LarryM

I can see the love in DCP is still here. We should not air any lawsuit laundry. What I did or had to do has nothing to do with Tom Huntley nor the Members of the Corps. Those kids are bright, talented and hard working. But then again I guess I should jump on the bashing wagon like everyone else. Those who pass judgement should first take a look in the mirror, then secondly should realize that passing judgment speaks VOLUMES for their character. Shows just how bad of one they have. I never made mention of a lawsuit, so I am interested in how you was made aware of that information. The things I have done in my life are things that I will one day answer for, and already have answered for. I'm still here, I still give of myself, and I will continue to do so with love and encouragement. Kindess goes a long way, so all I can say is you are entitled to your opinion of me, and I will respect that you dislike me. Problem is I still get work even with your constant "rants" on how you know me personally and know first hand information. Its because I work hard at what I do, and I give of myself without questions. I made mistakes, some blow those mistakes out of the water. If you don't know the facts, then don't comment. But I leave you with this. I forgive you for the harsh things. Can you forgive yourself? Best wishes to the entire crew of Forte as they pick up the pieces and move forward.

There is also a one time forgiveness where you fill the forms out BEFORE 12-29-2012 and pay a $100 reinstatement fee. I had the information here as I actually just went through a revocation on another 501c3 organization. But it still has to be 3 years of not filing. 11-1-2012 would mean 11-1-2013. But it is sad that Forte has ended. They had bright things that could have happened for them. That truly was an AMAZING group of kids, hardworking and dedicated! I hope their light continues to burn bright for the activity!

I think it is worth it, but at the same time see the argument from the other side. I think it all has to do with whether or not one is looking for the Drum Corps experience, or if they are looking for the "brand experience". There are corps out there that cost $600 for the entire summer, and there are some that cost $4000 for the summer in tuition. Look at what you can realistically AFFORD. You get the same experience at the $600 that you would at the $4000. But in the end you cannot put a price tag on it!

Marching Drum Corps was never meant to be easy. Where as $2800 might seem high in cost, (and in theory the tuition is only $2,500 provided that it is paid by May 2012) We have many opportunities for all of our members to raise those funds. I must agree that the tuition rate is high....It never was that high when I was a participating Member, however there are new associated cost factors that dictate what has to be spent. Forte is traveling 6,000 miles this summer (a small trip in the eyes of the larger corps) and with getting only 9 miles a gall on average, ONE bus will use almost 700 gallons of fuel. That will bring the fuel cost for ONE vehicle to (using average of $4.50 gas/gal) $3,150.... Multiply that by 4... $12,600 in fuel. That doesn't even TOUCH the rental of the busses (costing roughly $25,000 for busses and $10,000 for the semis). So you can see that That cost alone, topped with the cost of food for approx 100 people (roughly $27,000) Brings you to the total of a tune of approx.........$74,600. Now don't forget there are other costs such as Uniforms, Insurance, DCI Fees, Music License fees.... And the list goes on! But when you march an average of 60-75 members You are looking at $1,200-$1,600 to cover the BASICS, not to mention you still wouldn't have equipment to play on. Topic of Corps dues is a VERY touchy subject. It is HARD to know exactly how much is too much, and how much is not enough. But I will state that $2,500 for 4 weeks of spring training and almost 6 weeks worth of touring, including 6 months of camps totals approx: 80 days with the corps...... That brings the cost PER day of membership to: $31.25. Not too bad for 4 meals, and an incredible load of memories!

Short of giving you our actual working Budget :) I cannot really show you documentation. But, and please REALIZE I am NOT saying these our OUR ACTUAL numbers, The staff salary topic just mean that each caption (usually comprised of 5-8 people) can range from 10-15 grand. But you know I really just totally forgot to add staff travel in there. That too can be a pretty heft lump of change. Let me tell you what. I will send you a copy of a PAST year budget. If you don't mind PM'ing me your contact. This in relation to the corps that used it will help shed some light on the numbers. LM

Music Copyrights? $300-$1200 Staff Salaries? BY FAR THE LARGEST EXPENSE OF ANY CORPS!!!!!!!! SOme corps are all volunteers ala Raiders and City Sound... Some average $10-$15K Per Section x4 Sections plus average $30 for Admin salaries.... So about $70-$90K is spent on Staff Pay. Uniforms? Uniforms for a corps is about $150 a member uniform, and average of $75 per guard costume Flags/Weapons? Average $2,000-$8,000 Bus Costs? Our cost 2 years ago was 3 busses for the summer at $60K Food? Fed 160 people 4 times a day... TOTAL YEAR food cost was $27,000 Instruments? If you have to buy, 52 horn $30-$60K Electronics? around $10K There are corps that operate on $1 million dollar budgets, and then there are corps like City Sound that operate on $30,000. There is a BIG scope, but then again it does depend on what how and who you want to have involved in the corps. Those $1 million budget corps do play a vital role in the activity, but we do need more financially reasonable options!

That is our Correct schedule! We are very excited about our review and in fact cannot wait until it gets here! Make sure you keep checking out our FACEBOOK TWITTER and WEBSITE for further updates! We have wonderful things in store, and we have an AMAZING team assembled to make them happen! I encourage each of you to continue the support that you show each year for the activity, and continue to build the activity. The more we support the activity, and those that work hard to make it happen, the better the experience will be for all that are involved. I personally invite each of you to attend one of our camps should you wish to see how the corps operates! You will NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! Semper Porro!

Such a GREAT idea to help pay for their tuition! I really like this concept! Good to know there are people that still can be creative in getting things done! Ordering mine now!