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Tim K

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Everything posted by Tim K

  1. There have been other discussions about PBS and DCI parting ways with all sorts of theories. Unsuccessful pledge drives is often the primary reason given, and there’s some truth to that, at least as far as WGBH Boston’s involvement, but there were still broadcasts after WGBH. However those were different days. PBS was local and much of the broadcasting was local. PBS is now well endowed financially as are many of the stations. Production standards are higher and what PBS offers is much different. “Upstairs Downstairs” was considered high quality in the 1970’s. Compare it to “Downton Abbey” today. It would never get airtime. PBS would not produce a DCI finals show today. It would be too expensive. PBS might broadcast a finals performance filmed by someone else, like they do with live performances today. PBS still shows operas from the Metropolitan Opera, but it does not produce them like they did in “Live from the Met” days. The culprit is probably licensing.
  2. I didn’t get to Allentown or finals in 2014 but did get the chance to see “Felliniesque” in Atlanta and the following evening at NightBEAT. For me, it’s a fan friendly show that caught me by surprise, especially after “Rewrite of Spring” the previous year. It told a story, had humorous moments, and was well executed. Blue Devils enthusiasts I know often love one aspect of their shows whether it be percussion, brass, guard, design, etc. more than anything but this show was a total package and won the crowd. It certainly caught my attention. I just feel old knowing we’re remembering it on its tenth anniversary!🙂
  3. I agree that society has changed, but by the 1980’s most colleges had policies about professors and teaching assistants not dating students, non fraternization rules in athletic activities, etc. For those of a younger age, more and more states were requiring mandated reporting. The rules in many cases were in place. One thing that has changed is how we view offenders. Offenders were never the people we know, or so many thought. We believed offenders looked like creeps, probably drove vans with interiors that looked like a lounge, and were obvious leches. If there were questions about someone who gave no clues about being an offender, often people would say “I know him, he’s all right.” Since most of us don’t want to believe the worst about people, it’s understandable. Looking back, it seems that when we discover inappropriate and often criminal behavior, it’s often not those we expect.
  4. I knew someone who marched with Garfield Cadets from 78 or 79 to 82. He went to school in Boston and we had a mutual friend. His story was not that different from those who marched in other corps who move up in placement. He loved the family atmosphere of when he first marched. He’s my major source of the miracle in 1980 where the threat of not finishing the season and certainly not making finals was real and then finding themselves in 10th. 81 things began to change. He struggled in 82. New instructors were brutal, volunteers and longtime members pushed out, and the atmosphere changed. He was a year or two older than me and I don’t recall if he aged out. He was always loyal to Cadets, never spoke about wild parties, and his comments only came when the discussion went to George Zingali and the influx of former 27th Lancers. Looking back at that time, it did seem that for many corps, the harder you worked, the harder you partied. For some, partying hard is why they didn’t make finals but that’s another story. Whether that happened with Cadets, I can’t say but whatever the corps, underage marching members, in the case of the young woman a high school student, with college age kids and adult instructors all at the same party is a recipe for disaster, especially when 1983 became 1984.
  5. I just did a Google search to see what Ms. Nadonly is doing these days. This wouldn’t fit what she’s doing now. Also, I don’t think this story has enough traction to get attention, especially in a year of an election in a divided nation where pundits get more attention than reporters. This has nothing to do with the merits of the case as much as the ever changing priorities of journalists and news agencies.
  6. When you matched, I’m surprised Boston Crusaders Bingo sheets even had the number 27 on them!🙂
  7. The question of whether the mission statement of a non profit is in alignment with Bingo is a legitimate question. In my case as a pastor (I’m a Catholic priest) I have had parishes with schools but we no longer had Bingo so I never had to make a decision about the game. However you still have to figure out ways to pay teachers a living wage while keeping tuition low for families who are barely scraping by. I know drum corps is a different situation than a school but funding non profits is not easy. In my neck of the woods (just outside of Boston) there are fewer Bingos. There have three major death knells for Bingo. One, when smoking was no longer allowed in public places, Bingos took a huge hit. Casinos with Bingo halls is a second. Third? Bingos have a hard time attracting volunteers. Volunteering at Bingo is a thankless job.
  8. I’ve said this before in other threads but when it comes to corporate donors, drum corps can be a hard sell. In general, businesses want to donate to organizations that serve the local community, the key word being local. A touring drum corps that recruits from all over the country is an organization that serves, but it does not serve the local community. Donors also want “bang for the buck.” Let’s say you give an organization $5,000. If it’s a local basketball program, that goes a long way towards equipment, uniforms, gym rental, etc. If it’s a local theater group, that goes a long way towards sets and costumes. Lots of people are served. How far does the same donation go in drum corps? I think a drum corps could get some corporate donations but it requires work. Alums who are now in the corporate world and carefully selected board members would be key. A drum corps establishing some sort of a presence in the community such as directors being members of the Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, etc., sitting on local boards for hospitals, outreach agencies, various non profits and the like would be important. Being a good neighbor is also important. Cadets moved to Erie partially at least to increase the donor base. It would take a good tens years for that to develop. Blue Devils have been mentioned. Blue Devils is well known in Concord, CA. According to someone I know who once lived in Concord, many people in the city have no idea how good they are, but the organization is well received. My guess is establishing relationships over the years is a huge reason why.
  9. I did not see 2008 Phantom live. I would have loved to have been in Bloomington see Phantom move from 3rd to 2nd to 1st. “Red” is one of my favorite shows and is still a sentimental favorite of longtime BAC fans. Though I saw it live in local shows, the finals performance looks electrifying. I loved SCV 1989 and 1989 Phantom equally and would have enjoyed seeing those two at finals and would have been happy with the results either way.
  10. I enjoyed 2013 when Crown won it’s first title and 2016 when Bloo took top honors. Since I probably won’t be in Indy in 2025 (I need to take a long overdue return trip to Ireland), I’m hoping to see BAC take home their first title this year. I’d also like to mention the 1979 CYO Nationals. North Star had a great early and mid season and beat Bridgemen and 27th on quite a few occasions. North Star beat 27th and Bridgemen the night before as well as Madison. It was believed to be a fluke. 27th had won the World Open, Bridgemen had an off night as did Madison. At CYO Nationals, Madison came back with a vengeance, 27th had a great show that in my opinion was stronger than the performance at World Open and should have won. North Star was great, but 3rd at best, probably 4th, but there was no way they’d beat 27th or Madison. They did. At the time 27th was one of my favorite corps and though I loved North Star, that was when Madison was Madison and could blast you from this world to the next. When the scores were announced and North Star won again, the reaction of the crowd who did not agree with the judging was something else. Let’s just say it’s a good thing the old “what didn’t get settled on the field will get settled in the parking lot” was no longer the rule of the day. Another memorable performance that night was a small but powerful Boston Crusaders.
  11. My guess would be the largest single expense hosting a show would not be the number of corps in a show but the cost of the stadium. That certainly impacts ticket prices. Also very few shows have program books, and even those that do are not filled with ads which would have been the case in the past. That’s an income loss which has to be made up someplace else. With fewer shows, what we are paying for is the opportunity to see drum coros in our own backyard.
  12. I stay at the Fairfield and book directly. I used the VisitIndy site a few years back. I got double booked at the Fairfield downtown and the Fairfield near the airport. The Fairfield claimed it happens frequently. That may have been an excuse but I wasn’t going to argue since I didn’t want to have to pay for two rooms. It turned out fine. The Downtown Fairfield was able to fill the reservation right away and though the airport Fairfield required an Uber, I ended up saving some money. I’ve also had issues when booking through AAA though not for a trip to Indy.
  13. I’m not in a position to question whether the food offered by Cadets was the best. Perhaps it was tasty, healthy, and well prepared, but the complaints as I heard them centered on portion size and the complaints were more recent than the 70’s and 80’s.
  14. You sound knowledgeable, but there are a few things I do question. One, I’m not sure I agree Cadets alums have been free with criticism but miserly with funds. Over the years I have sat with Cadets alums at shows in Boston and New Jersey, purchased tickets in Cadets blocks in Allentown and one year in Atlanta. I only started hearing grumbling in 2012 at Met Life Stadium. Cadets alums have been generous and for many years defended the corps right or wrong. Alums just got fed up when it was expected that alums would bail the corps out of trouble, no questions asked. Also, did a new regime decide it could do without US Bands, or did it have little choice in selling it off? I can’t imagine too many banks would have been willing to extend credit to Cadets after 2018.
  15. I think you’ll find the alumni corps a thing of the past in the near future. The Plymouth, MA Thanksgiving parade and evening standstill concert used to have an impressive number of groups each year that were fairly large. For Junior Corps alums, most marched prior to DCI or in the very early years. The Senior Corps seemed to generally be people who could no longer manage the current corps or the original corps disbanded. This past year there were only five corps participating, the membership was smaller and getting older. They still had heart and loved performing. People aren’t joining alumni corps in large numbers. The infighting may have something to do with it but I think it’s more changing times. Neighborhood drum corps have been gone for years. People who marched together since let’s say 1980 probably did not grow up together, go to school together, and as adults did not buy a house in the same area. That was the case with the first alumni corps. Allowing folks who did not march with the original corps caused some problems. I think that has subsided. When I hear the corps listed where Crusaders Senior marched, years back if you got the same crew together, you’d need the National Guard to keep the peace. It’s hardly an issue today but I heard a corps that tried to get off the ground never did because there was infighting about whether to allow rivals to join. The ironic thing is they were not a powerhouse back in the day and those that wanted to join to help them get off the ground marched with corps that used to beat them in competition.
  16. The story behind the name 27th Lancers was based on “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” DCX lists Light Brigade as an alumni corps from Revere, MA. I’m sure I saw them back in the day, most likely in a parade. I do recall some of the scuttlebutt. Some folks from 27th wanted to continue the momentum of “Once More in 94” others wanted it to be the last hurrah. This was about the time Crusaders Sr. and St. Kevin’s Alumni formed. I’m pretty certain an alumni corps did not have George Bonfiglio’s blessing. I don’t recall whether it was the group that wanted to restart 27th or the group behind Light Brigade that wanted to use the name 27th Lancers, but I believe it ended up in the courts and the Bonfiglio’s won. That’s probably why Light Brigade is listed as an alumni corps and not the 27th Lancer Alumni Corps. As I said in my original comment, there is a thread in the historical section that has the entire story and it’s rather dramatic with lots of competing versions.
  17. Years back a group tried to restart 27th Lancers and could not use the name. There are past threads that have the specifics of the situation. Could an organization begin a corps called the Cadets? It’s a more generic name than 27th Lancers so conceivably yes. Would it be possible to use the traditional uniform? That could be trickier but other groups have worn similar uniforms. I would imagine attaching Garfield, Bergen County, Allentown, or Erie that could be a problem. Attaching Holy Name to Cadets from a legacy point of view would be more specific and probably require the permission of the original parish. I believe the when they attached Holy Name on an anniversary year was a one season only agreement. Continuing the legacy could mean paying outstanding bills and lawsuits, or at least attempts by creditors to make the corps do so. My thought is most of the members who marched when the corps was Holy Name have probably met the Lord, Garfield Alums are mid 50’s plus, Bergen County late 40’s plus, Allentown and Erie might be younger, but young people are not going to join a start up with the name of a past corps whose legacy would seem like ancient history, especially if the corps is dissolved due to scandal and financial mismanagement.
  18. This is a late reply, seventeen years late, but I missed it first time around. The last name of Peter with Watertown Cadets is Cruza.
  19. Moving with instructors is not that new. I knew people who marched with 27th who jumped ship and went to Garfield Cadets when George Zingali and company moved on. At the time it was not out of admiration for George Z. or his genius which as we know now was sill emerging. After coming close with 27th in 1980 and a show in 1981 that didn’t place as high as predicted (though 4th is nothing to sneeze at), they felt the best chance to win a title was with Cadets. I’ve never studied the issue, but based on things I’ve heard over the years, people who move with instructors, especially when there are veterans in the corps, can sometimes be problematic. The new instructor is a celebrity so they believe they are too. People who audition because of an instructor can be ideal. Now my sources are usually parents or volunteers. Parents may be biased, but the nice folks who feed the multitudes and make sure the ingredients are fresh on Taco Tuesday hear it all!
  20. If they don’t get the money, victims go to court hoping to get liens put on whatever they can. If the settlement can’t be paid, the guilty party goes to court to see if the judgment amount can be reduced. Bankruptcy will probably be declared. If it can’t be paid, it can’t be paid. It happens pretty often. It’s fairly common people do not get the full settlement.
  21. It would depend on whether organization is found responsible after a trial or whether they settle out of court. Out of court settlements are binding and assets are listed prior to the two sides sitting down, so when negotiations take place, it is known what is available and what can be sold to pay the settlement. After a trial, the judge or jury sets the amount. If it is higher than what is available, the two sides can go to arbitration or a judge can reduce the settlement. When it comes to dividing the settlement, usually the legal team gets 1/3rd of the settlement.
  22. What you say could prove to be true and it would be wonderful for it to be true, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Yes SCV is scheduled to field a corps this year and with some of the folks involved, it could be promising, but until we see the corps on the field, we can’t say “alive and kicken’.” I say this as someone who was surprised Spirit came back as strong as they did, so I realize you never know. However, Cadets’ situation sounds closer to Glassmen who also had to liquidate their assets after they decided not to field a corps. Glassmen never had the drama prior to the former director leaving or the drama and at times chaos that followed his departure, not to mention pending lawsuits. Cadets could compete again, but it would mean starting from scratch.
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