G-horns Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) "Strangest Stadium":Then there is the "Racetrack" (Andy Lisko: Help me out on this one) venue in MA where the old Northeast Circuit (And a few others) held their Championships. Quite possibly THE WORST venue in New England. Elphaba WWW I haven't read all the posts yet, but you are referring to Riverside Amusement Park. It's now Six Flags New England and I think there's a water park where the stadium was located - by the Connecticut River. If the dust didn't kill you, the bugs would eat you alive. Oh, and back then you did NOT swim in the river. Edited July 28, 2009 by G-horns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I recall playing a daytime concert *show* for our Veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center many years ago... We played A MARCHING SHOW in the medical center courtyard with orange cones for "reference" instead of lines. The space was too small, and there were even trees within the *imaginary* field. I recall being told just to go around the trees as needed. oh yeah we did that in 93 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Has to be marching backwards up a ski slope in Scranton Mini corps 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Played inside the walls of Ft. Henry in Kingston, ON. No yard line, just markers. Played on the side of a hill in Belleville, ON. Crowd sat on the hill, we performed at the bottom. Was just odd. Done the horse racetrack thing twice in Springfield, IL. Bizarre, but a fun show. I've also done the indoor hockey arena thing, in Burlington, ON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 In 1976 with the Royal Coachmen in Hammondsport, NY. It was literally on the banks on one of the finger lakes (not sure which one). We started on the back sideline and there was not alot of room as the water was right there. We won that show too and beat The Imperial Regiment for the 2nd time that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow_7 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Anything with a baseball field. Mile High, Scranton, Syracuse. If it's not lines out of parallel, it's turf with groves, or baseball mounds, dirt and lime lines in the rain. Anything soccer field. Especially unlined. Almost like performing in Canada with a 55 yard line. Except that that's the only line. Some show where the field was a small mountain. Thought it was Ohio, but others say it's Tennessee. You cannot see the drum major from the back sideline. And you're either marching uphill or downhill, there is no level ground. Any place with odd accoustics. Indy aka echo dome. Scranton was just one big suck hole. The only thing you could hear is yourself playing and the judge screaming into his tape machine a foot from your ear. Not that it helped rehearsing in the middle of a public park surrounded by high rise buildings that made you sound 10x's louder before hand. Whichita Falls was interesting is that it was a virtual pit. About a 45% grade coming onto and off of the field. The stands were twice as tall as they were deep. So the audience had the ability to overpower the corps accoustically. Or at least drown out the drum majors voice commands. And I'm sure others too. Of course half of these have been torn down and rebuilt in my lifetime. It's like trying to figure out if a corps is Bb or G without inside information. I know I've been there before, but it doesn't look like anything I can remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I haven't read all the posts yet, but you are referring to Riverside Amusement Park. It's now Six Flags New England and I think there's a water park where the stadium was located - by the Connecticut River. If the dust didn't kill you, the bugs would eat you alive. Oh, and back then you did NOT swim in the river. Yup ... Agawam, MA ... Riverside Park ... hosted the Northeast Circuit Championship show for years ... the racetrack infield for the field show ... and the German Beer Garden for the I&E ... hmmm ... maybe that's why our quartet always did so well there ... but ... Larry is correct ... the bees and other B52 bugs were horrendous ... lots of real good corps marched on that infield ... Marksmen, Hurcs, Sun, Carver, Amboy, Bpt. PAL, NY Kingsmen, I-men, Warriors ... and many more ... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Skyliners PR Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Some show where the field was a small mountain. Thought it was Ohio, but others say it's Tennessee. You cannot see the drum major from the back sideline. And you're either marching uphill or downhill, there is no level ground. Marched on one of those ith Sun in 1979 (it was not Ohio or Tennesse, but I believe it was a university stadium). Our form went just about to the back sideline and we were playing backfield. When we turned around, no drum major, just drummers feet!! So I followed their feet. After a march back up the little hill, we saw the rest of the corps. That is a scary, eery feeling. Doreen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Skyliners PR Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Tom , Sounds Like Derby! the stands (or somewhat stands,) are built in the side of a hill... the judges are on top of the hillLittle Roosevelt Stadium.. I remember that place, it was a stone wall that surrounded it , if I remember, they had someone near an outfield wall that would open a gate to let the busses in so no one would get shot or fire bombed! yikes! Vic, if the field I am thinking of is the one that Tom is thinking of, it is not Derby. There were no stands at this place at all. People just sat on the ground. At Derby, which I marched at with Sky a number of times, there were stands in the side of the hill, and there was also some sort of building with a roof on it to the right of the stands. I recall because at least one of our visual staff members, Merc I think it was, was standing on it in 1981 having a great time! Not sure if he fell off the roof but it seemed like he might! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shenandoah Vibrato Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 The strangest stadium we ever performed in was also the scarriest . Around 1962 as a member of the Scarlet Cadets (Lewiston, Me) we were invited to play at the Maine State Prison in Thomaston, Maine. We were escorted by armed guards into the center of the prison which was a deep quary with a ball field at the bottom of it. The prisoners were lined up at the top of the quary about one hundred feet high above us. I remember feeling like General Custer with all the inmates looking down at us all around while we did our show. The second strangest was really quite funny. It happened twice in the town of Blue Hill, Maine. The town invited us each year to perform our on one of their main streets. During the drill, I remember the baritone line coming so close to a house that their bells stuck inside a window of one of the house on the street. Man I miss those days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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