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Second night in a row that we've gotten soaked. Caused lots of pit issues last night...

I don't think it's all about money, but it has to make sense to go back to Open Class. Forget about money for a second... Open Class corps get to perform in far less shows than World Class corps. Take Music City for example; They are only going to 10 shows this year. I didn't look at all of the Open Class corps' schedules, but I think the most I saw was about 15 or 16 shows. Pioneer is going to 23 and could have done more. Just that fact alone carries some merit as to why the corps should stay in World as long as possible. Regardless of placement, the experience of performing in 23+ shows can't be matched in Open Class. Just to go back to money again for a second, there are actually show sponsors out there that ask for us to be in their show for various reasons. Sure, Pioneer doesn't carry the same weight as the perennial finalists, but there definitely is a demand for the corps to be in shows. As far as a plan, that's still a work in progress. We're reaching out to alumni as well as the local community and trying to lay a foundation for the future. There's a lot of behind the scenes networking that's going on that will eventually have a positive impact on the corps. I don't think it's going to be an overnight or even an off season turn around, but I am confident that there's a bright future for Pioneer in the drum corps activity.

I think this is probably one of the most frequently asked questions. A lot of it has to do with appearance fees. World class corps get paid while open class don't. Not to mention, the actual touring experience is much better as a world class corps (more shows = better experience). I spent the evening watching the corps rehearse at Pioneerland last week and was quite impressed with the group. Yes, the corps is small, but that hasn't stopped other groups from being successful in the past. The staff is excited about the corps, the show, and the season in general. The members are excited as well. Overall, there isn't a sense of concern or urgency. They know what they're up against. In fact, when it became clear a month back that the numbers were going to be smaller than expected, changes were executed to maximize the size of the corps. There's still a handful of people being worked into the drill, but I fully expect the show to start cleaning up in a hurry. Small numbers with a world class staff should translate into fairly quick cleaning. Another thing, and this is somewhat of an interesting stat, but this is probably the oldest corps that Pioneer has seen on the field ever. Roman crunched the numbers the other day and the average age is well over 19. With a little older and experienced members, the cleaning process should move a little smoother!

In celebration of the corps’ 50th Anniversary, the Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps will host a two day event on July 9th and 10th at the Pioneer Musical Youth Center in Milwaukee, WI. This event, which is appropriately titled “Gathering of the Clans”, will bring together five decades of marching members to celebrate the corps’ 50th Anniversary. Anyone who was a member, staff member, or volunteer with the corps over its 50 year history is invited to join us for this historic event. In addition, drum corps fans in general who may live in the area, or are passing through the area, are invited to stop by and join the celebration! Founded in 1961 as The Imperials of St. Patrick, the corps immediately began to build a rich history of tradition and excellence. Despite early success, there was a period of time in the early 70’s where operational expenses exceeded the corps’ fundraising ability and interest in membership dwindled. Coincidentally, a nearby group called The Thunderbolts was experiencing similar issues. After much discussion, the two corps merged on June 1st, 1973. Wearing a combination of both corps’ uniforms, they became The Thing for the 1973 season. Following a sponsorship offer from the Pioneer Container Corporation, the corps took on the name Pioneer in 1974 and has performed under that banner ever since. Building on the philosophy of being “Better Every Day”, Pioneer has provided an exceptional educational opportunity to over 1,800 young men and women over the course of its 50 year history and continues to serve that mission in 2011 and beyond. Gathering of the Clans is an opportunity to bring many of those 1,800+ alumni back together to relive the memories of their marching years. With two days of events and activities, Gathering of the Clans is geared to be an entertaining and memorable event for all who attend. The “Big Top”, which will be located on the located on the lawn adjacent to Blenski Field, will serve as the central meeting point for all alumni. Areas within the Big Top will be provided for alumni from each decade to meet up. In addition, there will be food, beverages, videos, raffles, and plenty of opportunities to interact with people who marched with the corps over its entire 50 year history. Saturday afternoon will be highlighted by a special performance by the 2011 Pioneer corps. The evening will conclude with a bonfire and special ceremony commemorating the corps’ 50th Anniversary. Sunday will be highlighted by mass and a tour of where it all began: St. Patrick’s church on Milwaukee’s south side. After that, the reunion will come to a close with an afternoon of family fun, games, and more reminiscing back at Pioneerland! Anyone who was a member, staff member, or volunteer with the corps over its 50 year history is invited to join us for this event. If you plan to attend, please visit www.pioneer-alumni.org for more information about Gathering of the Clans and to RSVP for this great event! What Gathering of the Clans – Pioneer 50th Anniversary Reunion & Celebration When July 9th, 2011 from 11:00am to Midnight July 10th, 2011 from 8:00am to 3:00pm Where Pioneer Musical Youth Center (Pioneerland) 2000 E. Birchwood Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53110 More Information & RSVP Form www.pioneer-alumni.org

Whatever you do, it's important to coordinate it at some level with the corps. There's nothing more frustrating to everyone than a well meaning parent or friend of the corps showing up with 30 gallons of ice cream on a hot day in the middle of an important rehearsal block... and the freezer on the cook truck is packed full with no room to spare.

Here is your latest update: Five days until the first show! Drill has been completed since Monday and the corps has been cleaning in preparation for the show in Indianapolis. Two parades this weekend in Libertyville and Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Not sure where you saw all of the "post season, go get 'em talk", but it wasn't on here. I recently re-read the entire 77 page Pioneer thread on here and didn't see anything but the basic info being provided. Regardless of that, I once saw an impressive 5 person horn line on the field by Marion Cadets... proof that size doesn't matter! We're not quite to that point, so there's no need to panic! That said, we do still have a couple of openings within the corps, including 1 trumpet, 1 baritone, 2 cymbals, 2 ladies for the guard, and 3 front ensemble musicians. There is an opportunity for reduced fees depending on the join date. Please contact the corps office at 414-327-2847 or fill out an online application for more information. To see our full schedule, please visit: http://www.pioneer-corps.org/calendar.html

Yes! Pioneer will still be appearing at the Indy show on June 21st.

Nothing has been canceled as of date. Pioneer will appearing in less shows this year than in previous years for a variety of reasons, but expense saving is not one of them! Our goal, as stated in a previous post, was to provide more rehearsal time as well as down time for the corps. In addition, less shows ultimately puts less miles on the vehicles which does save some money, but also puts less wear and tear on them as well. Our full schedule will be posted on the Pioneer website within the next day or so!

I should also add that anyone who marched with, taught, or volunteered with the Imperials of St. Patrick, Thunderbolts, or Pioneer is invited to our 50th Anniversary Reunion & Celebration. The event will be held on July 9th - 10th in Milwaukee. Some of the highlights include an exclusive performance by Pioneer on Saturday afternoon, raffles, old videos, and a special bonfire & ceremony Saturday night. This is a great opportunity for people to reunite and relive some of the memories of their time with the corps. For more information: http://bit.ly/kP73mV

Latest info: The corps has been rehearsing hard the past week, but had yesterday off for their annual canoe day. The corps picked back up with 9 to 9's this morning and will continue with that through Friday when they head on up to Brillion, WI for a parade. The numbers are a bit smaller than years past, but they are still strong. Think back to the 1999 or 2000 Pioneer corps that made semifinals for a good comparison. We do still have a couple openings that have popped up. We're still in need of 1 baritone, 2 cymbals, 2 ladies for the guard, and 3 front ensemble musicians. If you want to march, we want you! Reduced fees are possible, depending on join date. Contact the corps office at 414-327-2847 or visit our website and fill out an online application.

The corps has been rehearsing hard the past week, but had yesterday off for their annual canoe day. The corps picked back up with 9 to 9's this morning and will continue with that through Friday when they head on up to Brillion, WI for a parade. The numbers are a bit smaller than years past, but they are still strong. Think back to the 1999 or 2000 Pioneer corps that made semifinals for a good comparison. We're still in need of 1 baritone, 2 cymbals, 2 ladies for the guard, and 3 front ensemble musicians. If you want to march, we want you! Reduced fees are possible, depending on join date. If you, or anyone that you know, is still looking for a place to march... have them contact the corps office at 414-327-2847 or visit our website and fill out an online application.

More news including a series of photos: http://www.ketv.com/r/28142140/detail.html

I don't have a specific reason for why Pioneer is not coming to that show, but in general Pioneer will appearing in less shows than in recent years. More rehearsal time, more down time, and less miles on the road will help to remedy some of the concerns that were raised in years past!

Just a brief update for all of you: Great weekend for the corps! The corps is off to a great start. The weather was a little hot and humid, but it will get us ready for the southern tour. The corps is still in need of 1 baritone, 1 tuba, 1 color guard member, 1 cymbal player and 3 front ensemble members. As of today, we also have an opening for Bass 4. Anyone who is interested should contact the corps ASAP at 414-327-2847.

Update: As of today, we now have an opening for Bass 4. Anyone who is interested should contact the corps ASAP at 414-327-2847.

The corps is off to a great start. The weather was a little hot and humid this weekend for move-ins, but it will get us ready for the southern tour. The corps is still in need of 1 baritone, 1 tuba, 1 color guard member, 1 cymbal player and 3 front ensemble members. Don't miss out on a great season!

Move ins begin following our May Camp coming up this weekend. We do still have a handful of spots left open in the horn line and the color guard. If anyone still is looking to march this summer, please contact our office at 414-327-2847!

I don't know if you'll get a specific case. I doubt that there are any actual cases where a corps has been asked to leave a housing site. However, what's more likely is that the housing site isn't willing or "available" to house a corps in future seasons for some reason. Barring a flagrant violation of rules/policies, the reasons for why you can't return usually aren't given. The door's just not open for your return and any attempt to open that door is met with reluctance and resistance. Perhaps it's the noise, perhaps it's the state of undress, or possibly some other issue. But as I said in my previous post, all it takes is one complaint to start swinging that door closed.

I don't think that it is the biggest reason that corps are losing housing sites, but I think it plays a contributing role. As has previously been mentioned, there's something about the repetitive and annoying tone of the amplified met that makes it an incredible nuisance to some outsiders. What compounds the fact even more is that some corps use it for virtually every minute of practice (basics, visual, etc...) and still find the need to have it cranked to the max. Neighbors to a housing site may not understand the need to use the met for such rehearsal blocks. All it takes is one squeaky wheel to ruin a good situation. One call to a school board member, alderman, or common council member can quickly put an end to corps housing at a particular site. I've seen it happen before, so yes... it does happen.

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Pretty cool news. As was already posted, the best source of news is the Pioneer website. A camp report should be posted later this week. While we will occasionally post here, there was a conscious decision made prior to the beginning of the season that we would let actions speak louder than words. All of the preseason hype in recent years on DCP (myself included!) did nothing to really help the corps. In fact, when the corps failed to live up to the hyped expectations, it actually ended up being a detriment to recruiting and retention.

April Camp 04/29/2011 - 05/01/2011 Camp Location Cudahy High School 4950 S. Lake Drive Cudahy, WI 53110 As far as what has Pioneer been up to? April Camp One Week Away (Posted on 4/22/11) March Camp Report Camp Number 2 Is Under Our Belts (Feb. Camp Report) Pioneer is still in need of brass players and color guard members to round out our corps for the 2011 season. We have had literally hundreds of inquiries in recent weeks and have enlisted the help of alumni and volunteers to reach out to these individuals and guide them towards the 2011 Pioneer. On the alumni front, we're actively trying to locate the over 2,000 individuals who marched with the Pioneer, Imperials of St. Patrick, Thunderbolts, The Thing, and any of the other groups that have been connected with the corps over the past 50 years. The goal is to have as many of them in attendance as possible at the Gathering of the Clans on July 9 & 10 in Milwaukee. More information on the 50th Anniversary reunion can be found at www.pioneer-alumni.org

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