elphaba01

"Many Thanks": A great big THANK YOU to all who were involved in the DCP run downs of prelims and finals, and the "Periscope" video's of the DCA weekend. Elphaba WWW

"2016 DCA Finals": Thanks so much for doing this!!!!!!!!!!! Elphaba WWW

"First Times": First time I met Joe Genero was in 1962, the Fall. He was hired to teach us in Royal Lancers and wrote the South Pacific show we used in 1963 & 1964. The first time I met Hy Drietzer was in the Fall of 1964 when he was hired to write and teach us the music we used in 1965 and 1966. I am SOOOOOOO honored to have know these two icons of the activity and to have actually have been taught by them!!!!!!!!!!! Elphaba WWW

Faves "Off The Line": 1961: St Catherine's Queensmen "Dancing Serenade" & Blessed Sacraments "Vanished Army" 1963 & 1964: St Kevins Emerald Knights "Voice of the Guns". Honorable mentions: 1961: Garfield Cadets "French National March". 1964: Racine Kilties: "Scotland the Brave" 1965: Chicago Royal Airs: "Ballyhoo March" & Chicago Cavaliers: "Bully" Elphaba WWW

John Law HS, DCA 1965: All of the above, me. too. Maxed out crowd, both sides. Sat on grass RIGHT ON THE FIFTY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incredible "In Your Face" solos by iconic performers. Wonderful night, never realized lil' ol' me would witness HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!! Elphaba WWW

"Cambridge Caballeros": A GREAT MA junior corps, very much missed by me. Saw them at the DCN Boston standstill show and Carnagie Hall in early 1962. I believe their drill instructor was a Hawthorne guy, Hugo Evarelli, and their horn instructor was Al Saia, who also taught St Mary's Cardinals. Elphaba WWW

"Riggie Laus": GREAT Story, GREAT horn player, GREAT guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My witch's hat is off to one of the REALLY all time greats!!!!!!!!!!! Elphaba WWW

"Pistol Pete": I have some memory of Father Mitchel. He started the corps , St Aeden's Emerald Cadets (Which became the "Emerald Buccaneers" in the mid 1970's, through merger with the reformed St Raphael's corps ), and he had some Hurricanes instructors that included Joe Genero and Ray Ludee. Any Lisko would know much more about him. Elphaba WWW

"No Shako's Please": Connecticut Royal Lancers, Connecticut Hurricanes (The "Gestapo Hat" Era), Reilly Raiders, St Raphael's Buccaneers, Audubon Bon Bons, Hawthorne Caballeros & Muchachos, Madison Scouts, Caimbridge Caballeros, and Rochester Crusaders (For Starters). Elphaba WWW

"Let it Slide": Skyliners would have beaten Crusaders, Spirit and Jersey Surf......... Elphaba WWW

"All that Military Matters" The DISGUSTING shortfalls in the US armed forces are THE FAULT of Congress and the Obama mal-administration. Period. "Sequestration" has done it's job, and gutted the military. The USAF brass in order to preserve the weapons programs, allowed the active forces to be drawn down. There is an attempt at this time to authorize some several thousands of slots, and call back some of the personnel that were let go in the "Draw down". The A-10 has not yet been decommissioned, but if certain USAF brass get their way it will be gone by 2022. It is THE most effective low altitude ground support KILLER in the USAF inventory. The US Army has offered to take over the A-10 fleet when/if the USAF gets rid of it. The "Commandant's Own", the USMC's official drum & bugle corps will never go away. Thank the wisdom of the late Colonel Truman Crawford. Sadly: ALL the USAF "permanent party" drum corps (The Bolling AFB corps, the USAF Academy enlisted corps) are but long ago memories, and sorely missed by me. The Military Bands program in the active USAF has been HUGELY downsized. The USAF Reserve and National Guard music programs have also fallen under the axe. 540 musicians is not going to make or break the "War on terror". We TOTALLY AGREE that the US Armed Forces are horribly stressed and stretched thin at this time. We are subscribers to the Air Force Times and USAF Musicians Association newsletters and follow the course of current events in the service and military music. Elphaba WWW

Chicago Connections Gunners: DCN had a front page picture (By Moe Knox I believe) of the Tommy Gun toting members of the Connections CG. Elphaba WWW

"Weirdest Uniforms": Fresno Ferns. Need I say more. Elphaba WWW

"Monkey Wrench": Thanks for the info. Sad to see another of the GREAT senior shows of the past has gone away. Elphaba WWW

Understand there is no Barnum Festival' "Parade of Champions" DCA drum corps show this year? Is this for real? Anybody out there know "Why"? Andy? Elphaba WWW

"Best Uniforms": Going way back: 1961-1962 St Catherine of Sienna Queensmen, Beautiful cadet style white, gold and black uniforms. 1960-1967: St Kevins Emerald Knights. "The Christmas Tree" look never got old. Elphaba WWW

An honor LONG OVERDUE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!! Elphaba WWW

"Banned": vs "Self Imposed" You are most likely correct. I remember words like "Blacklisted" and "Banned" (As well as a few very LESS "Complimentary" adjectives being tossed around back then) concerning Hawthorne Caballeros absence from DCA competitions in 1964 and 1965. Just can't make any reunions/gatherings of my old Bridgeport's juniors this year. ((: Thanks for the heads up. Elphaba WWW

"Rah-Cha-Cha Corps": Anybody remember the old senior Gray Knights? Merged with the Crusaders in 1964-65 to become the Gray Knights Post-Crusaders. Had a banner first season upsetting the DCA banned Hawthorne Caballeros for the 1965 American Legion nationals crown. Put on a heart stopping performance at the 1965 Dream Contest in the middle of a tornado (Actually saw that one too!!!!!!!!) Ended up in second place to Caballeros but won the crowd. Elphaba WWW

Yankee Rebels Early 1960's 1962 and 1963 saw them "Rise to the Top" in pre DCA competition. They managed to defeat ALL the powers of that time EXCEPT the Caballeros. Their performances at the "Dream' show those seasons were fantastic. Elphaba WWW

Any other observations of the other participants? Caballeros, Hanover Lancers, Reilly Raiders.....???? Elphaba WWW

"Back to the Future": Truman Crawford. Writer/arranger/instructor of WAY too many corps to begin to mention. To name a few "Standouts": USAF Bolling AFB corps, USMC "8th & I" corps, National Champions at both the junior and senior levels with the Chicago Royal Airs, Hawthorne Caballeros and Baltimore Yankee Rebels. Responsible for the legendary "Requiem for an Era" production that Yankee Rebels performed starting in 1969. Taught , judged for DCI and composed for the Marines well into the 1990's. Elphaba WWW

"French Horn Sound"; Can you say Joe Genero and Hy Drietzer. Their list of acomplishments in both senior and junior corps is huge. St Catherne's Queensmen, Lady of Loretto Knights, St Raphael's Buccaneers, Connecticut Royal Lancers and Milford Police Cadets, were all taught by "Jumpin Joe", as well as the Connecticut Hurricanes and Hawthorne Caballeros. Hy Drietzers juniors included St Joseph's Patron Cadets/Brassmen, Floyd Bennet Golden Eagles, Garfield Cadets, CMCC Warriors and DesPlaines Vanguard, with his arrangements and instruction of the New York Skyliners pretty well granting him immortality. It was my great privlege to have BOTH of these legends as my instructor in junior corps. Elphaba WWW

"Pre DCI": St Vincent's Cadets were THE "Great Grandparent" of "Modern" drum and bugle corps. The Bayonne NJ parish corps with instructors Jim Donnelly, Lou Cerbonne, and Mickey Petronne pretty well revolutionized junior drum and bugle corps in the early 1950's. They were many times VFW and American Legion junior National Champions, as well as taking both NJ State titles in several undefeated seasons. They founded the "National Dream Contest" at legendary Roosevelt Stadium. Shako's off to the memory of the "Big Green Band" and "Big Green Wave". Elphaba WWW

"St Raphael's Buccaneers": INDEED!!!!!, They DID outpoint all those "Legends in Waiting" at VFW Prelims (By a good margin) , Our cross town rival went on to a stellar run (Along with another Connecticut 1964 VFW Prelims 13th place finisher the PAL Cadets!!!!) with top five placements at the World Open, and a string of wins and great placements in regional competitions against the powers of that era. Thanks for the heads up Mr Lisko!!!!!!! Elphaba WWW