A27Lancer

The 'not broken don't fix' sounds like a good suggestion to me. Puppet, I'm not sure when DCI did away with the American flag. I'm told it was because flag violation penalties were causing too much concern. So do away with the penalties and KEEP THE FLAG!! What's so hard about that? Possibly, was this meant to be a slap in the face to the VFW, or to create two more spots in the ensemble? Now that 150 members are allowed, why not have "Pit Girls" like they do in auto racing? VK had much success with bikinis..... BTW, in autos, a car is considered an antique at 25 years old. That would make 1984 the first year of "modern" drum corps. p.s. I also complain about the NFL's decision making, my doctor's, the president's, and Roger Water's decision to leave Pink Floyd.

Michael, When you go to the passport office, if they ask you for your last name, DON'T say "BOO". Those guys are a bit jumpy these days.

Chicken salad. But I digress.... In 1975 DCI was in its fourth season. They were still getting over a lot of bumps. In retrospect, they should have had the corps found guilty of marching over-age members march a blank in their space, and maybe pay a fine. It made no sense to penalize the legitimate corps members for something they didn't know about (and management may not have known about). Even if the legit members knew, what could they have done? Demand that management remove the offenders?? Unlikely. By the way, Muchachos finished second at DCI prelims in 1975. I have it on good authority from someone who knows someone who dated a guy who met Shirley Whitcomb at a Bar Mitzvah in 1986.

Wow, hard to believe EMass lasted until 1998! Memories of the Beverly Cardinals... Fanfare for the New by Stan Kenton. They blew the faces off the audience with that at US Open or Butler one year. I was seated down low (I want to say 1974, but not sure). They came off the line and the audience went NUTS!!! I think they finished low in the finals, but what an emotional performance! Was that Rick Connor's arrangement? Always had great respect for Rick and the Cardinals and North Star. Those were two corps that maxed out their potential - took what talent they had to the top!

Mike Joly! Another great friend from the past. His sister was Erin (nicknamed Molly Joly). She was a great rifle/person. Mike Joly and Jimmy DeSab kept my fluglehorn in one piece the summer of '76. The bell of the horn actually flew off and hit Tina C. in the back during rehearsal. Jim DeSab borrowed a Blue Devils mellophone so that I could march that night. I dreamed it was Bonnie Ott's

Without getting too specific, any drum corps item available is best found on E-Bay. My brother got me a 27th Lancer clock which I proudly display in my office, although the royalty issue is vague....

Chris, You have WAY too much time on your hands! Here's a project. How many "Saint" corps are listed, and who's the most "popular" Saint? How many corps names started with numbers? 27th Lancers, 5th Maine Regiment, etc. Also, the question about "Blue" corps. Blue shows up very well on green glass, especially with black pants. Khaki, not so good. (Imagine the "Khaki Devils"?) You could have a field day with khaki corps.

How could I forget the Nickerson's names??? Wonderful people and great supporters of 27th. I do remember being told to dump a beverage by an MDC cop who then noticed my uniform hanging inside the car, and told us we should know better. He ended up shaking hands with us and congratulating us for being in such a fine organization.

I don't think anyone's mentioned the Emerald Cadets or the Surfers - two very good Connecticut corps.

I don't remember it being called Victor's, but it was once called "The Shark Den". Lots of Harleys out front. Now it's a Hispanic dance club. John and LancerLegend - what was the name of the motel that two Lancer fans managed (the DelMar or something like it??). The folks from Michigan (Wally et al) stayed there the summer of 76. The wife used to make exotic drinks, like Green Goddesses, and we'd sit in the middle of the parking lot drinking them. Other great Revere Beach attractions: the double Ferris wheel, the Bubble Bounce, the Virginia Reel (a great make-out ride, I'm told), the Cyclone. There was also an indoor mini-golf place downstairs from the bowling alley. I once saw a girl put her boyfriend's face through the glass of a pinball machine there!!!! The blizzard of '78 finished off what was left of the amusements. Dan and Neil McBride and I were living in an apartment on Beach St. then and went to observe the destruction. About all that was left before the blizzard were the bowling alley, and the building with the Tilt-A-Whirl and Bubble Bounce. The storm destroyed both. Still remaining from the old days - Bianchi's, Kelly's, Bill Ashes, and I think the Shipwreck Lounge is still in business. No more angle parking along the wall - they put in curbstone, and you park parallel to the beach. No parking after 10 pm to stem any hoodlums who want to sit on the wall and drink beer. Not that WE ever did that!!

Yes, it was truly priceless! Few remember what that title meant (especially coming off a tour that meant losing to some of those corps by twenty points). CYO Nationals was a unique show - only the greats qualified and were invited. As far as aging out - I, too, was ready at 21. Enough was enough, and I was ready to teach rather than march. Those corps disqualified for overage members - - - I think they were caught and the fact that they had one or two overage members didn't matter in the big picture. They were great corps regardless... who knows what other corps had overagers during that era. Muchachos never got over it, and although they competed subsequent to the disqualification, they were never at the same level. Bridgemen and Crossmen went on to achieve greatness. Who knows?

Only a very few refer to Hurley's carousel as "the flying horses"!!!! You are the real deal. My relatives owned the Hippodrome and the building with the little boat ride and the tiny Ferris Wheel. Distant family, but close enough that we never paid for rides. Remember frozen custard??

I think 83 drill was John Bodie. Dan McBride came in and "rescued" 1982, but I'm fairly certain John did 83 by himself. P.S. would go to the ends of the world for either. Two of the greatest and most talented guys ever!!!

Was this the first year without ticks?? Scores bounced all over the place. Great corps that never made finals that year - The Knights and Alliance. Crossmen had a great corps that year as well. But it was clearly Cadets' year IMO.

I've seen it mentioned on the "other" side. That's where I hear it went downhill - however these are kids in corps with food trucks who complain when the filet mignon is overcooked

I couldn't believe that at retreat for Drums along the Rockies the announcer told the crowd and corps that Casa Bonita would be open late. How big IS this frickin' place I thought. Then we got there. Most of us Bostonians had never eaten Mexican food before. We expected everything to be super (wicked) hot. Don't remember getting a beer, though. Hmmmmmm. I hear, sadly, that the place has gone downhill. Or it was always downhill, and we were PB&J starved kids.

No offense taken, George. What I meant was their were two different Reverie corps, the sit-down corps who became 2-7, and the feeder corps who kept the I.C. Reverie name. (They were two very separate corps). The feeder corps continued to suffer some of the backlash of the sit-down, but were proud to carry on the name. That feeder corps was one of the corps who merged to become NorthStar, although many of us went to 27th Lancers. For the complete story of the sit-down, visit Mike Merritt's great website: www.thefog.com

Bell curves are nice, but we currently have two drum corps operating in Massachusetts - Boston Crusaders (who are based in Florida) and the Citations. ECJ is inactive and (unfortunately) probably not coming back. Spartans are just over the border in NH. In the 1970's CYO (the local circuit) championships took place over 2 days!!! There were that many corps/bands/drill teams. Given gas and food prices, the number of open and world class corps will inevitably decline over the next few years. Open class corps need the most support - they don't charge the tour fees that world class do, and most have much smaller budgets than the big guys. Bingo is dying, and fund raising will be difficult given the economy. Throw these guys a few bucks if you can. While this sounds negative, I have hope for the activity. Those corps with a strong financial plan will survive. Those with tenacity, and a good recruitment team will also survive. But the numbers will decline. We have little funding for music departments in our schools. Most high school bands are few in numbers and have tiny budgets. We must pull kids off the streets to march in drum corps - a return to the beginning.

Wow! 1975 may be the epitome of drum corps excellence. I did not make it to Philly, but was at the World Open, CYO, and numerous other shows. There were so many blow your face off corps that year !!! And as far as the I.C. Reverie sit-down at VFW, please remember us for the dedication and commitment that those brave members displayed. The sit-down happened. The result was the formation of the 27th Lancers. 'nuff said.

That would come to about $30 apiece. AND red tide is approaching Clams could go up to about $100.00.

August Moon is long gone RIP. The owners discovered that snorting MSG and other white powders was more important than the quality of the food, and the money ran out and they closed. The place is now a Hispanic church, believe it or not. The outside still has that Polynesian look. Louie's is now a fortune telling studio. UPDATE!!! Reardon's, a popular joint on Broadway is now closed and up for sale. Companions, which used to be a dive bar across from the city yard and then became a restaurant, is closed, but construction is underway, and rumor has it they are re-opening as a martini bar (in REVERE!!). That's like the Venice re-opening as a day spa for crying out loud!

Well, not everything. The roast beef place is now a Halel meat shop and middle-eastern market. They do serve a mean shawarma and their hummus is home made. McDonald's is moving to Northgate. The old HoJo's is Uno's Pizzeria, Pasta Time is now Papa Geno's. The old Pewter Pot is, you guessed it, Dunkin' Donuts (and directly across the street - DUNKIN' DONUTS!! Burger King is now a fish and steak restaurant. Now, the Kowloon is still doing a tremendous business. We went to the comedy club there a few weeks ago to see a friend who was headlining. We got there about two hours before the show with the intent of having some dinner. There was an hour and a half wait at 6pm!!! Fortunately they serve appetizers at the Comedy Connection. I've always thought the food there was very "Americanized". Best Chinese food in the area is Billy Tse's on Revere St. near the Beach. (Not to flame the Kowloon - after all, my cousin has been their payroll accountant for 35 years, and they sent enough food to my dad's funeral to feed the top twelve finalist corps. And they didn't charge us a cent!!!)

Surfers Emerald Cadets CMCC Warriors St. Rita's Brassmen Beverly Cardinals Some of the East Coast's finest - most never even attended a DCI prelims. Remember coming in 20th at World Open and feeling good about it?? There were THAT many great corps back then!

The "Day's End" was originally called "Redmond's". There was bocce out back, a pool table, a bowling machine, and a pinball called "Surf's Up". Bartender's name was Susan, and she'd melt if you played "Don't it Make my Brown Eyes Blue" on the jukebox.

Not mentioned in the Revere Beach thread, but a Revere landmark - DeMaino's. Family run Italian restaurant run by the same family since 1912. Great red sauce Italian restaurant - reasonable prices and waitresses that call everybody "Hon".