Holy **** St. Kevin's 1965

[donincardona]

There are many things that attribute to my interest in the older corps.

1 - I'm a history teacher

2 - I'm a drum corps fanatic

3 - I work with Cliff Richmond (Buglers HOF member)

4 - Corps were so much more interesting with the lack of musical background of corps members as well as the lack of technology of the horns.

But I'm only 22, so I'm not THAT young.

Sadly most of this stuff will be lost with the baby boomer generation I'm afraid.

the baby boomers were heavily involved with drum corps at that time. that generation started in 1947 so by the 63 season they were 16 years old. your right it will be lost with them . it's really to bad. most kids had no musical background and they got it with drum corrps..........it was truly a great time.

[JimF-LowBari]

Never really thought about the baby boomer angle of corps glory days. I'm towards the end of the boomer years (born in 1957) and by the time I hit the "real world" the local corps were pretty much in their final years. :(

By the early 60s my school district was giving instrument lessons to 4th grade and up. Think by then most of the suburban districts (IOW - those that had a good tax base) in my area had a music program well in place.

Edited October 23, 2007 by JimF-3rdBari

[MikeD]

Never really thought about the baby boomer angle of corps glory days. I'm towards the end of the boomer years (born in 1957) and by the time I hit the "real world" the local corps were pretty much in their final years. :(

It's one of the things I have been saying for a long time about the decline in the number of local corps...esp the VFW/AL ones. The kids that made up a lot of those corps in the 50's through early 70's were kids of WWII and Korean vets who belonged to the VFW/AL posts...once those kids aged out, and there were fewer new post embers with young kids to take their place, there was less impetus to keep those corps going. That happened to lots of corps in my area of NJ.

[JimF-LowBari]

It's one of the things I have been saying for a long time about the decline in the number of local corps...esp the VFW/AL ones. The kids that made up a lot of those corps in the 50's through early 70's were kids of WWII and Korean vets who belonged to the VFW/AL posts...once those kids aged out, and there were fewer new post embers with young kids to take their place, there was less impetus to keep those corps going. That happened to lots of corps in my area of NJ.

Yeah, AL and VFWs biggest group of members were the WWI and WWII vets. By the 70s, the WWI vets were either too old to contribute or gone. Now same thing has been going on with the WWII vets. So some Posts couldn't afford a corps even if they wanted to sponsor. Easiest closing thta I know of in Harrisburg is a VFW Post that closed back in the 60s and guessing reason was lack of membership. Lost track how many AL/VFW Posts have been closed in my area over the years.

Again hits me as my dad was a very young Korean War vet but according to him the amount of Korean only vets in the AL were small compared to number of WWII vets. Reasons are lot less people saw service in Korea compared to WWII and some vets served in both wars.

Edited October 23, 2007 by JimF-3rdBari

[cabalumnidrummer]

the baby boomers were heavily involved with drum corps at that time. that generation started in 1947 so by the 63 season they were 16 years old. your right it will be lost with them . it's really to bad. most kids had no musical background and they got it with drum corrps..........it was truly a great time.

So many of us fit into this category, Don (I was born in 1948). And it's also probably true that a substantial number of us 'boomers' are the bulk of the current Alumni corps memberships. I've expressed the feelings to several friends that once many of us can't march and play any longer, the Alumni Movement is destined to fade out as well.

Sadly, I believe the majority of the current DCI and DCA corps members simply won't feel the same pull to continue on as Alumni in the future the way we have. Most of us who are 'lifers' in the activity grew up in drum corps, whereas many of today's members have come to it later, and leave it after a few years. I hope I'm wrong.

[donincardona]

So many of us fit into this category, Don (I was born in 1948). And it's also probably true that a substantial number of us 'boomers' are the bulk of the current Alumni corps memberships. I've expressed the feelings to several friends that once many of us can't march and play any longer, the Alumni Movement is destined to fade out as well.

Sadly, I believe the majority of the current DCI and DCA corps members simply won't feel the same pull to continue on as Alumni in the future the way we have. Most of us who are 'lifers' in the activity grew up in drum corps, whereas many of today's members have come to it later, and leave it after a few years. I hope I'm wrong.

i hope your wrong also but i don't think so. members today don't seem to have the allegence to drum corps that we had. i would definatly march in an alumini corps today if it wasn't for my disability. i love drum corps as i'm sure most of us from our time do. as tom peashy said we are all family.............no matter who you marched for. i don't know if today's members feel that way. it's a much diiferent world today. :(

[SKEK59]

In answer to the question of the word "Vigor" being used by a "Dream" announcer, it was first said when Kevins was doing their last drill through the guard going off the field in 1959. (Easy To Love) You can barely make it out with the crowd noise but it's there. This was the first time at the Dream and they won it.

Unfortunately Sac & Garfield were not there.

Also, check out the year 1963 for the Corps. No slouch either.

"Bugles Up" album has the 59 Corps "Dream" routine. The other Corps on the album have their 60 routines

[fecontra]

"The Christmas trees" nickname was started by our Jersey friends that stuck with the corps. In response Mr. Bregdoll tought the corps Sleigh Ride/Jingle Bells. We would play it leaving the field in retreat and at in door stand still shows. You can hear it on the 65 recording at the Chicago Civic Oprea House Show.

64 was a great horn line. It took a while for things to jell in 64. The corps started very slow but as August came around the corps got on a roll and put it all together at the Dream. That was the first show St. Kevin's won that year. From that point on, they were a threat to win any show they were in.

After 64 there was a big turn over in members. For the 65 season many members of the Knights feeder corps (The Emerald Gems) moved up to the the Knights to fill those spots.

You are correct. 36 horns was the standard. We held that through most the 60's. In the late 60 years it became more difficult to maintain that number due to the draft. At one point a drill change was needed to cut down to 30 horns but later on the corps managed to get the line back up to 36 for competitions.

Thanks for all the replies, I was going on 40 years plus memories only!

[gsksun4]

[quote It took a while for things to jell in 64. The corps started very slow but as August came around the corps got on a roll and put it all together at the Dream. That was the first show St. Kevin's won that year. From that point on, they were a threat to win any show they were in.

/quote]

Hmmmmm...... still having problems with that quote box..............

I've heard that were it not for a flag violation, St. Kevins would have won the 1964 Worlds Fair Show over some very formidable competition, including the Royal Airs and Cavaliers.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

Edited October 30, 2007 by gsksun4

[CODI]

Contra Lou:

Thanks for the info you provided. In 1960,61,62,63, I would go over to Franklin Park and watch SKEK practice behind the closed gates. They would never allow anyone outside the corps to watch the practice inside. Evidently, they were The New England Patriots of that era.

In 1965 if I am correct SKEK with their horn line led by Bergdoll never beat Boston in horns. I know for a fact SKEK never beat Boston after 1964.

I have a copy of a letter that was send out to the SKEK members telling them they better get their act together. They were worrying about the "Jersey Boy's" so much they forgot what was happening their own back yard.

If I can dig it up I will post it.

It will show how competitive it was back in that era.

Yes, drum corps was a 12 month "sport".

As soon as the season was over you alway had a horn/drum rehearsal on Wed night, M&M on Friday night, and on Sunday it was horn/music from Noon to six.

This went on until you were able to get outdoors, and then it was every night, all day saturday, and all day Sunday. By the way some of us had full time jobs(40hours). Not like today where Mommy and Daddy pay the $2,000.00 and let little Jeffery go off and play drum corps for the summer.

Hope you are enjoying the BC/URI game, as you can see I am working very hard this evening.

Talk to you later.

Just remembering the good old days!

CODI