The history of the Westshoremen

[Jaminbenb]

Speaking of Lewistown...

<-------THIS photo is from there in 1979! I think Boom Boom took it!!

[JimF-LowBari]

I remember doing three on the 4th in 1978 down there...(with the Chocolatiers) I think it was B-more, Towson, and Havre De Grace...I also remember doing those old "37th Regiment" gigs during Halloween/Homecoming season! Fun stuff!!!!

Missed 37th cuz I was at college but Geiger filled me in. That would look great in my sig.

The 6th week corps did a pair in 1984 and all I remember is going to a MD state park and hiding the beer from the easy on the eyes Park Rangerette. Then we realized it was legal so we drank while leering... oops, listening to her. Might have been the day Tree Bowman whacked a Balto. TV cameraman with his elbow. Guy was too close and looking the wrong way and Danny stuck his elbow out at the last second (right in th eback of the head ). Guy almost dropped his camera and back of the corps lost it.

Oh yeah, got lost coming out of Bel Air (last parade) in Brian Schells van and took until 1AM to get home. Brians low on gas and nothing is open on the back ### road we were on (Rising Sun?). Finally we see Rt 272(?) and realize that goes thru Lancaster. ### it, we can get home from Lancaster so off we went. Looked at the map later and think we were headed towards Philly until we saw the 272 sign.

The Dundalk death march (2+ miles) starts at 8:30AM. Then Towson (4 blocks UP hill, 4 level, then back down 4 blocks). After that I drink free beer and eat free hot dogs at the Towson AL until it's time to go home. Think the rest are Arbutis, Catonsville and Bel Air at the end.

[Jaminbenb]

Missed 37th cuz I was at college but Geiger filled me in. That would look great in my sig.

The 6th week corps did a pair in 1984 and all I remember is going to a MD state park and hiding the beer from the easy on the eyes Park Rangerette. Then we realized it was legal so we drank while leering... oops, listening to her. Might have been the day Tree Bowman whacked a Balto. TV cameraman with his elbow. Guy was too close and looking the wrong way and Danny stuck his elbow out at the last second (right in th eback of the head ). Guy almost dropped his camera and back of the corps lost it.

Oh yeah, got lost coming out of Bel Air (last parade) in Brian Schells van and took until 1AM to get home. Brians low on gas and nothing is open on the back ### road we were on (Rising Sun?). Finally we see Rt 272(?) and realize that goes thru Lancaster. ### it, we can get home from Lancaster so off we went. Looked at the map later and think we were headed towards Philly until we saw the 272 sign.

The Dundalk death march (2+ miles) starts at 8:30AM. Then Towson (4 blocks UP hill, 4 level, then back down 4 blocks). After that I drink free beer and eat free hot dogs at the Towson AL until it's time to go home. Think the rest are Arbutis, Catonsville and Bel Air at the end.

Wow...don't get me started on the Brian Schell stories! Remember, I marched with him in Hershey, and worked with him with band-o's for something like 100 years, I spent more time in his various vehicles than I want to admit! (the only other person that spent MORE time in Brian's cars was Bowsers dad...if that man were still alive, he'd be able to fill a few hundred pages with Brian travel stories!!!

Two things to remember...Brian get's lost VERY easily, and Brian doesn't believe in putting gas in his car! (he rather likes starting a trip on 1/4 tank and seeing how far he can get until the light goes on!) It was gas tank roulette with him! I'm sure he'd STILL get lost with the best GPS unit money can buy!

We had some great times together!!!

[buzzgok]

Missed 37th cuz I was at college but Geiger filled me in. That would look great in my sig.

The 6th week corps did a pair in 1984 and all I remember is going to a MD state park and hiding the beer from the easy on the eyes Park Rangerette. Then we realized it was legal so we drank while leering... oops, listening to her. Might have been the day Tree Bowman whacked a Balto. TV cameraman with his elbow. Guy was too close and looking the wrong way and Danny stuck his elbow out at the last second (right in th eback of the head ). Guy almost dropped his camera and back of the corps lost it.

Oh yeah, got lost coming out of Bel Air (last parade) in Brian Schells van and took until 1AM to get home. Brians low on gas and nothing is open on the back ### road we were on (Rising Sun?). Finally we see Rt 272(?) and realize that goes thru Lancaster. ### it, we can get home from Lancaster so off we went. Looked at the map later and think we were headed towards Philly until we saw the 272 sign.

The Dundalk death march (2+ miles) starts at 8:30AM. Then Towson (4 blocks UP hill, 4 level, then back down 4 blocks). After that I drink free beer and eat free hot dogs at the Towson AL until it's time to go home. Think the rest are Arbutis, Catonsville and Bel Air at the end.

Towson sounds a lot like the parade I did in Ashland PA with the Barricudas. Eight blocks all downhill, one block level, then eight blocks all uphill. Was a killer of a parade route since Ashland is in the heart of coal country in PA.

[Jeff Ream]

Back to Lewistown, PA, where the show had been rained out, everyone watched BD beat everyone up that night on PBS, and then back for the contest Sunday PM. As we were talking about-- To us kids, Truman was known as the Marine D&B Corps Director, which was a pretty hefty thing- and also as a pretty tough but honest and fair judge. The Reb Vets knew him as a great instructor and arranger, and his charts were a real strength for the Rebs and really gave them their flavor and identity.

We get gathered around next to the competition field and pretty much mob Truman. He was a wiry-as heck-guy, and I know I've heard all the stories about him being all Marine, etc. and capable of swearing like a Marine, dressing down a Marine, etc., but every time I'd ever had the chance to be around him, he was a really soft-spoken and well-spoken person.

He told us that yes, people were starting to realize we weren't a joke anymore. He also told us that he and others were waiting to see of this was some kind of a flash-in-a-pan or whether we could be consistently good every time we performed- that consistency was the real secret of every corps ahead of us- that they would put on a fine performance every time out.

The other thing he said stilll sticks in my mind- I think of it before every show that I judge.

He talked to us about how many performancer issues aren't all black and white. Sometimes, it's patently obvious things are clean, or painfully obvious that there was a serious error. Many things fall into a gray area. Sometimes, there's a degree of uncertainty as to whether there was a problem or not.

And then as a judge, you ask yourself- are you sure that was an error or not? Certain corps, based on their consistency of excellence would get a pass on those kinds of things when it was questionable as compared to a corps that was inconsistent or unproven. We needed to keep performing at a level where we'd get the benefit of the doubt more than we'd been getting it. Things were changing for us, but it was gonna take more effort and hard work to get there.

Nowadays, they talk of "Tolerance Levels" for judging, and a need to be consistent and fair to everyone. Truman understood that many judges' tolerance levels weren't as consistent as they needed to be and that you had to hammer at those people with excellence at every show to get them to cut you the breaks.

I remember when judging went subjective and some people were in an uproar and whinged to me that the ticks were a better way to determine performance, that it was all simple black and white then for the judge. Truman would have told these people, in a very soft-spoken and polite way- BS. He knew better and had the issue of what was intrinsically wrong with the tick system figured out. Judges were still making subjective calls with ticks, whether anyone else was smart enough to figure it out.

Also, for a 16 year old kid- the whole idea of being consistently excellent in what you did, not just pulling up your pants and tightening your belt only when it was time to tighten it for the performance was pretty mind-opening.

My guess is that he might have told that to the new people in the corps he taught all the time and to his Marines that just joined his corps- but for at least myself, it was something I still remember and really had a positive effect on me. I do know we went on and did well that day, even though it was a nasty, sweltering afternoon.

When we were done, we went up into the stands on Side 2 and sat down to try and cool down and catch our breaths and watch some drum corps- I was sitting with Rook and Ben, and we saw something pretty crazy up there as spectators....

Not often the Guelph Royalaires came South so it was something to watch because you didn't see them often.

They had these unis with like bat-man folds under the arms that they popped open at one point in the percussion feature and kind of moved their arms around, which was different but not the really crazy thing that went down.

They get into the number after the Drum feature and they have this sop screamer. The guy could play, and was playing a typical mid to late 70's DCA Sop solo, which usually sounds like some kinda crazed Humpback Whale Mating CD- FWEEDLE WEEDLE FWEEDY WHEEEEAHHHH, Etc... and we're gettin' into this guy, he's jammin hard and cuts loose at the end with the DCA obligatory big fat FWHEEEEEEEEeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE last note. We all cheer like crazy for the guy (this is not your modern DCI show where everyone sits on their hands and golf claps, mind you), he sticks his arms over his head in salute, then literally rolls back on his heels and ends up flat on his back, arms still stuck above his head and holding his bugle.

Ben and I as well as most of the crowd think this is part of the act- I mean, we ARE talking DCA here, folks. Contrary to Dave Fisher's teasing of me about this issue, Showboating is expected and in fact part of DCA, period. We have a different final vowel as I have said, soloists are not to stand with a rod up their posteriors in DCA. Isn't their some kind of rule about that in the DCA regs!?

Ben and I look at each other with a grin and we've got our thumbs up cheering this guy- " YEAH!!!! COOL, MAN!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!"

Well.... he didn't get up like we figured he'd do and continue the show.....

Rook is watching and realizing the reality of this. I panic.

"CHUMLEY! HE'S NOT GETTIN' UP! THIS IS NOT COOL!"

"NO, MAN! NOT COOL, NOT COOL!!!!"

I look over at the noble Lewistown EMTs standing there watching the show and also blithely thinking the guy is just slumming. Look. Lewistown is in Yinzer territory, folks. Sometimes, you have to speak slowly to people there. (And NO, for the record... I am NOT a Lewistown native TYVM!!! )

Meanwhile, the snares are moving up the 50 Towards this guy in a direct collision course...

"HEY! GUYS! GET THAT GUY OFF THE FIELD!"

"YEAH, MAN!"

Rook is even waving at the EMT's like a maniac by now, the crowd panics....

Now, whomever the center snare was for the Royalaires was, I'll buy him a pint if I ever get a chance. He goes from an 8 to 5 step to about an 88 to 5 step and the snares croodle up on this poor guy, who is still flat on his back and not moving. Nowadays, you'd prolly have the snares try and leap over this poor guy or march around him or something equally nuts. This guy was reasonably big and that was just not gonna work. The snare guys saved their bud with some common sense.

The EMT's finally stop breathing out of their mouths, catch on that there might be a problem out there, and get the sop soloist off the field and into the ambulance while the Royalaires keep going, God Bless'em.. I think he ended up pretty bad off. Scary moment there.

We had our share of guys pass out, too, but not like that- well... hmm... at Hershey earlier that season, at the end of the show when the sops split out of the BFA at the end of the show and kneel down and wail, Roy-Boy went down hard, flat on his face after the release. Splat!!!!

I'm behind him. I blurt out. "OMG, ROY'S DEAD!!!!!!!"

Baldy says- "Shut up, no he's not, he's stilll breathing, he's okay..."

Well, we all march around the prostrate Roy-Boy, and he was breathing. I calmed down after that.

I remember that one nasty parade that year down around York or Hanover where Ben had to sit out for a bit. He was toasted, roasted, and wiped out. Stick a fork in him- he was done. He was done hauling that daggone tymp for the day. And none of us horn guys could blame him. We were pretty wiped too, and I still remember how washed out he was and the look on his face.

---And a nice older couple came up to me before SiB when they saw my Alumni uni on and said- "You guys could make a LOT of appearances and make a lot of money at parades!"

I told them- "Sir, Ma'am, I appreciate your compliments, but... we don't like parades, period, You'll never see the Westshoremen Alumni in one of those." They looked rather sad. I don't think they've ever had to march one on a July 4th in a Black gabardine uni with a hat on your head carrying a tymp or a bugle or a bass drum..

And I know every Westshoremen from Jim to Jeff, all Westshoremen spanning 25 years, knows our chant in parades...

"PARAAAAAADES..... (HMMMMMMMM!)" that's the rated G version....

I think DCA should have some kind of diploma or college credits for people who marched for so many years. For a 16 year old kid, I really was getting a pretty exciting and well-rounded education from all directions and a lot of pretty crazy experiences whether I wanted them or not or whether I was ready for them....

PAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Jeff Ream]

Yeah....now that you mention it, I DO remember the horn player going down! I thought he was portraying a death scene!!

Nothing was worse than a few years later at Rutgers stadium though (looked like Jim Jones had the Kool-aid in buckets that day!)...but that's getting way ahead of ourselves!

I just remember eating salt tablets CONSTANTLY, and drinking Gatorade ("naturally, we called it Gator AID") like it was going out of style....but that was back when the only flavor was that GREEN DEATH flavor! I remember when they introduced the orange I was a happy unit!

Thinking about the Lewistown weekend....didn't we have a parade in Dauphin that Saturday as well (before we went to L-Town?) Or was that a different weekend? I seem to remember we did a LOT of parades in those days to "pay the bills" as Larry described it. That definitely must be why none of the old alums want to do them anymore!

The only reason I think it was the same weekend was because it rained like h*ll for THAT parade as well! (not fun carrying a timpani in the rain!)

it's cause us lazy ### drummers that followed you don't want to carry drums! Hell we ##### just going from the Captiol Steps to the stage

[Jeff Ream]

Dave Fisher told me about those 5 Parade 4th of Julys. Ridiculous. I remember Larry telling one parade committee we could get the corps to PAY him more money NOT to march than they were offering.

Maybe the Bucs should try that tack with their membership. They might end up with more money in the till at the end of it after they save on the bus money.

we did 2 or 3 in 96...in the full black uni.

the next day at rehearsal at CV, you could see everyone's uni hanging in their car with all the windows down while we rehearsed, cause Hershey was the next day!

[Jeff Ream]

Wow...don't get me started on the Brian Schell stories! Remember, I marched with him in Hershey, and worked with him with band-o's for something like 100 years, I spent more time in his various vehicles than I want to admit! (the only other person that spent MORE time in Brian's cars was Bowsers dad...if that man were still alive, he'd be able to fill a few hundred pages with Brian travel stories!!!

Two things to remember...Brian get's lost VERY easily, and Brian doesn't believe in putting gas in his car! (he rather likes starting a trip on 1/4 tank and seeing how far he can get until the light goes on!) It was gas tank roulette with him! I'm sure he'd STILL get lost with the best GPS unit money can buy!

We had some great times together!!!

he does. 2 years ago, he's supposed to judge with me at Severna Parak's show. Email goes out stating clearly that the show is at Broadneck High School.

Brian goes to Severna Park. gets there, realizes "oops"...races to broadneck...gets there with 2 minutes to spare

[buzzgok]

PAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

One year, back in the early eighties, Camp Hill was having a parade for some celebration. The powers that be, came to Larry and told him they could go out of their way and offer the corps $50 to do the parade. Now this was in the middle of the summer and it was hazy, hot and humid. Larry told them he could pass the hat and get more than that not to do the parade. He never got his hat back that was being passed around. I know there was money in it, but not sure how much it was.

[Jeff Ream]

ahhh my hometown. so tight with money if they clench their butt cheeks, gold comes out