Keith Hall

The new Buffalo Stadium will be ready by 2026 and have natural grass!

Pootsmen Live Again!!!

Crazy thought...... Merge HS Marching Band and BOA with DCI! Okay, let me finish. Marching band in the summer time, competing in same competition as the drum corps. Then.....HS marching bands can just do football games in the fall, concentrate on their school work and AP classes! Yes crazy!!!! This will give y'all something to hate!

And Buffalo will have a new stadium by then too!

Love to hear "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"

Still to this day!

I think it STINKS! I want to hear my corps from the 1970's as would a few of my other former members. I won't sell the tape to anyone else. It's a wonderful memory and that is all! If people need $2 from me I will give it to them to listen to a couple of years of my corps performance.

Yes I did, 7 years worth so I was all set!

I enjoyed Basic Training/Military Police School (OSUT) 1978

Darn Jody stole our girl!

In my Army days, we had to create a class or platoon motto. We got together and created the words and then we put movement into it.....1985. So we did do choreography in the Army.

What corps have left in the past 20 years or so? Rochester Crusaders, Syracuse Brigadiers, Empire Statesmen, Kingston Grenadiers, Kilties, Heatwave, Alleghany Night Storm, Chieftains, etc. What corps are left? Enough to have all corps participate in top 10 or 12 final show. In this day and age is it worth a prelims since the order is already set in stone?

In 1990 (somewhere in PA) we (Rochester Crusaders) did a parade before a contest. As we waited on a side street for our turn to get in the parade, Dutchboy were in the street marching. They had to stop and some guy on a bicycle tried to cut in front of the corps (in front of the drum majors). The lead DM grabbed the handlebars to stop the guy. The good thing is there were about 40 guys standing in front ready to protect the DM. The guy walked away!

Who didn't see this?

Good luck for 2023! Hope more corps don't go inactive.

My last time marching was 2003 (I think). 99% 0f that last show I marched was the best I had played and marched since 1976. I was on staff with a few corps since 1982 and learned a lot from several people. My last summer of involvement was not a good time for me as I felt like a loner. During a weekend of two competitions I was thinking over and over, "Is this what I want?' and "Do they really want me?" As I drove home I made a decision to leave the corps and the activity that I fell in love with as a 10/11 year old back in 1971. Drum corps in the 1970's was my family, my vacation and a chance to get away from my real family. I made lots of friends but I was not in any clique. I was a soloist after my second year in corps. This was made possible by the older guys leaving to join a senior corps. After my Army days I went back to what I loved but it wasn't the same. New people, different area. I wasn't a NAME staff member, but I hoped I did my job. As the past 18 years have gone by I have not attended a competition. I enjoy what the kids do today but am no longer going to argue with others about why today is better than yesterday. I like to reminisce but I am also realistic. What we did back then was great and what the kids today do is great! I'll cruise around and read and respond in a kind way. Not leaving but just waving and saying hello because it's me being KIND!

It is fun to anger people!!!!

Cavaliers join all of DCI? No more All-Girls and maybe No more All Guys?

In 1976 no one knew this but....one of our sopranos was being abused by his uncle. His uncle was also on staff of our corps (although I don't know why because I, at 16, did way more than he ever did). The guy was also a cop. The kid grew up to own a successful contracting company and then committed suicide. The story was put out there in the newspaper before he died. It's sad that this happened back then and no one did nothing! I won't tell you what my mother endured.

BITD Senior corps would try to recruit junior corps members for the last couple of weeks. One corps actively went after a corps I was with after 1972. We lost about 8-10 members and all were talented musicians. Thus began our corps "rebuilding." Once I was the veteran member at 16 I was approached and said 'No thank you."

Do you glow in the dark? I was stationed at two nuke sites in the Army and lived near Love Canal.

Get a time machine.... Go back in time to see how and why hundreds of corps failed then don't do that! Get back in your time machine and go to the future....any corps left? Probably not. If there are groups they are probably professional groups who's staff and members/performers are making money. Mom and Pop corps don't really exist (do they?). Equipment will be mucho expensive! Staff? Well it seems today you need 20 staff members for each section. Heck you probably need 4 cymbal techs! Don't forget you have to have trainers, sports medicine doctor, nutritionist and at least 10 Psychologist. You also need a CEO, assistant CEO, Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director, Paid Board of Directors, Corps Director, Assistant Corps Director, Business Manager with assistants, Tour Manager with Assistants, Executive Chef, Sous Chef, and Cooks. Buses. Pay a company or buy your own? Truck Drivers. Uniforms? New one's every year to stay current with all the other corps. Good luck!!!

I'm partial to Highmark Stadium (formerly Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, New Era Stadium) I think the new stadium in Buffalo may be better for viewing and sound but that's down the road a couple of years. Worst for me was Montreal (Olympic Stadium) although Prelims at McGill was nice

Probably a one day event now. Prelims in morning (that everyone makes finals). Alumni Corps at 5 pm and Finals at 7PM and done by 10 PM.

1973......Traveling from Marion, OH to Butler, PA several members requested a stop to use the restroom but was told we can't stop. The driver jokingly said, "Go out the window!" We traveled on school buses and were followed by a father in his station wagon. That car was driven by an older member of the corps. Middle of the night a plan was quickly devised to have someone open the back emergency door while another held his belt. The person that had to take care of business was also held by their belt. That person did his business, an hour or so later we arrived in Butler, got off the bus to our housing and heard someone talking to the bus driver about the rain a while back. As soon as the bus driver replied, "What rain?" a lot of snickering was heard. 1975, July 4th weekend in the Chicago area (Des Plaines I believe) we were staying at a boy's home in the gym. It was about 1 AM an we were woken up by sirens getting louder and louder. Some of us went to the door while some were sleeping outside and we watched a police chase into the parking lot where the stopped a kid who stole a car. Do you have any stories?