DeanInChicago

My annual costs to Finals are low. Megabus from Chicago to Indy $1. Attend Finals $139. After show, Megabus from Indy to Chicago $1. For DCI fans flying into Indianapolis, there is frequent city bus service from the airport to downtown. Board the #8 Washington Street Indygo bus just outside from the car rental counters. $1.75 one way trip. If you do not have exact change, feed 2 ones into the entry box. No change is given. You can also buy a $4.00 day pass aboard the bus. A day pass is good until midnight on day of purchase. There is frequent Indygo service between downtown and the Indiana State Fair. Take the #39 bus from the downtown Transit Center to the fair.

The realization that Bluecoats, Blue Devils, and Santa Clara Vanguard -- currently the top 3 scorewise -- are all performing at the Friday, August 3 Allentown Eastern Classic. In most years, the top dogs are split between the 2-night show.

It's too darn hot.

Teresa refused to back in to a parking space at the stadium. "I'm not one of those people," reasoned Teresa. Earlier this afternoon, it was a toss up between a Muncie Pizza King and La Hacienda.

Judy and I have arrived. Every audience member is wrist banded upon entry. This helps eliminate gate crashers. Bring a light jacket or sweatshirt.

Hey, if these shirts are XL and you want to make room in your life, I will gladly accept these t shirts from you on Saturday in Michigan City.

Cadets Christmas show t-shirt. Joy to the Corps.

A google search reveals June 21 2018.

A sincere thank you to the many DCP posters these past few weeks for demonstrating remarkable class and thoughtful discussion on this heartbreaking topic.

On GH's Facebook page, the ABOUT section has been updated. Previous work references to YEA!, The Cadets, and USBands have been removed. I assume that GH made these changes.

I first saw the CEO blip on Wednesday, April 11. When I googled Jeff Fiedler last week, the search engine connected me to the YEA! site. Very disconcerting.

I have not noticed any changes. For now, it's like a frozen time capsule. I wonder if GH will ever post again.

Why do more than 15,000 friends still follow GH's Facebook page? Why did GH stop regularly posting on April 3? Why did he move out of his former apartment to new digs at the end of March? Why are his new digs just one block away from the YEA offices? Why am I visiting GH's Facebook page daily since Thursday, April 5?

What I do not understand is the current google search term "Jeff Fiedler." For several days now, the search has connected to the YEA! site.

I believe the 2 minute brass camp video is the corps song - Oh Tannenbaum is the melody.

MARTA runs on schedule. God bless public transit.

Tarpon Springs did not trek north this year to Indy. Sad face emoji.

Currently, the downtown Indy eateries are full to capacity with long lines, as semi finals are done, the stadium cleared, and the doors have reopened for finals. Such a tight schedule! At Pie Five pizzaria on Washington, the kitchen has run out of marinara sauce!

Ahoy from the megabus! Crossing the Skyway en route to tonight's Top 12 at Lucas Oil. Expecting Broken Arrow, Homestead, and Carmel to advance from today's 30 band semifinals. Who else will advance? If you want more than 150 on the field, this is a great show to see how The Woodlands or Marion Catholic does it successfully. BOA allows the entry of the next performing band into the end zone whilst the current band is most often in it's final minute of their show. I try to not let it distract me. DCI holds the next unit in the tunnels. I am amazed at the number of writers, guard directors, percussion leaders, and other talents who juggle DCI commitments and high school bands. Thank you for sharing joy each fall when our DCI summer ends.

Let's do the Crown Warp again.

This is a big garage sale, and with the Bluecoats attaching the 3 magical OBO letters, respectful and polite negotiation is the order of the day - like on Pawn Stars or at the Allentown yard sales I am drawn to every first Saturday morning in August. As the Bluecoats's opening price is $2000 for an orange slide, you reply with $1000. Then they say $1900, then you blurt out BUT LOOK AT THE SCRATCHES and BLEMISHES so how about $1150, and so on and so on. Once you have U-hauled your $1400 orange slide inside your apartment, you make room for it, by schlepping your davenport to the curb.

Bridgemania! I have a dozen sets of unopened, colorful thunder sticks leftover from their over-the-top Allentown performance.

Thank you for the reminder. I just booked an Allentown hotel for 2 nights via Priceline Express Deals.

One question asks which restaurants we ate at -- and 40 or 50 restaurants are listed --- but not my two favorites - Slippery Noodle and Shapiro's. One multiple choice question asks where we stayed at, but the overnight Megabus back to Chicago is not a choice. Another question asks if we attended less or more DCI events in 2017 when compared to 2016. I attended MORE in 2017, as I missed two 2016 shows due to work commitments. We are asked if we attended Finals in Bloomington and Pasadena. We are asked what section we sat in at the 2017 championships. Then asked if we would want a different or same seat for 2018. There are questions about SoundSport and DrumLine Battle. We are asked if there are enough restrooms at Lucas Oil. We are asked what parts of the show we like most: the guards, the percussion, the music, the brass, or the combination of it all.

At the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, I entered the popular China exhibit through the exit doors. One season on Broadway, I left at the end of Xanadu at the Helen Hayes, and headed next door to the St James at its intermission to catch Act 2 of Gypsy. Years ago, when Chicago's Cadillac Theatre was the dull Bismarck hotel auditorium, I would crash the closed-to-the-public annual high school show choir competition. I would wear a black Tshirt, and told the volunteers at the entry door that I was working upstairs in the booth.