drmr27

After cleaning out the house near Boston and moving to Florida I came across a lot of old 2-7 laundry items, my old white 27th Lancers jacket, vintage 1971. A few of Mrs. Bean's old Lancer T-shirts from the early 70's and a few baseball caps with the Lancer logo embroidered on them. I finally found my 27th Lancer alumni jacket, fully lined, made of wool and leather. Like thats gonna do me a lot of good living in a sub-tropical climate! The 1994 alumni corps uniform?? Folded neatly in an airtight bag and sequestered at an undisclosed location. I don't know what to do with all this stuff. I though of storing them indefinitely. I even thought of lightening the load and listing them on Ebay since I really don't have the room to keep this stuff hanging in a closet. They are probably worth something at auction but I have funny feeling I would feel guilty let them go to someone outside the "family". After all, if you owned something like these jackets or T-shirts, you got them by earning the right to wear them. I'll probably shuffle them from one place to another until...well, just until, I guess.

Popular to contrary belief I am still alive and sucking up more than my fair share of oxygen down here in Tampa Bay. Good to hear from you Dusty! And for all you listeners on the west coast I'd like to brag that I share a DNA strand or two with Charlie Groh but, Nuh uh. We evolved on separate paths. And Dusty, the McDonald's fish sandwich thing wasn't a Gorton's Nor'easter outfit. It was a speedo, pair of fins, mask and snorkel at the Hyannis Mickey D's on a dare from a college roomate. It was February. It was snowing. And Oh yes, there was shrinkage but I ate and drank for free all weekend. If I get back to Norwood the Lewisburgers and buckets are on me.

Mike, If you're coming from CO, I'll fill up the Chevy and drive up from FL. I'll stop at South of the Border on the way up and fill the trunk with bottle rockets. First Sam Adams is on me at the Newbridge. Then we can hit the dumpster behind Sozio's...get some refrigerator boxes... and go surfing down So. Cambridge St. (with a salute as we pass #35)

Thanks for the culinary memories guys. I can say without doubt that Kelly's and the Newbridge are the genesis factors that led to my 38" waistline today. Another place where I dropped some cash after a long rehearsal behind Northgate was the Bayside. Antipasto, stuffed clams and an adult beverage from a green bottle. Has anyone attended the Good Friday services at Bill Ash's recently? Extra credit quiz: Where would one hear, "239, 47, 88 for Kansas City!"

I think it would be appropriate to repost this link in response to this thread. There are probably quite a few people who have not watched the "Once more in '94" video. It is the story of the 27th alumni event from the point of view of those who participated in it with a healthy chunk of my own opinion thrown in. just visit the "drum corps films" page at beanman.net I was glad I made the time to get involved in that project in 1994 but I know I could not do it in 2008.

At a Sunday night rehearsal in Commonwealth Armory someone asked why we didn't paint it up with a logo and everything. The answer was that it still looked enough like a postal truck to slip by the police on all the "Cars only" roads around Boston.

It was a real treat to see all of our brothers and sisters again. Even though most of us have become a bit thicker around the middle and thinner, or grayer up top, we still can act like we never grew up. We really never did. I want to say a few words about Terry's opening comments at dinner. I appreciated the recognition of our founding members who sustained the corps through the inaugural years of 1967/1968, and was so pleased to see so many of them in attendance. Without them we would not have had a foundation and tradition to build on. We stood on the shoulders of giants, and the view was tremendous. Thanks guys. The members of the 1986 Lancers also have a special place in our history. They were the ones charged with turning off the lights and locking the door for the last time and leaving the Lancer house clean and tidy Their task was no less difficult than the one charged to our original members, and no less honorable. Thanks guys. Our brothers and sisters who have left us over the years live on with us in the memories of our younger days. Each of them lives on in a special place in our hearts and unlike us, their uniforms will always fit, they will always win the World Open and for them the busses will always pull into a rest stop at just the right time. They will be nineteen forever. Thanks guys. The 1994 alumni who proved that the impossible could not only be done, but made to look easy, are responsible for keeping the light and the heat alive for at least one more generation. You made a statement to all that there are traditions and values that should be preserved. And Geez, that statement was LOUD! Some naysayers chastised you, saying you were just trying to relive your youth, they just didn't get it. Thanks guys. And of course, without George and Patsy, we would never have found each other, shared lots of laughs and tears and been the family that we still are today. We would never have known the thunder of applause, or the unbridled wrath of George when some hats went missing. We would not have been the 27th Lancers. Thanks guys. Terry was right about another thing. This was our 40th reunion and we have never once over the years considered handing out name tags to those attending. We know who we are. Thanks guys.

Oh well, This is Massachusetts after all... sweetie.

After a six year hiatus I put on a uniform I had never worn before, (Pants? how quaint!) and a drum with a carrier. Tyrone and Scott taught me as much as they could in about 30 minutes and left me with this sage advice, "Keep your sticks moving, try not to hit the head..." BTW congratulations, Jack Cash, and good luck.

Awww, shucks (blushes) Right back at ya' LL Makes me wonder how many alumni couples marched that night, and whose marriages miraculously survived that whole year. Like Mrs. Beanman said to me with raised glass a few weeks later on our 13th wedding anniversary, "Here's to 5 years of happy marriage... and the other 8 didn't suck too much!

At the close of the 1969 season I was faced with a decision. I knew I was leaving the corps I had been with for 2 years, The Norwood Continentals (now all but completely lost to obscurity) and either taking the long hike to Revere to wear khaki and plaid or a shorter commute to Lower Mills and wear red and black. The khaki won out for two reasons: I liked the underdog staus of the 27th Lancers at that place and time and the guard wore MUCH shorter skirts. My favorite year to march with the corps was definitely 1971, it was the pinnacle year of old school, The year that the first real concept discussions of something called DCI took place. Like Lancer Legend said; buried in mid-pack at the CYO with a killer performance then top of the heap a few nights later at World open with a performance that was almost as good. The entire year was fun and although subsequent years and shows had their moments, '71 stood out as the peak for me. Honorable mention: 1974 was what I called 27th's "lost episode". It was a dismal year of disappointments and struggles. We hardly ever seemed to connect with an audience all year long. The first time I actually listened to any '74 recordings was about 16 or 17 years later and I noticed a couple things. The midseason show was actually a very good show and despite some performance issues it really came across as a well conceived, enjoyable show. Fast forward about a month to August and DCI prelims and it was obvious that we listened too intently to the "expert" critiques, changed major portions of the show to suit the different judging factions and in the end performed a tired and incoherent tossed salad of notes. The alumni corps show in 1994, also known as "the most expensive 15 minutes of our entire lives" was a gas. No one to beat, nothing to prove. I went on the field with a camera to take a shot of the crowd. I wore Bullwinkle jockey shorts under my kilt and tucked a lucky clover into the ribbons on my hat. I blew a kiss to the crowd and at dawn, blindly stumbled back to my hotel room.

2-7 well, I guess I fold then...

There is a big difference betwen a lost memory and memory loss. (great pix in the other thread, Mike. Made me feel young again.)

Have to add just one more that was an important All-Girls corps, in fact they won the World Open All Girls title at least once back in the '60s. The Debonaires from Norwood, MA When I was about twelve I could hear them practicing at night about 2 miles away from my house. I thought they were cool but I didn't fit the first requirement to join.

Nancy, The original 3 majors from 1971 were Tim Higgins in the British red jacket, Frank Campisano in the Irish kilt and Bobby Cassidy (Mike's younger brother) in the scottish kilt. All three were Norwood guys. As I remember they didn't debut these guys until well into the season.

Just my luck! I leave town for a week and miss the social event of the season. Happy (belated) Birthday Nancy.

Thats why one of them (an original trick flag) has had my back since '81.

You caught that one too, Eh Jimmy? BTW John...I have photos...

L to R- Schlick, Yvonne, MH (aka Mrs. Bean), Patty, Peggy and Monica

Welcome aboard Julie. The next time I'm in the partly cloudy state I will look you guys up. Nice avatar.

Just off Fort Island Trail and a stone's throw to King's Bay. Back in June there was about 4 inches of King's Bay in my kitchen...the cost of living in paradise. The first tee is just on the other side of the road. Eddie, I should look you up next time I'm in Sarasota. Do I have a story? Let me consult with my attorney on that question.

Yes Mike, It is built up now compared to the '80's but it is still an out of the way little town with a slow pace where you can swim with 1500 lb. Cocker Spaniels and the water is 72 degrees all year long. I bought my little shack there because I at my happiest wearing the latest fashions from ScubaPro. Thanks for your articles that help to keep an important piece of our history available to all.

I'm only a part-timer up the coast from you, unfortunately back in Bahston right now. "Crystal River, a quaint little drinking village with a manatee problem." (BTW: the license plate...all photoshop.)

Great avatar eddie!! One of the best I've ever seen. (Is Ryan giving it a thumbs up?)

Groh? Is that fossil still wasting Oxygen? The only thing older than Steve Groh might be Charlie Groh... (best of luck, Brendan)