Northern Thunder

Twice we had some extremely dangerous weather conditions get in the way at TCF. The first one (2010) was serious enough to keep a number of people completely away from the show in later years.

I think DCI wants an indoor facility. The sound in the great outdoors was GREAT at TCF Bank, but it seems the days of major outdoor drum corps shows are gone.

DCI Minnesota may move into US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in the future.

And their fine 1973 hornline (one of the best in DCI) had 23 females, out of 6o total.

They sure did, Fran! When they tore off the line playing Miserlou, they had the crowd begging for more. Along with Blue Rock, Del was the most impressive corps at that show.

Is that you, George??

Hi Mike! I used to do an annual active North American junior corps census for Drum Corps World....probably did them for 20 years. The index of corps that appears in the Drum Corps World book A History of Drum & Bugle Corps, was done by me. It turns out that with more digital sources available today there were MANY more active junior corps than were ever published. I have recently found corps that literally nobody ever heard of, that did parades, exhibitions, etc. I meticulously researched the corps that were performing. In that final pre-DCI season of 1971, the numbers would have been close to 1,000 in the U.S. and Canada.

Yes...definitely 1980: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7GttwLodlE

Plans for next year?

Poignant opening bugle scene from The Party, starring Peter Sellers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGkg5ytaXlA

I haven't listened to that show in about 10 years.

I wrote in my Drum Corps World about one of the 1960s Macy's parades, hosted on NBC by Lorne Greene and Betty White. (Looks like Lorne and Betty hosted 1962-1970, so it would have been within that time frame.) Lorne made a rather derogatory comment about drum and bugle corps in general, and the NBC phone lines were immediately lit up by irate viewers. In those days calls were actually answered, and the message was sent out to the TV hosts that viewers didn't appreciate Lorne's comment. Wouldn't you know it, within a few minutes a drum & bugle corps came into view, and Greene sheepishly said, "Well, here's one of the GOOD drum & bugle corps....."

Speaking of Captain Kangaroo....do you remember the photo of Mr. Green Jeans (circa mid-1970s that appeared in Drum Corps News and Drum Corps World) holding a "newfangled" 2-piston bugle??

Up until the mid-1970s you could always count on seeing a half-dozen corps in Macy's, three or four in the Philadelphia Gimbel's parade and another four or five in the Toronto Santa parade. CBS was the only network that showed excerpts from all three parades.

Hamm's Indians-- St. Paul, MN-- 65 Rose Parade 1st Canadian Regiment--Edmonton, ALB--82 Rose Parade Casper Troopers--85 Rose Parade Santa Clara Vanguard--2004 Rose Parade