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All time favorite "Drum Corps Moment".


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...this is SUCH an interesting thread! After all the goofy, quirky, amazing and earth-shaking moments I've experienced in 53 years of doing this thing we love, one stands out for me: the first time I saw the Blue Rock box. I died and went to drum corps heaven.

cg

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The day my forest green Madison Scouts uniform was issued to me. I felt like the king of the world.

1975 CYO – Just before the start of the show the feeling was electric on the starting line. The whole corps was “in the zone”

1975 CYO – After the last note, you couldn’t hear anything but the crowd going crazy. It was nuts!

1975 DCI finals retreat. “In second place, with a score of 91.00...(a wait of what seemed like forever)...the San(explosion of crowd noise the drowned out the PA announcer).

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I have hundreds of favorite drum corps moments. For the sake of brevity , the Top Two...

As a performer: JUNE 1970 - Shriners International Championship: I'd just graduated from high school and drove like a crazy-man to Revere to catch the bus to Toronto for my first BIG competition w/ Two-Seven. While we came in 2nd to the Kilties,we brought the huge crowd to its feet FOUR (4) times. After a few years of competing only at the local CYO curcuit level, that was a spine-tingling first for me.

As a fan: AUGUST 1964 - I watched the Cambridge Cabelleros and Lt. Norman Prince "Princemen" in Somerville, Mass. I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

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1969 World Open

Des Plaines: Coming off the line with sirens screaming

Anaheim Kingsmen: First look at what would become an outrageous drum line (see '72 DCI champs)

BAC: pure ######

And finally... Troopers: the tightest show ever performed in that era (IMHO). A crowd response that completely drowned out the Corps' exit and reentry.

Although I grew up a drumcorps brat and undoubtedly had been to shows before this... that was the first show that I can remember ever attending. A gorgeous day, the best corps in the country, the Manning Bowl. My old man saying before each corps entered the field " Wait until you get a load of these guys". I don't know if any show could ever recreate the magic that was in the air that day. (Honorable mention 1977 DCI Finals)

On the Senior side: Fresh Air Fanfare (1973 I think) Skyliners semi chaotic Traffic Jam culminating in the rip your face off Company Front, Les Diplomates OTL and the Hurcs' "Impossible Dream" fantasia.

Regards

Full disclosure after my last post. I am soooo old I forogt how old this thread was. so as I'm reading through all the posts and I come to this one and I gotta ask myself: "Self, did you reply to this great post before?" I can't remember. But that weekend ... the prelims and the finals was crazy drum corps wild at it's most memorable.

Can you imagine anything like a completely packed ( back and front stands and standing room only?!) Manning Bowl with thousands of folks all the live long day watching 41 corps compete these days? On a Thursday?

Can you imagine being in the Troopers that month?

They traveled from Racine (#1) to Batavia, NY (#1) to Lynn, MA (#1) then Lowell, MA (#1) and when they were done with America, they went up to Toronto for the North American Invitational Championships and took #1 there, too.

BTW, this is not really my memory but darn if I were a 60 Trooper alum I'd be all over these pages with that one.

My memory is all about Manning Bowl - no better venue {although Marion, OH came #### close!} anywhere before or since. Pack in the World Open prelims and finals, The CYO Nationals and cap it with the Danny Thomas Invitational - all outdoors all on grass - and there is a weekend of Drum Corps for fans this world (no matter how "good" the activity gets) won't witness again.

Oh yeah ... 1969 World Open ... pretty darn good memory for this Brassmen during their first year on the field, too!

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I have hundreds of favorite drum corps moments. For the sake of brevity , the Top Two...

As a performer: JUNE 1970 - Shriners International Championship: I'd just graduated from high school and drove like a crazy-man to Revere to catch the bus to Toronto for my first BIG competition w/ Two-Seven. While we came in 2nd to the Kilties,we brought the huge crowd to its feet FOUR (4) times. After a few years of competing only at the local CYO curcuit level, that was a spine-tingling first for me.

As a fan: AUGUST 1964 - I watched the Cambridge Cabelleros and Lt. Norman Prince "Princemen" in Somerville, Mass. I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

One of my all-time fav corps was Cambridge ... but, their last year on the field was 1962 ...

:-)

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One of my all-time fav corps was Cambridge ... but, their last year on the field was 1962 ...

:-)

I was about 10 yrs old. It was an exhibition. Coulda been 1962. Trum Field is between Bal Square and McGoun Square and is not a regulation-sized gridiron, We sat in the concrete stands, eating an ice cream on my Dad's birthday.
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Well fellas, I have been trying to pick out a few memories - this is my 65th year of involvement in and love for this fabulous activity. I am sure I have forgotten a good deal of them, but some linger in my emotional tales:

First hearing the Cavaliers play Sing, Sing, Sing at South Milwaukee - likely in the early 50's

Participating in the shared fun of all the different corps staying in that school in South Milwaukee

Drum corps night every year at Riverview Park in Chicago - parading among the coasters.

Barnstorming through various downtown areas - in streets and stores in our coveralls

I thought the best music came from the Kilties

Then I saw the Royal Airs at Nationals - indoors, in '65 at McCormick Place

Being fascinated by Madison's fabulous cymbal line in the 40's and 50's

My first viewing of Santa Clara at California State - all that Fiddler!!!

Seeing my then-eleven year old girl pick up a rifle and really do it - VK and Kingsmen

Seeing that child win DCI twice, with two different drum corps

Being very proud of Kingsmen kids I used to chaperone turning out fabulous drum lines - Tom Float

and Ralph Hardimon

Meeting two precious friends, fans of 27th, with whom I travelled to several DCI's - '78 to '90 or ??, and

they surprised me last Sunday at Rockford.

This feeling never goes away. Most of you know that, and if you don't know yet, you will.

Millions of memories, thousands of kids to love. Blessings to all.

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:satisfied: Awwww ..... welcome to DCP and this particularly wonderful forum. Edited by Puppet
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Well fellas, I have been trying to pick out a few memories - this is my 65th year of involvement in and love for this fabulous activity. I am sure I have forgotten a good deal of them, but some linger in my emotional tales:

First hearing the Cavaliers play Sing, Sing, Sing at South Milwaukee - likely in the early 50's

Participating in the shared fun of all the different corps staying in that school in South Milwaukee

Drum corps night every year at Riverview Park in Chicago - parading among the coasters.

Barnstorming through various downtown areas - in streets and stores in our coveralls

I thought the best music came from the Kilties

Then I saw the Royal Airs at Nationals - indoors, in '65 at McCormick Place

Being fascinated by Madison's fabulous cymbal line in the 40's and 50's

My first viewing of Santa Clara at California State - all that Fiddler!!!

Seeing my then-eleven year old girl pick up a rifle and really do it - VK and Kingsmen

Seeing that child win DCI twice, with two different drum corps

Being very proud of Kingsmen kids I used to chaperone turning out fabulous drum lines - Tom Float

and Ralph Hardimon

Meeting two precious friends, fans of 27th, with whom I travelled to several DCI's - '78 to '90 or ??, and

they surprised me last Sunday at Rockford.

This feeling never goes away. Most of you know that, and if you don't know yet, you will.

Millions of memories, thousands of kids to love. Blessings to all.

Right on, Jodeen! ;9)

cg

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Well fellas, I have been trying to pick out a few memories - this is my 65th year of involvement in and love for this fabulous activity. I am sure I have forgotten a good deal of them, but some linger in my emotional tales:

First hearing the Cavaliers play Sing, Sing, Sing at South Milwaukee - likely in the early 50's

Participating in the shared fun of all the different corps staying in that school in South Milwaukee

Drum corps night every year at Riverview Park in Chicago - parading among the coasters.

Barnstorming through various downtown areas - in streets and stores in our coveralls

I thought the best music came from the Kilties

Then I saw the Royal Airs at Nationals - indoors, in '65 at McCormick Place

Being fascinated by Madison's fabulous cymbal line in the 40's and 50's

My first viewing of Santa Clara at California State - all that Fiddler!!!

Seeing my then-eleven year old girl pick up a rifle and really do it - VK and Kingsmen

Seeing that child win DCI twice, with two different drum corps

Being very proud of Kingsmen kids I used to chaperone turning out fabulous drum lines - Tom Float

and Ralph Hardimon

Meeting two precious friends, fans of 27th, with whom I travelled to several DCI's - '78 to '90 or ??, and

they surprised me last Sunday at Rockford.

This feeling never goes away. Most of you know that, and if you don't know yet, you will.

Millions of memories, thousands of kids to love. Blessings to all.

I wanted to reply directly to your post last night because you did dredge up some great memories. Natonals, '65. My very first Fleetwood recording. As a horn guy I guess I didn't appreciate St. Kevin's as much as I did the Cavaliers on record. What did I know - I was from the East and I was only 15 at the time. One of the best indoor recordings, ever.

Too bad with all the technology available, Lucas still sounds like an oil drum wrapped in plastic sheeting.

We first competed with the Kingsmen in 1969 and I almost cried when I saw the uniforms. We'd just left our old Parish and name (St. Joseph Patron Cadets) and our beautiful powder blue cadet uniforms for St. Rita's and the wore the red, white and black blouses. Kenosha and Racine, WI and a week later at the World Open in Lynn. That year, that tour was a truly heady experience for a bunch of kids from Brooklyn I must say. I loved the horn line sound and later would come to think of the Kingsmen guard (the rifle section in particular!) as one of the truly class acts of the activity.

Thank you for your time and your continued love of Drum Corp. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

Puppet

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