Mostly 2-valve (two of us have our own 3v horns).

I did miss Seattle. I didn't see them, but heard them since I was working at my recruiting booth. I didn't get a good listen except for the first few impacts, but I liked what I heard. I don't think I've seen them in person since '07. It was nice to get some new corps in the area. Typically we get the east coast corps and one or two Midwest groups at these VA shows. Not that I'm complaining about seeing Cadets or Crown, but I enjoy seeing corps I haven't seen for a while.

lol yeah I noticed that.

If you go to one division, you destroy any competitive incentive for the smaller Open Class corps. These groups would go back to scoring in the 30s-40s by finals like in the days before Div II/III. I think it makes more sense for drum corps to organize itself by corps size, but I don't know how that would work given the current membership model.

I was right up against the fence by the track on the 45 for Blue Stars...wow...Fantastic!!!! A well-deserved 90 tonight. This was my first viewing of Glassmen and Colts this season, and they were also great. Nice improvements for Surf and Crossmen from when I saw them in Chambersburg. Tonight was also my first ever live viewing of Academy and my first time seeing BD in person since '06 Finals. Nice shows by those two corps.

Nice. Thanks for the info guys. I'll look into the gig bags. I like the idea of using an existing bag but adding padding. I have a duffel bag that is just the right size for the mello, but would need some padding to make sure nothing happens to the horn. I figure if I put the horn under my seat and not in the overhead, it should be fine.

Shenandoah Sound Drum & Bugle Corps will be there! We will have a little recruiting booth at the show. Stop by and say "hi" to Virginia's only competitive drum corps!

lol One time, I had to go through extra security with the mello and have it inspected. They didn't believe there was an instrument in the case!

When I flew to Pioneer camps, I would sometimes keep my mello with me as a carry-on. The big case sometimes fit into the overhead, but other times, I had to shove it partly under my seat and have my feet sit on it. The large case often got in the way or bothered other passengers I'm faced with a similar situation this year. I'll be flying to at least one show and I own my own horn and need to take it with me. I'd rather not spend the extra money to check the horn as baggage, but carry it on. Are there any smaller, soft cases or other creative methods of transporting a mello as a carry-on? Thanks!

I'll be interested to see the spread between Pio, Cascades, Mandarins, and Surf. They've all been close so far, but haven't been head-to-head much as a pack.

bump :)

We (Shenandoah Sound) will rehearse Saturday and Sunday in Manassas Park, VA! We'll be cleaning some things up and adding some people to the drill btw- We still have a couple guard and percussion holes-email me if you'd like to join up-reduced tour fee if you join now

Yeah..the heat on Sunday was almost unbearable. We wore ballcaps and not uniform-style hats because of the heat, but I saw other corps wearing their full uniforms plus shakos. Great review! I was at the show too, but I only heard the performances as I was working at the Shenandoah Sound booth. The people running the show were great!

We need to get all the corps together and play for each other! It's good to meet and greet with fellow drum corps people.

We were happy to be there and perform in front of a new audience. We had a great time. Thanks to the sponsors and the host corps and school for the accommodations. Thanks to the White Sabres for a fun encore, and kudos to the guy in the pit who was jamming on the keyboards and interacting with us in the audience. The crowd (even though it was small) gave us good feedback (which doesn't always happen for a small corps-esp. at other shows where the people are there to see the big boys).

I'll be seeing it tomorrow! We're leaving from Manassas at 11pm tonight! We are the first corps on tomorrow, so come early (it's FREE) and enjoy our field show: South Pacific.

Woo-hoo! Do I get some extra points?

Tremendous bummer. The Yankee Rebels were one of (if not) the first drum corps I ever saw in person. They performed at a marching band show in MD where my band was competing. They were incredible.

I run the Twitter for ShenandoahSound (DCA). http://twitter.com/SoundDrumCorps