cin4057

Its been 10 years since we lost Dad. It still hurts. LOL I was just cussing out God this morning as a matter of fact.

First of all. There are no longer lights on rt. 50. When I first moved here over 25 years ago it was a nightmare.Rt. 50 is after all The Ocean Gateway. But they have since built a 2nd bridge over the Bay, as well as over The Kent Narrows, which had a drawbridge back then.. The heavy traffic ,will be coming from the west. Rt's 97, 95, will be a parking lot funneling on to rt. 50. The best and fastest rt will be coming fom the eastern routes. I take it all the time. I also avoid 97, by taking 100 which leads to 10, and Rt 2. It by-passes heavy congestion on 97. Just remember, that the traffic going to Ocean City only lasts so long.

As for the Yankee Rebels doing a , One More Time, performance.. It aint gonna happen. We sold everything. Uniforms and equipment.

I know this subject is a bit pre-mature. Personally I couldn't be happier. I live just over the Chesapeak Bay Bridge from Annapolis. It would take me under a half hour to get to the stadium.Taking route 50/301. I can't tell you much about the venue itself. That would be Jeff Wier's department. Pros and cons? Look the area up on the internet. Annapolis, Annapolis Naval Academy,Kent Island, Kent Narrows. You'll see that it is quite beautiful. Waterways everywhere. Let's not leave out the fact that we have great seafood resturants. My favorite choices for hotel accomidations would be on The Kent Narrows. Which is situated on the other side of The Chesapeak Bay Bridge. On the opposit side of Kent Island. As you pass back on to the Eastern Shore mainland.Talk about spectacular location!It would still be only a half hour to get to the stadium. Con?Regarding staying on the Narrows. Ocean City traffic! We're talking Labor Day weekend. If you're coming FROM the eas,t on 50/301, it wont be a problem. Coming from the west. Route 50/301 is The Ocean Gateway. It's the major route too Ocean City Maryland. Talk about a bottleneck! LOL Having an EZpass helps bigtime! Even if it's an out of town, you pay full fare but breeze thru faster than, if you have to stop to pay toll. Which you only pay going east. But I don't want to dewell on the negative. Because it's well worth it. If you choose the Narrows. You just have to time your arrival at the venue well. Getting to the venue from the East is easier and faster than if your coming from the West on rt. 50/301 or from the North in Richie Highway/rt. 2. Maryland is a wonderful place to visit. Baltimore is North. Washington D.C is not far, West on rt. 50. You can catch the metro from Carrolton station. Which will drop you off, right on the Mall. If you want to take a day trip to see our FREE Nations Capitol Museums. Don't miss the Botanical Gardens, close to the Capitol Building! Plants and Trees from all over the world. Ocean City is west . Kind of far for a day trip. Just don't go there! It'll be Labor Day! If you want to sit on sand go to Sandy Point. Which exits at the western side of the Bay Bridge. Lots of Historical places to visit in Maryland.. I could go on and on, expounding on, the virtues of Maryland. I'll wait and let you all do a bit of investigating on your own. There are lots of high schools and community collages for practice sites. As for the weather, it's farther south then the venues of the past. So you'll find it much warmer. Evenings are beginning to get cool, this time of the year. Weather here can NOT be predicted. We have the mountains in the west and the Ocean in the east. A situation that confounds the best of weathermen. I've lived in Maryland most of my life. I've also been a Drum Corps Nut all my life and for DCA Finals to come here? This close to my home! There is a GOD!

Have you seen how much it costs to get into a show lately? Especially a DCI contest. It's no wonder attendance is down! The stands were filled back in the day. Now a days you the averge joe cant afford to take his family to such an event unless he takes out a second morgage! LOL I've been helping out a local D&B. Mostly underprivileged kids. There is no way they can afford to get these kids into a DCI contest, because of the outragious cost. Even the group rate is $20. a ticket. The only way I can show them is by internet. These kids will never know the thrill that I did at their age. It's so sad.

I always look forward to the Buccs spring preview. An outstanding venue and most hospitable hosts. A show to look forward to indeed!

It truly was a remarkable day. I hadn't had much sleep for the 3 weeks leading up to this event, but wasn't complaining. It was our season preview! A day I had been looking on with much excitement. The lack of sleep was from memorising 2 books of music. Cabs. alum., Rebels. As well as Swing Houses book. I'm really pushing the envelope this year. LOL But my sleepless nights are paying off. I ran around, like a chicken with it's head cut off, on saturday. Going from warm ups to stage rehearsals to performing and had a big grin on my face the whole time. My lip didn't let me down. I was good to go at days end. I thought last year being my first with the Cabs alumni was my best year as of yet. But couldn't have been more wrong. Being a part of Swing House is truly remarkable. This is going to be a memory I will cherish. Most of you know I began doing this, Nov. 2004. In order to read my fathers music and play it. Well, I haven't played much of Dads stuff, but If I can't play Dads arrangements, Larry Kerchners music is the only music I prefer to play. He is a remarkable composer and arranger. My father would be so very pleased with what Larry has done for the Rebels as well as for myself. If you missed the Stinger I hope you get a chance to go to the Forum in 2 weeks. It will without a doubt be an awsome show. Just look at the line up! Outstanding.

Hey Andrew! It was great having you sit in with us. To bad you can't join, we need a few more baris. Come back any time.

oh crap! They have the Rebels following the Cabs alumni. That will be a problem for us Rebels who are also Cabs alum. Some of us are also in Swing House. Is there any way the line up can be tweeked to accomidate us?

I wish I could play with you guys this year, but I have my hands full with The Cabs alumni The Yankee Rebels alumni and Swing House I'm hoping I get a chance to at least hear Westshore play this year. Maybe from back stage. LOL

Wow Joey, That is so cool! Good things come to good people. Can't wait to hear about your experiance. See ya at the forum?

Being in a DCI corps is like a right of passage. If you can, Do IT! You don't want to look back and cry, Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda. This experiance will be a memory of a lifetime. I'm so excited for you! But it is a much more active experiance than DCA. Unless of course you're in the pitt. LOL If you think DCA corps ,work you hard, you ain't seen nothin' yet. LOL Seriously, doing this thing we do, can be debillitating, in the long run. Just talk to your Alumni bretheren. Be good to your body, and learn from your elders experiance. Warm-up and eat well. Drum corps at DCI level is a sport. There are always consiquences. Never forget that. Everything that we do to ourselves, can and will come back and bight you in the butt when you get older. But, THIS experiance, is well worth any consiquences. None of us would trade our memories . We are all suffering, the results of our youth. But is was well worth it.

I believe, the best part of the whole DCA finals weekend, was seeing your mini corps perform this year. You have some remarkable musicians in your ranks. Not to mention the awsome charts you played. THAT, is what entertaining, is all about! I'd like to thank, whoever posted the video of the performance.

I just had to say, that watching the video of the Kingsman alumnis performance ,was.... Awsome, discribes it best. The whole performance was done with such precision. Perfection. A work of art. If you haven't seen it, do so! A piece of true drum corps history. Just beautiful.

Another of "our own" is hitting the big time! I knew, the first time I heard Joey play in 2002, that he was going to be someone I'd be listening to on recordings. He is a remarkable entertainer. Such a joy to watch. I had a great seat for finals splitting the 40/45. Thanks for a remarkable performance Joey and Empire. Your style of music is what captures an audiance.

There was a city policeman walking by our hotel(Rochester Plaza) Monday morning, who excitedly asked for a recap. He was so ancious to hear what all the scores were. You should have seen how his eyes lit up.

I was there. The one group that followed me out the door was Music Cuty Legend. Actually they stood out from every performance I saw this weekend and I was in attendance for all of it .Except I missed the alumni spacetcular. I was in the "hurry up and wait mode" before a performance. LOL Music City Legend is what it is all about! From the moment they began to""" ENTERTAIN the audiance""""" they had us rocking in our seats. At the end if each song and at the end of each outstanding solo, Music City Legend had the whole room roaring it's aproval. They stole the show! That is a fact! Their contra/tuba soloist, Joe. Was truly remarkable. He and the sop. soloist. Sorry dear, I cant remember your name. But enjoyed talking to you. These guys were so much fun to watch. Awsome musicians! I loved watching the whole event, but Music City Legend is the kind of entertainment that captures it's audiance and has it begging for more. Hats off to every performer this weekend. I had such a good time. Can't wait for next year.

I marched with the Cabs Alumni. this weekend. It was a performance to last me a lifetime. Truly amazing. I've waited my whole life to do that! It took me 51 years, but better late than never.~grins~ On the other side of that fn fence! During finals weekend! GOD! IT WAS SO COOL! I just watched our opener, on youtube. It shows Pictures Of Spain and Perfidia. Thanks to whoever posted it. NOW WHERE'S THE REST?!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL I'm so ancious to see the rest. As is the corps, I'm sure. We were pretty well toasted by the end of the performance. That field was cooking! I felt sorry for the Honor guard. Having to stand in one place for as long as they did. My sombrero is off to them. Kudos. I'd especially like to thank my father. For being such a great inspiration and passing the gene on to me. ~shew~ I love my life! I am so proud to be a member of the Hawthorne Cabalerros alumni corps. Thank-you for fulfilling my, most desired, childhood dream.

Aww man! We have to follow the Marines? Doh! LOL See ya all there.

I was listening to the video tape my sister took for me and had a good laugh over Jimmy Russo's intro. Steve? Russo.

Ahh, now your going back to the days when drum corps was the real deal. Back when it was all about the kids on the street who didn't have anything to do, Catholic schools and legions, took kids off the streets and showed them the way to a better life. Kids were actually saved from going to reform school and given a chance to learn how to play an instrument. Taught discipline. Had their lives changed remarkably. Now you have to have years of musical experience. And the shows are all about impressing judges and THE ALMIGHTY SCORE. Why has it come to this? Thanks to the Catholic churches ditching their programs. As well as the legions. Money is more important than childrens quality of life. OH DON'T GET ME STARTED! It really is a sin what has become of drum corps. Look at what has become of the children in our communities. No guidance at home. Nor at school. There are no more Sie Luries out there.Who want to make a difference.

Personally, I couldn't be happier for the Hurks. I wish them the best of luck this season.

I'm really looking forward to my 2nd field show with the Cabs. alumni. What a great way to spend my birthday. Good luck to all the competing corps.