Chicago Ski

And just for fun, stop at the Chocolate Moose on Walnut Street. It's just a little hole in the wall ice cream place, but we always made it a stop when visiting our daughter.

Daughter (and my money) went to IU Bloomington: The Indiana Union building has a very nice hotel, very old style, pricey Best pizza - Mother Bears Fine dining - Irish Lion, Little Zafreb, Malibu Grill Lot's of package liquor stores in Bloomington Good place to stay about 20 minutes from the stadium - Canyon Inn, Spencer Ind. It's in a state park with lots of walking trails through the woods, nice restaurant. We would stay there if we couldn't get a room at the Union Building. Surprisingly affordable.

Mechanical engineer. I work for a contractor that specializes in large equipment replacement at nuclear power stations, in particular steam generators. These babies can weigh over 400 tons each. Depending on the nuke, there can be up to 4 steam generators replaced at each generating station. I’ve worked on jobs at Byron, Braidwood (Ill.), D. C. Cook (Mich), Calvert Cliffs (MD), Prairie Island (MN), Callaway (MO) and currently at Salem (NJ) Nuclear Stations. Retired from ComEd (Nuclear) in Chicago when I was 50. They were offering packages and I figured – sure, why not. I’m 59 now and thinking about maybe just staying home after this gig and flipping burgers at McDonalds if I get bored. Trying to convince Da Wife we need a Harley to putt around on in the evenings.

Bully - Cavies Softly - Cavies Flying Machine - Royal Airs Let It Be Me - Spirit of Atlanta Danny Boy - 27th

Not a parade, but back around 1977, Chicago Connection played to an indoor banquet. The guys celebrating were all Clowns (but they were dressed in suits and ties at the banquet). In preparation for the occasion, we added Send in the Clowns as our closer (I think it was Vanguards arrangement). It was amazing. As we started to play, they all looked around at each other with surprise, smiled from ear to ear, and stood in honor of their 'theme song' being played. Many of them had tears in their eyes by the time we were finished. It was a nice feeling knowing we made them happy.

What happened in the past is OVER! 2008 brings RA and MOD together with new everything committed to old style drum corps. Let's move on and stay positive.

We (Chicago Connection) did a halftime show for a Packers / St. Louis game back in (around) 1977. Not sure if it was at Lambeau or Milwaukee. Whatever, I hate the Packers! Go Chicago Bears!

I thought a little history of the fire might be of interest. I didn't go to the school, but remember watching the TV news coverage. Three of the children that perished that day were Royal Airs. There are still several people in the Royal Airs who attended OLA and were saved from the fire. Ski Our Lady of Angels School Fire 1958, December 1: "A great and indescribable horror" On December 1, 1958 sometime after 2:00 p.m., a fire started in a trash drum in the basement stairwell of the Our Lady of Angels school, 909 N. Avers. At approximately 2:40 p.m. the first still and box alarms were called in. Engine 85 arrived at 2:44 p.m. By then, the fire had burned undetected for at least 20 minutes. The fire spread into the stairwells and the second floor corridor, bypassing the first floor where heavy wooden doors leading to the hallway were shut. Hot air and gasses in the basement also filled an open shaft in a nearby wall, ascended two stories inside the walls and filled the cockloft above the 2nd floor ceiling. There, superheated air sparked flames in the north wing of the school. The flames eventually fell into the second floor corridor from ventilator grilles where they combined with dense smoke and gasses and made the hallway impassable. Inside the classrooms, light fixtures and transom windows exploded before the fire broke through the ceiling itself. Children and nuns were trapped. Windows offered the only egress and before any equipment was available for evacuation, children began leaping from them. The parish priests and civilians who were first on the scene tried to evacuate the building. Engine 85, misdirected to 3808 W. Iowa, expected to find a fire in the parish church. Instead, the fire was raging in the north wing of the U shaped school on Avers, a building erected in 1910. As firemen rushed to the scene, a decision to ignore protocol and immediately request a 5-11 alarm was made. All available ambulances were also requested. The fire was brought under control at 3:45 p.m. and the work of recovering bodies began. Ninety two students and three nuns died. One hundred sixty children were saved. A Blue Ribbon panel was convened by Cook County Coroner Walter McCarron to investigate the fire. They found it to be of undetermined origin. The Panel also made recommendations for fire safety in all schools not grandfathered into the 1949 amendments to the Municipal Code of Chicago concerning fire protection devices in schools. In 1959, Chapter 78 of the Municipal Code of Chicago was further amended under the heading "Schools" to include the recommendations. Among them were: 1. Enclose all stairwells with fireproof construction and provide fire doors leading into them. 2. Provide fire doors at all corridors and room partition openings. 3. Require automatic fire sprinkler systems in all school buildings 4. Provide approved automatic internal fire alarm systems linked directly to the Fire Department. The fire at the Our Lady of Angels school was suspected to have been intentionally set. Over the years at least two individuals were closely investigated, confessed and recanted. No one has been charged with the crime.

Remember Steve Martin when he did Saturday Night Live routine "If I had one wish!"? Tha'ts what I would do.

Big Blue Kiltie, Did you hear that strange sound this morning? Sounded like two people choking on their Cream of Wheat!

Hey Big Blue Kiltie, I know how you feel. Back in the day, for various reason, I just wasn't able to travel to the other side of town and march with Royal Airs. When RA opened up their membership to field the 2002 Alumni Corps, it was like a dream come true for me also. Someone estimated the DCI prelim crowd at Madison that year to be 20,000. What a rush that was to experience an appreciative crowd like that. And to play Truman's classic music. Drum corps changes. Heck, music styles change. Big band, rock and roll, soul, disco, heavy metal, rap, new wave... it's all good. But to me it's the music of one's 'yooth' that stays with a person. Kids who are now in their 20's will most likely appreciate a different style of alumni corps when they get into their 50's. And let's hope they get to have that experience, like we are having now. The 'kids' from the 40's, 50's and 60' started drum corps. As others came along, they changed and refined it. And now it's the old timers coming back again who will hopefully keep the alumni trend on-going. Admit it, when we were in our teens and 20's, we had no intention or thought about ever becoming old. And as long as there are alumni corps, we don't have to become old (Die maybe, but not become old!)

Agree with all the above comments. A little windy, but it was a great night for a drum corps show. I had never been to Bayonne, and was pleasantly surprised what a nice city it is. Sky alumni were loud, Cabs alumni were outstanding (particularly the soloists), Cabs all-age had an unfortunate draw having to follow the Alumni. Bridgemen brought the house down. First time I ever saw Jersey Surf. I thought they were as entertaining if not more so than Buccaneers. I like the music selection of Jersey Surf and thought it was well arranged and well played. The combined Battle Hymn with Bridgemen at the end was a nice touch. Great show!

66 posts and 10 (at most) that provide a review of the show. Sheeees!

Went out to Reading’s Spring Show this weekend. The show was indoors in a nice size auditorium. As an alumni corps fan, I was looking forward to seeing the Bridgemen and was not disappointed. Buccaneer Alumni and Steel City Alumni started the program and both put on a nice performance. Next up was Skyliner’s alumni. Loud, raucous and full of attitude. They put on a great show. After the final song Elks Parade, the crowd, myself included, demanded an encore . Sky didn’t disappoint by playing Hava Nagila once again. Great show, lot’s of fun. After the break, Music Express put on a very different type of show, but very enjoyable. I look forward to seeing this group again. What a GREAT drummer they had! Next came Yankee Rebels who played some nostalgic songs of their storied history. Always enjoyable to hear. Then came; The Bridgeman. Don’t miss an opportunity to see them. I thought they played as good or better than their junior corps days. Loud, laid back and full of fun. The crowd gave them standing O’s after each number. Not being much of a DCI or DCA fan, it was getting late, I was hungry and so I didn’t stay and watch the Buccaneers.

Was out East with The Chicago Connection back then. The Matador's were incredible!!! Probably one of the finest musical performance I've ever seen.