SopMom

I was looking for the actual text saying what and what is not allowed, photography-wise, at dci shows, but can't find it... regardless, there is NO videotaping allowed, and usually the lense on your still camera should be under a particular number of inches... I always bring a tripod, which greatly helps get better shots, and almost always, at least one person makes a point to verify that I am only shooting still photos.. guess the tripod makes them think "movie" automatically. Allentown's site doesn't list specific restrictions of any sort, as some of the other sites do... glass bottles are a no-no, and it's preferred that you not bring in any outside food or drink.

The guard uniforms are dark blue, top to bottom, I believe a velvet material... looks like a black belt around the waist, with a silver buckle. They are definitely different than what they were wearing at the first show, which was the typical all black when their real uniforms aren't ready yet.

That is THE best story I've heard in a long time!!! :)

Volunteers still being sought by Santa Clara Vanguard A Corps to help out on "Miss Amana" (the food truck - no cooking skills needed, as there are tons of other jobs that need to be done, from washing dishes, to chopping, to just about anything) especially for this week and next, Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 15th (possibly also on Saturday, June 16) in Angel's Camp, California (through Sunday, June 10) and then again in Fremont, California (Monday night, June 11 through the rest of the week.) (Hours helps is needed are from 6:30am through to about 11pm) If you can volunteer some of your time, you won't regret it! A fun time is always had by all, and the kids are always SO appreciative. There are other locations and times when/where SCV could use some help, but these next two weeks are the most crucial ones right now. If you have a desire to volunteer some other time or location, please let me know that as well and I'll let you know what their schedule is and when they could most use the help. No amount of help is too small... even a few hours here or there lets another volunteer take a break for a nap or shower, or to watch the kids rehearse. Please send any replies to me through this site, or YamazakiFamily@sbcglobal.net. Thank you! --- Heidi

Our daughter has marched Mandarins, SCV A Corps and now BD A corps... I often wear drum corps tshirts, and last summer I was in the post office, sending her a care package (she was then in SCV), wearing a Mandarins t-shirt... the guy several places in line behind me stopped me on my way out to say he wished Mandarins luck, and that he'd marched Freelancer's. We talked for a bit, which got others in the line interested in the conversation, and someone else had marched some other corps, although I don't recall which one... I didn't recognize the name at the time. Also last summer, my husband's office needed painting, and he'd somehow been referred to a guy who we ended up hiring to do the job... As he came in from the parking lot one day, he noticed the Mandarins' license plate frame and Santa Clara Vanguard sticker in the back of my husband's car window... he told us he'd marched SCV back in either the 70s or 80s. He wanted to meet our daughter, and "talk drum corps" with her, but she wasn't able to meet him before she left on tour. Another time we called a plumbing company to come replace our garbage disposal... the guy who came to do the work saw photos of my daughter in her Mandarins' uniform, and said he'd marched Blue Devils several years prior. Almost every time she'd be out in public wearing her corps jacket, at NON corps related times, inevitably someone would come up and tell us how they'd either marched Mandarins or Freelancer's (both based out of Sacramento where we live) or some other corps, often SCV or BD (since we don't live far from either corps headquarters). It wasn't long after she started marching that I realized how small drum corps makes the world. I'm sure there are other stories more "remarkable" of us running into people involved with the activity, but those are the more recent ones that I can recall.

I too would love to hear the Victory concerts as APDs, and video clips as well. And when there are two corps playing together, and you see the members intermixed with each other, that adds a hugely positive emotional impact to the evening. The activity of drum corps makes the world a much smaller place - those kinds of events make it even smaller.

I too would love to see that. I think people are interested in seeing ANY corps, not only the one their child is in, or their allegiance is the closest to, just because it's fun and interesting to see "a day in the life" in any aspect of this activity. Every corps has their own sort of "story to tell". And if not for an entire week, how about even just a day or two?

Agreed! As I was approaching the entrance to the Pavilion with tripod and a big camera bag visibly in tow, as staff approached me, I worried that they were going to tell me "no videotaping". Much to my happiness, all she said was "no glass bottles or aluminum cans allowed." I filmed right out in plain sight, as did many other people, and in fact was even allowed to stand behind the guys who were doing the professional audio recordings. When BD staff approached me, and very politely so, asking me to please not post footage on YouTube, I was happy to comply. If everyone keeps getting so upset with their wishes, they may create a situation where we aren't allowed to tape ANYthing anymore, even free or "family day" performances for our own use. I just think people should be more respective of the fact that BD has requested people not post videos of performances online, and stop trying to challenge all their reasons. Period. I'm sure they're in a much better position than us fans are, to know what copyright issues we all could screw up for them. It sounds like they're okay with lot and rehearsal footage, according to what some others have said, but I'm guessing even that is risky, if there are copyright issues. If the corps is playing something from the show, does that not fall into the category of something that shouldn't be posted on YouTube? As for myself, from now on, before I post anything to YouTube, I think I'll just play it safe and ask the corps permission via email first. (All that having been said, however, I also do not think the posting of such clips on sites like YouTube will prevent anyone from purchasing legal copies... we're all just so eager to get a taste of what's to come, I think it actually helps get people excited and WANTING to purchase something more professional. I too have never been offered an opportunity to purchase any bootlegged anything, and the one time I saw a newbie post something on a forum that they were living somewhere overseas and unable to attend any shows, so were hoping someone would send them, for a fee, of course, any footage or copies they had. The masses crashed down on them immediately, telling them what a huge 'no no' that was. I think we are all our own police, and everyone agrees the corps deserve, as well as need, to generate income from recordings, and we're all more than happy to spend money to get our "drum corps fixes". As a parent who has paid her child's corps fees for 6 years now, I am very appreciative of how much the corps are able to subsidize the cost through the selling of their merchandise, as well as other ways. I think it's time everyone just took a deep breath and realized that soon enough, there will be shows to attend, CDs or DVDs to purchase, and BlueViews to watch!)

I replied to someone in another thread about air beds, and forgot which thread I was in.. here's some things I posted that may pertain more to rookies, so I'm pasting it in here... Something that may be handy for rookies is some info about laundry day. If you can handle the weight of pre-measuring a cup of laundry powder into small ziplock baggies and packing some "bounce" dryer sheets, you can avoid the lines your fellow corps members create when buying theirs at the laundromats. You've never seen a laundromat in action, until you see it in Drum Corps action! Also, rolls of quarters, or 35mm film canisters filled with quarters are helpful, although heavy (but the load lightens as you use them up!) help eliminate the dilemma of what to do when the bill changer is out of quarters, or you're last in a line of 50 people to get change. The more quickly you can get to a washer, because you've already got your soap and quarters, the more quickly you get your laundry done. Mark your clothes with your name or don't expect to come home with the same clothes you left for tour with. As much as you'd like to think you'll get a washer and dryer all to yourself, reality is that everyone ends up sharing, whites get washed with darks, and EVERYONE has the same underwear and socks that YOU do, so appearance alone isn't the way to keep track of your clothes. Care packages don't get much better than when they contain brand new socks. Bus windows can often become your friend, by attaching suction cup bins or hooks to keep track of your things. Most corps, I think, allow "decorating" of bus windows, but not all, so again, check with your corps. EXPECT your expensive cell phone, iPod, digital camera or DVD player to get "lost" (stolen, not necessarily by another corps member, but sometimes too by passersby who explore any area they can while you're rehearsing on the field.) That's not to say those items aren't great things to take on tour, but just be cautious of leaving them out charging during the day when you aren't nearby. As much as possible, pack anything you don't want to be stolen into your backpack and take it with you to the field... keep it with you, and you're less likely to find it missing. Small plastic boxes that fit under the seats of busses can hold your daily "needs", and if they have a handle, can be taken with you into a gym fairly easily, if you need the items they're holding. Some sort of plastic container that you can keep all your shower things inside is also helpful. Just grab it and go. Quick dry towels, available at camping places like REI are more expensive, but much less bulky, lighter in weight, absorb more water quickly and dry MUCH faster than regular towels... they don't get smelly as fast either. Polishing cloths for brass instruments are handy to take along, too. When you get home from tour, buy one of those plastic bins with the flip lids and mark it 'TOUR" and keep all the stuff you bought for tour in there so it's handy for the next year. Throw in things like sweat bands, gloves, under armor shirts, clothes you ONLY wear on tour, etc. Speaking of UnderArmor shirts, you can buy ones that work just as well for about $10 at WalMart. They should fit snugly. Parents, don't be alarmed to hear that your son or daughter has lost a LOT of weight over the summer. Some people refer to Drum Corps as the best weight-loss program in existance! I personally know of kids who lost over 50 pounds! Cool bands (those fabric bands filled with a small amount of water absorbing beads that you soak in cold water so they swell up and then you tie them around your neck or wrists) can be a blessing when rehearsing in 100 degree plus temperatures. Sun screen, sun screen, sun screen! Another good thing to throw into a care package, as well as rubber bands (the fabric ones) or hair clips for those who use them. I'll think of more things, I'm sure, plus, closer to the summer, people usually start up a thread of "things to pack for tour".

For those who have no use for two airbeds or can't find anyone to buy the second one, Target has "Eddie Bauer" brand that look basically like that AeroSport that they usually sell for about $50 for twin, $80ish for queen (although not all corps will allow people to take larger than queen, so check before you buy). It runs on 4 D-cell batteries. Lots of people have that bed, and if your batteries run out and you don't have time to buy new ones, you can borrow someone else's, inflate yours, take them out and give them back until you get a chance to buy 4 more. They only take about a minute to inflate, and also use standard sized sheets. Another thing that may be handy for rookies is some info about laundry day. If you can handle the weight of pre-measuring a cup of laundry powder into small ziplock baggies and packing some "bounce" dryer sheets, you can avoid the lines your fellow corps members create when buying theirs at the laundromats. You've never seen a laundromat in action, until you see it in Drum Corps action! Also, rolls of quarters, or 35mm film canisters filled with quarters are helpful, although heavy (but the load lightens as you use them up!) help eliminate the dilemma of what to do when the bill changer is out of quarters, or you're last in a line of 50 people to get change. The more quickly you can get to a washer, because you've already got your soap and quarters, the more quickly you get your laundry done. Mark your clothes with your name or don't expect to come home with the same clothes you left for tour with. As much as you'd like to think you'll get a washer and dryer all to yourself, reality is that everyone ends up sharing, whites get washed with darks, and EVERYONE has the same underwear and socks that YOU do, so appearance alone isn't the way to keep track of your clothes. Care packages don't get much better than when they contain brand new socks. Bus windows can often become your friend, by attaching suction cup bins or hooks to keep track of your things. Most corps, I think, allow "decorating" of bus windows, but not all, so again, check with your corps. EXPECT your expensive cell phone, iPod, digital camera or DVD player to get "lost" (stolen, not necessarily by another corps member, but sometimes too by passersby who explore any area they can while you're rehearsing on the field.) That's not to say those items aren't great things to take on tour, but just be cautious of leaving them out charging during the day when you aren't nearby. As much as possible, pack anything you don't want to be stolen into your backpack and take it with you to the field... keep it with you, and you're less likely to find it missing. Small plastic boxes that fit under the seats of busses can hold your daily "needs", and if they have a handle, can be taken with you into a gym fairly easily, if you need the items they're holding. Some sort of plastic container that you can keep all your shower things inside is also helpful. Just grab it and go. Quick dry towels, available at camping places like REI are more expensive, but much less bulky, lighter in weight, absorb more water quickly and dry MUCH faster than regular towels... they don't get smelly as fast either. Polishing cloths for brass instruments are handy to take along, too. When you get home from tour, buy one of those plastic bins with the flip lids and mark it 'TOUR" and keep all the stuff you bought for tour in there so it's handy for the next year. Throw in things like sweat bands, gloves, under armor shirts, clothes you ONLY wear on tour, etc. Speaking of UnderArmor shirts, you can buy ones that work just as well for about $10 at WalMart. They should fit snugly. Parents, don't be alarmed to hear that your son or daughter has lost a LOT of weight over the summer. Some people refer to Drum Corps as the best weight-loss program in existance! I personally know of kids who lost over 50 pounds! Cool bands (those fabric bands filled with a small amount of water absorbing beads that you soak in cold water so they swell up and then you tie them around your neck or wrists) can be a blessing when rehearsing in 100 degree plus temperatures. Sun screen, sun screen, sun screen! Another good thing to throw into a care package, as well as rubber bands (the fabric ones) or hair clips for those who use them. I'll think of more things, I'm sure, plus, closer to the summer, people usually start up a thread of "things to pack for tour".

I believe their show is called "Eureka!"

Sacramento, California. Went last year too, and had a GREAT time! Almost as good as being at a show live. <almost> Taking relatives from Japan, who have never even heard of drum corps - no way I'm missing my daughter on the big screen just because of company, right???? ... they seem really excited though. As for when it's over, Cavaliers go on (west coast time) at 8:01, so should be over by 9pm if not sooner.

There actually was a thread on this already... I just copied a lot of stuff from it to pass on to a huge group of our corps that's going to Madison, so here is a lot of what I collected... Madison dining guide: http://www.visitmadison.com/visitorinfo/in...?category_id=21 Great Dane Brew Pub: http://www.greatdanepub.com/ Urban Pizza (across from Camp Randall Stadium) http://www.urbanpizzacafe.com/ Lombardinos http://www.lombardinos.com/ Claddagh Irish Pub http://www.claddaghirishpubs.com/ Culvers (Lots of locations, good burger/semi-fast food place! National chain, but started in WI!) http://www.nittygrittybirthdayplace.com/joomla/ Madison Dining Guide http://www.madisondining.com/ http://www.visitmadison.com/ All these food establishments below are within walking distance of Camp Randall. There are also many bars with food nearby. This is certainly not the restaurant row of Madison. The primary purpose of this section of town is to service the drinking needs before and after Badger football games The Dardanelles - 1851 Monroe Street. 608-256-8804 Mediterranean http://www.thedardanellesrestaurant.com/ Pasquales – 2534 Monroe St. 608-238-4419 Southwestern. I've always like this place. Very casual. Bluephies - 2701 Monroe St. 608-231-3663 “Contemporary fun food in an ultra-modern setting. Serving everything from nouvelle Southwestern to old fashioned comfort food.” http://www.foodfightinc.com/bluephies.htm Big Mike's Super Subs - 2145 Regent St. Sub (Grinder, Bomber, Hoagie) sandwiches. http://www.apartmentrenting.com/bigmikes/menu.html Lombardinos - 2500 University Ave Italian http://www.lombardinos.com/ Michael’s Frozen Custard - 2531 Monroe St. 608-231-3500 Frozen custard is ice cream with the addition of egg yokes. http://www.ilovemichaels.com/flavcal.asp Giordanos – pizza Posted by BadgerTan: Well after going to UW for 4 years (and being at every finals at Camp Randall) there are TONS of places in Madison to go and things to do. 1. State Street.. Pedestrian walkway from the eastern edge of the UW campus to the State Capitol full of Madison shops, places to eat, and of course places to drink. 2. Memorial Union. On the waters of Lake Mendota, it is a German style Brew Haus which is known as a huge study area and huge hang out for locals/students. Beer garden inside and beautiful seats along the lake. Just one block north of State Street right on the eastern edge of campus. 3. Farmer's Market. On the Capitol Square every Saturday morning during the summer from 6am - noon There will be thousands of people there on any given Saturday, let alone the morning of Finals. Find the finest Wisconsin produce as well as taste tons of baked goods and local cheeses. A definate MUST GO!!! 4. Vilas Zoo. It is Madison's FREE public zoo, just about 4 blocks from Camp Randall. Camp Randall is on Regent/Monroe Street. Take Regent Street one block east to Randall (Where the Open Pantry is), then take Randall about 4 blocks South right to Vilas. Great way to spend 3 or 4 hours right before Quarters or Semis (only because we all know you will be going to Farmer's Market and the Union on Saturday). 5. Babcock Dairy. An actual dairy right on campus where they make their own Ice cream. The Ice cream can also be found inside the Memorial Union. Look for very Wisconsin flavors (Berry Alvarez.... a berry blend named after famous UW football coach and now athletic director Barry Alvarez for example). 6. The UW Campus... One of the most beautiful campus' in the nation (and trust me, even though I am a UW alum there is no bias there). Take a walk up Bascom Hill and sit on the lap of Abraham Lincoln and look down onto State Street and the Capitol. Trust me, it will be worth the hike!!! How about a REALLY good steak place? Hot rolls, thick, juicy steaks, nice tables but I don't have to dress up. I'm going to be on my own for FIVE WHOLE DAYS, and being that I'm a stay at home mom to a 6 yr old, this is like a vacation to me, so I'm gonna eat well, drink often and sleep LOTS! Johnny Delmonico's (Couple blocks off the Capital Square towards the Monona Terrace!) 130 S. Pinckney St Prime Quarter (Cook your own Steak!) East Washington Ave. I second Prime Quarter Steakhouse!!! Great place where you actually get to grill your own steaks and don't have to dress up! Just about 15 minutes east of campus on East Washington Ave. Near East Towne Mall. Good call mdsnsctfan!!! Tornado Steak House (Also a few blocks off the Square) 116 S. Hamilton St there is a great micro brewery just off of State street . Angelic. Great food, good beers and awesome t shirts..... Essen Haus – rustic bar and great German food 514 East Wilsonstrasse Madison, WI 53703 Phone: 608-255-4674 www.essen-haus.com Remember that Milwaukee is only 90 minutes from Madtown and has quite a bit more to offer. Brewers I believe are in town if you haven’t been to the great Miller Park yet, a great lakefront, an even better Zoo, the Wisconsin State Fair is also going on during Finals week.

Do you know which corps is in 17th? Southwind or Mandarins? Do you know what time SCV goes on?

Only the top 17, unless, like last year, there was a tie for 17th between Seattle Cascades and Mandarins, so there were 18 corps aired in the theater. Just as a piece of interest, they also tied the NEXT night too, so there were 13 corps at semifinals. Needless to say, they didn't tie a third time!!

Sorry if this has been addressed, but I'm trying to determine which corps will be in the theater for quarterfinals. I've seen Mandarins in both 17th and 18th place, and then back in 17th, overall. Anyone know for sure?

Just a reminder to everyone out there that while corps are on the road, the bingo halls that work hard to support them could really use some help as far as volunteers are concerned. Sometimes a corps even has to cancel a session, simply because they don't have enough people to run it. Cancelling even just ONE bingo session (because there weren't enough volunteers to run it) could cause member fees to increase by $50 next year, maybe even more! A lot of you may not live in an area where the bngo hall that supports "your" drum corps is located. Therefore, you may not feel you can help. But, instead, if everyone would volunteer a shift, two, even more, at ANY hall that supports the drum corps activity, the entire activity would benefit. What would be really cool would be some sort of network where people can work at one hall on behalf of another corps, and people could "trade" shifts. That would probably be a book-keeping nightmare, but I know it's been done at a couple of halls out here in California, and I hope it's something that will continue. For example, I live in a town where there is a drum corps, but my daughter is in a corps that's in a town 100 miles away. In the town where HER corps is, lives a member who marches in the corps that's in OUR town. We worked shifts in our town, on behalf of the member living in the other town, and they did the same in their town. We contacted the people who run both halls, and we just traded shifts! For those shifts the other family worked for us that I didn't have to trade, I "bought" them by way of paying into their member's tour fees. It worked out great for both of us, and it also helped the hall. With gas prices as high as they are, "trades" might be something more and more people figure out how to do. But, even if you don't have someone to trade a session with, volunteer a session just out of the goodness of your heart. Random acts of kindness are the best kind! Help support the entire activity. Volunteer to work Bingo, regardless of your corps affiliation. I'm telling myself all of this as well, because I'm just as guilty as the next guy about not volunteering unless I "have to", or unless we get "credit". But seriously, if you take even a few seconds to realize how many people disappear from the volunteer pool when the corps hit the road, it doesn't take rocket science to realize how much that negatively impacts things at "home". There are, thankfully, many volunteers who tour with corps to help feed and house the kids. For those of us who can't do that, Bingo is equally as appreciated - in some cases, even MORE appreciated.

Just a reminder to everyone out there that while corps are on the road, the bingo halls that work hard to support them could really use some help as far as volunteers are concerned. Sometimes a corps even has to cancel a session, simply because they don't have enough people to run it. Cancelling even just ONE bingo session (because there weren't enough volunteers to run it) could cause member fees to increase by $50 next year, maybe even more! A lot of you may not live in an area where the bngo hall that supports "your" drum corps is located. Therefore, you may not feel you can help. But, instead, if everyone would volunteer a shift, two, even more, at ANY hall that supports the drum corps activity, the entire activity would benefit. What would be really cool would be some sort of network where people can work at one hall on behalf of another corps, and people could "trade" shifts. That would probably be a book-keeping nightmare, but I know it's been done at a couple of halls out here in California, and I hope it's something that will continue. For example, I live in a town where there is a drum corps, but my daughter is in a corps that's in a town 100 miles away. In the town where HER corps is, lives a member who marches in the corps that's in OUR town. We worked shifts in our town, on behalf of the member living in the other town, and they did the same in their town. We contacted the people who run both halls, and we just traded shifts! For those shifts the other family worked for us that I didn't have to trade, I "bought" them by way of paying into their member's tour fees. It worked out great for both of us, and it also helped the hall. With gas prices as high as they are, "trades" might be something more and more people figure out how to do. But, even if you don't have someone to trade a session with, volunteer a session just out of the goodness of your heart. Random acts of kindness are the best kind! Help support the entire activity. Volunteer to work Bingo, regardless of your corps affiliation. I'm telling myself all of this as well, because I'm just as guilty as the next guy about not volunteering unless I "have to", or unless we get "credit". But seriously, if you take even a few seconds to realize how many people disappear from the volunteer pool when the corps hit the road, it doesn't take rocket science to realize how much that negatively impacts things at "home". There are, thankfully, many volunteers who tour with corps to help feed and house the kids. For those of us who can't do that, Bingo is equally as appreciated - in some cases, even MORE appreciated.

I spoke to my daughter yesterday - she's now in Texas, and she said it's been really rough, but the kids are being very well taken care of, and there are a LOT of wonderful parents and groups who are going the extra mile by bringing them ice, gatorade, ice cream, fresh fruit and veggies, etc. I guess Kansas was the worst so far, because in addition to the heat, there was high humidity. I too can't figure out how the heck these guys are all holding up. Last summer, my daughter was rushed to the hospital after the show in Troy, from dehydration, so she's trying to be extra careful, as much as that's possible in this situation. I know in her case anyway, staff isn't pushing the kids too hard, and they're getting more frequent breaks. They've got a huge support system, and that also helps. Gives them a lot of "war stories" to tell their grandkids someday! From last year, that Natomas show will always stand out in my mind, because of the heat. This year, it was the San Diego show, because of the humidity... I'm sure there were and will be hotter and stickier shows, but for me, those two are my own personal "highlights", and I was just sitting in the stands! Glad you made it through though.. thank goodness for A/C!

There's two out of the three you're looking for.

These are GREAT! STill not knowing my way around DCP very well, I'm HOPING I figured out how to add the banner to my signature. I went to "view source" and searched for a .jpg, then used your photobucket url to paste in. Is there an easier way for in the future? Thanks for all your work on these.... want to do one for Mandarins? Their show is Rhythm Nation this year.

Thanks, Bob. (Well, it IS about the shows too, but anyway...) So, you remember last year? Natomas High School... had to be WELL over 100 degrees; for me, perhaps the hottest show I went to last year. It's cooled down here today again... I just hope the corps in the mid-west are going to run into some reprieve, temperature-wise, soon. It's gotta be rough out there. Oh, and I should add, DREAM was VERY entertaining. I loved their music, really got the crowd moving too. THANKS for a fun show! (Sorry that I forgot that the first time around.)

I went to the Elk Grove show, but not Sunnyvale. I'm not prepared with any sort of a review, and didn't even make it to the site until just before SCV Cadets went on (I missed all the Div III corps). Because this was the home show of River City Regiment, the senior corps went on last. Nice for Renegades, who always have to endure the hottest part of the evening and sun in their faces in their black jackets and pants. I know several members there, Mandarins ageouts, so was really happy to see how much their numbers had increased since I last saw them at the Moonlight Classic in Stockton. They sounded a LOT better, too. They really made me feel like the Renegades were back! River City Regiment - what a long way this corps has come! I truly enjoy their show, and am happy to see the improvements they have made. I can't help but give a lot of credit to their brass caption head, George Miles. He's got a lot of drum corps experience behind him, and was a mentor to my daughter (she was his high school drum major during her senior year, and he was her brass caption head in Mandarins for 3 years as well) for several years. There could be more staff/other changes that are contributing to their improvement this year, but I only know George, and that the corps sounds and looks MUCH better this year. I have never marched, so can't speak to whether a show was clean, dirty, or anything else. All I know is what I enjoy, and partially because I'm a huge Mandarins fan (my daughter marched 4 years with them and had the time of her life with that wonderful organization - she's now marching with a larger corps), but also because I think Mandarins always has an incredibly entertaining show, I really went to cheer them on. They'd made several drill changes, and even some changes in music - personally I liked their show better at Stockton, but it always takes me a few times of seeing a show's changes, before I really get into it again. I am also a HUGE fan of Pacific Crest's show this year. I just find myself smiling and feeling good throughout their show, although they didn't seem as loud in Elk Grove as they did at some of the previous shows I'd seen them at - actually, none of the corps did in Elk Grove. I really wasn't sure who'd come out on top that night, PC or Mandarins - the scores were really close, and when I looked back at the recaps, the final outcome, with Mandarins taking first, did make sense, but I really did enjoy PC's show. Remember, I will never claim to know what's clean, dirty, or anything else having to do with judging. For me, the two highlights of the evening, having absolutely nothing to do with drum corps, was the WEATHER, and all the people I ran into that I had no expectations of running into. I was sitting on the bottom row, at about the 40 yard line, and it seemed like every couple of minutes someone walked by who either I recognized, or they recognized me. Granted, I live in Sacramento, only about 7 miles from the show site, but still, it was crazy how many people I got the chance to talk to, and reminisce with. The gorgeous evening was just icing on the cake to an already fun evening. I can't recall an evening so pleasant, weather-wise, in many years. Wish it had stuck around a bit longer... it's been sweltering here ever since, easily into the triple digits. (But at least it's dry, unlike how San Diego was when we were in SoCal for the shows a few weeks ago.) Mandarins had their ageout ceremony at this show, which was really bittersweet for me. Many of the kids aging out either started the same year my daughter did, were in the corps all the years she was, or she went all through high school band with them. It was really sad to see this group moving on, and the reality that I know, for the first time, so few people in Mandarins, was really sad for me. I saw kids walk by in their corps jackets, and I had no clue who they were. I saw parents walking by wearing corps tshirts, and I had no clue who they were. I wanted to hollar out to them, "hello", but knew they'd think I was some kook, so just accepted the fact that time changes things, and each and every year that my daughter is not in Mandarins, I will know fewer and fewer people in the organization. Sad but true. BUT, on the other hand, those I DO still know make it seem like we're still a part of the group, and always will be... it's great to be a part of such a wonderful "family". But now, I know know so many new people in "our" new corps, and that's been fun and exciting. All in all, it's become very obvious that EVERYONE involved in the drum corps activity, reagrdless of what corps they march in or cheer for, is really just one big family. Well, a review that really wasn't, but I know how much I like to see at least SOME comment made after each and every show, so I figured I'd put my two cents out there.

Just wondering if anyone who went to the show in Boise, Idaho, cared to give their thoughts? Thanks.

Please disregard my earlier post... I jumped the gun for nothing.... they've now got plenty of ice!