ajlisko

Just a heads up ... no Barnum this year ... end of a long, long era ...

>>He then moved out to California... and the rest, as the saying goes, is history!!!<< As I recall, Wayne didn't get to finish out the 69 season with Sun ... FTD probably knows the details ... but ... interesting bit of trivia: both Sun and Santa Clara played Procession of the Nobles for an OTL ... and (again, Frank can verify) Downey, I think, played the solo in both corps ... :-)

>>upsetting the DCA banned Hawthorne Caballeros for the 1965 AL Nats<< Wow Elphie ... a little harsh with the DCA banned ref ... as I recall, it was a self-imposed exile ... I remember a DCN article where Father Louie from St. Raphael's tried to play "peace maker" in 63 or 64 ... tense times in the early years of DCA ... You going to St. Ann's Reunion in August? Luncheon at the Norden Club ... :-)

Isn't there a show tonight somewhere sponsored by the Bucs as well?

Keith Markey

>>The first year of their groundbreaking "Requiem for an Era" color presentation production. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time a competition drum corps had used a "split" corps and simultaneous multiple tempos the way they did.<< I dunno ... when I was in Sky, we did that all the time ... and it wasn't even planned!!!!! LOL ... Winky's fav saying: "When in doubt ... turn about"!!!!! :-)

>>Going even farther back WAY back in 1962 VFW Prelims saw such "Legends in Waiting" as the Casper Troopers, St Josephs of Batavia, Blue Rock, Skokie Vanguard and the Rockford Phantom Regiment finish out of Finals.<< Tsk ... Tsk ... Elphie ... how about St. Raphael's Bucs who finished 13th and bested all of the above! :-)

>>Man... I thought they broke up 10 years ago!!!! << They did ... but they show up at the Holyoke Parade just to scare the bejeeezus out of the other corps!

I'm not sure when it happened, but I thought the Brassmen ran into a problem at a show in the early 70's because they couldn't set up their entrance formation due to a lack of depth on the backline ... I think there was a photo in DCN ... not sure if they competed or pulled out of the show ... Anyone know?

>>I haven't marched DCA, so I'm asking, not making a snarky comment: is it fairly standard practice after roadtrips/shows for the members over 21 to go out for a drink? I know most adult recreational sports teams (eg. your company's softball or soccer team) often consider the game and the post-game imbibing as equally important. If so, I think that might be one perceived difference between a young kid joining a DCA corps and joining a community wind band (though I suppose the wind band MIGHT do the same thing; somehow, it just doesn't appear as likely).<< Standard practice? ... Not in my opinion ... does it happen ... of course ... like someone said, the age groups gravitate towards each other ... but, it's not the wild, wild, west like generations ago ... read The Drinking Life by Pete Hamill ... I grew up in the throws of it ... and trust me ... it's gone ... the social aspect of drinking goes well beyond drum corps ... we of the 50's and 60's were just part of the culture ... so was drum corps ... and the culture has changed ... and so has drum corps I probably make light of it far too often during my MCing gigs ... but, that's my schtick ... no worries moving forward though as I'll be heading South to FL and be virtually invisible to DC ... :-)

I don't think Big W is the exception, at least here in CT ... I've visited quite a few community bands where the mix was from teen to octogenarian and all seemed happy and content with each others contribution ... and the youth were always seeking guidance on interpretation from the elders ... guess it's just where you are at the time ... :-)

>>D. What is the smallest number of corps for DCA prelims since inception? Year?<< I think this is a trick question ... there were no DCA Prelims in 65 and 66 ... so ... the answer is ZERO As far as Finals, six corps competed in the 1965 DCA Championship ... Archie was a no-show that year ... :-)

>>Bridgeport CT was the site of several indoor "Standstill" shows way back in the day. I remember St Raphael's show at the Klien in 1964 which was actually a standstll CONTEST that Blessed Sacrament won, and a a big junior-senior show at Notre Dame HS in early 1965 that included almost all the "City' units as well as the Connecticut Yankees. There were most likely several more.... (Andy?) With all the junior corps in Fairfield County, there was a bevy of competition color guards, and the parent units usually hosted a contest that would feature a standstill exibition by the corps. Bullard Havens HS was usually the venue for shows held by the PAL Cadets, St Ann's, and St Raphael's.<< Good memory Elphie ... not too many other standstills that I can remember ... Hot Shots hosted one in 65 which saw a surprising St. Rocco's dump both St. Raphael's and the PAL ... your Royal Lancers were in the 64 show that BS won ... Definitely a CG show almost every weekend at either Bullard Havens, Harding or Central HS ... Annual I&E shows at Stratford and the Condon Post (Troopers) ... and Earl Sturtze used to hold his own drumming competitions at St. Raphael's hall the Bpt Police hall or St. Ann's ... lots and lots of good, healthy competition between the "yout" in Bpt ... and ... like we've said before, every night had a different corps rehearsing and the kids would caravan all over the place ... good thing for the parents that gas was only 15 cents a gal then!!!! :-) btw - St. Ann's is having a reunion at the Norden Club in August ... you going?

>>Then the "Round Robin" aspect gradually went away... but the Cabs continued to host their indoor Grand Prix through the early 1990s. Heh... one year... 1990, I think.... it was held on Kentucky Derby day.... and I made sure I was near a TV at post time, about an hour before the show started!!! << Truth be told ... in 73 a bunch of us and the wives went to dinner in Brooklyn at Lundy's ... PANDEMONIUM at its best! ... needless to say, we missed our onstage performance (to the wives' delight) ... but, made that after-party (to the wives' dismay) ... a few weeks later, we were onstage at Hawthorne's show and missing some soloists for our color pre (DeFig & Guarino) ... as the song was being played (subpar), Winky saw them in the back of the auditorium and cold-stopped the corps ... invited them onto the stage and announced to the crowd: "now we'll play it the way it was meant to be played" ... restarted everything from the drum solo and viola ... SUCCESS!!! :-)

>>"Wonderful Time In Drum Corps": INDEED!!!!!!!!!! Piling into a car and riding off to Hedges Stadium or Bullard Havens Tech to watch the PAL Cadets, or to the US Naval Reserve at Seaside to watch St Raphael's Buccaneers, over to Stratford to watch the Yankees, or up Route 8 to catch the Connecticut Hurricanes, A truly 'Wonderful time in Drum Corps'. Elphaba WWW << ... and Elsworth Field for St. Ann's or the Wakeman's Boys Club field for the Royal Lancers or the CT Post Mall for the Shoreliners ... :-)

>>Marion, Ohio was a small city but yet when I first went there in 1972 I felt that this is the capitol of drum corps. So many corps in one city, so many corps jackets wandering the city.<< Too bad you didn't get to experience two other "Drum Corps Capitols" in the 50's and 60's - Bridgeport, CT and Newark, NJ ... two inner-city, urban areas that spawned a multitude of National caliber players and corps ... every night kids would caravan around to whatever corps was rehearsing and then socialize at a local pizza or burger joint ... I also envision Chicago as having the same kind of city drum corps feel, and of course Boston with the whole multi-leveled CYO circuit ... A wonderful time in drum corps ... :-)

The only other corps I can think of in that caliber is Spirit

My guess would be Crossmen

>>Yes. There were some outstanding female drum majors in the early 70s..... Vicki Drummond--Blue Rock & Terry McCormick--Marquis are two that come to mind.<< Let's go back to the 60's ... Lilian Gaudett and Alice Dobson of the Bpt PAL :-)

Where are you based and what are your aspirations for the group?

>>>The one thing those Round Robin shows most definitely did not have was a great pre-show dinner, like the one at the Bucs' Spring Preview this and every year!!! <<< Those Round Robin shows began in 1973 ... Hawthorne's was at Don Bosco HS ... Hurc's at the Klein in Bpt, ... Sun in Mineola or Massapequa? ... Sky's at the Westchester County Center ... not sure how long they lasted ... maybe 76 or 77? ... the afterglow parties were always better than the shows ... LOL ... :-)

>>I remember Zingali observing previous corps in prelims and semis, then racing in the tunnel to advise a MM to "adjust" an angle, etc. due to how surface was responding, how lights and sun were reflecting, how the sound was echoing given the more full stadium seating, etc. The show is never static and is always morphing into something more.<< Waaaayyyy back in 1971, Bobby Hoffman made a drill change in the OTL for the Skyliners between prelims and finals ... some people questioned his motivation, since we had won prelims and didn't want to upset the applecart ... when asked why, Bobby explained: "The judges are expecting this particular move at this particular point in the drill ... when they get into position to "hit" it, it won't be there ... plus, by making the change, it makes the guys "think" about what they're doing rather than just going through the motions" ... we won finals ... and the judge WAS in position ... pencil raised ... and then came his dumbfounded look . :-)

>>That places you with Ray Eyler then? << Only in that we were probably in the same building a few times ... I'm several pay grades lower than he is ... what a sweet sop he played when with Archie ... one of the icons of the bugle world ...

>>Found it, Andy, yes, it was very similar to those pics! You ever been to the Archie post to see all the crazy artifacts? I'm certain that at least one time Jim Fawber would have went BITD with the corps, I remember that too.<< Been there? ... I won Archie's Nationals there way before the artifacts ... I AM part of the artifacts ... LOL ... my last visit to Marshall Rd was with Sky's Alumni in 99 or so ... they had to carry me out that night also ... :-) ps - my first visit was 66 with the Bpt PAL ... and yes, the bar was very friendly to all that night as well ... :-) ... in those days, Jr ... Sr ... young ... old ... we all knew each other on the I&E circuit and had a thoroughly good time together ... DC fraternity at its best ...

If you go onto corpsreps.com there is a 1966 pic of Maumee that looks like the uni being described here ... I'd post if but I don't know how ...