INSIDETHEFORTY Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I thank God that Drum and Bugle Corps took me out of the streets and put me on the field! The Corps had a mission, to bring kids off the streets and give them something productive to do! Thank you to all of the service groups, corps directors, staffs, instructors, volunteers and parents who have supported such missions over the years. THANK YOU, especially, to those corps that STILL take kids off the streets, teach them to march and play, and show them that there is a better way to live than with drugs, gangs, violence, or ignorance! Tearfully, Ron Gunn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76strad Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Who did you march for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlooContraGuy Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Ron, after reading a few of your posts, I've decided that I like you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Just say no to Domes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INSIDETHEFORTY Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 Ron, after reading a few of your posts, I've decided that I like you. Thank you very much! Most people think I am crazy. At least you see why! Yours in Drum Corps, Ron Gunn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitBos Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Thank you very much!Most people think I am crazy. At least you see why! Yours in Drum Corps, Ron Gunn Well... are you or aren't you...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INSIDETHEFORTY Posted February 24, 2010 Author Share Posted February 24, 2010 Well... are you or aren't you...? You need to ask? Considering how many years I have been sweating in the hot summer sun to put butts in the seats, you need to ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INSIDETHEFORTY Posted February 24, 2010 Author Share Posted February 24, 2010 (edited) Who did you march for? I started out marching in a small parade corps in Syracuse, NY in 1966 called "Scotty's Dragons". We were just a bunch of kids who needed something to do and the local Elks Club gave us the opportunity to "make some noise". Looking back, I can't call it music, but the neighborhood kids and women seemd to think we were great! we played tunes like: "When the Saints go Marching In", and "Soul Finger". We used old, beat up drums and Elkhorn bugles (one valve, no rotor, one slide). We were just inner-city kids, but the Corps took us to cities we had never been to and could not have imagined ever visiting. My first "big" parade was in Harlem, NY. I had never seen so many people in a year as I saw that day along the parade route! And whenever we played, the people cheered for us! It blew my mind! I stuck with that corps for 2 years, until the NY State American Legion convention came to Syracuse, NY. I remember walking up Salina Street to Valley Plaza, where the corps were getting ready to take their positions in the parade. I passed drum corps after drum corps, some of which I had never heard of or seen before. I saw, for the first time, corps like the NY Knickerbockers, the Carter Cadets, the CMCC Warriors, the Magnificent Yankees, the Auburn Purple Lancers, St. Joseph's of Batavia, and a bunch of Sr. corps, including the Syracuse Brigadiers! A few minutes later, I spotted the Syracuse Marauders with their big drum line, beautiful guard and 40+ "man" horn line. My jaw dropped! "Where have they been hiding?", I asked myself. "I have marched a lot of parades in Syracuse and other cities, but I have never seen them before!" After that, I was determined to become a member of that corps. I followed the parade to the end and stuck around for some of the post-parade concerts the corps put on for the crowd. I noticed the banners promoting the NYS American Legion Championships being held on Saturday at MacArthur Stadium and made up my mind to be there. Saturday couldn't come soon enough. however, I had one problem. I did not have enough money for the tickets I needed for both the prelims and the finals. So, I decided to watch the prelims from outside the stadium the best I could. "I'll see all the best corps tonight at the finals", I thought. Little did I know, that after the prelims break, the gates were going to be opened and the people who did not have tickets were going to be allowed inside! When it happened, I was amazed. I asked the man at the gate, "Is it ok to go in now, Mister?" "Sure", he said. "Have fun!" Needless to say, I disappeared inside, climbing to the top row of stands, taking a seat as close to the center of the field as I could get. I wanted to see and hear everything! And I did! St. Joes won the prelims and repeated their dominance in the Finals that night under the lights. What a spectacle! There were so many corps and they were so good that the Syrtacuse Marauders could not make it into the finals! However, that did not stop me from asking around and finding out where and when they had rehearsals. That fall, I stopped by the American Legion Post 41 hall on a Wednesday night. I stood outside for a few minutes and heard the sound of drums and bugles. Timidly, I entered the hall and was greeted by a very nice lady named Arlene. I told her that I had played a baritone with the Elks' parade corps and that I wanted to join the Marauders. She took me into a small room where there were other kids practicing scales. After handing me a horn and a mouthpiece, she asked me to play a "G". I told her that I did not know what note "G" was, so she showed me on her horn. I listened closely and copied the note she played. Afrter two weeks of learning basics, she told me that I was ready to join the rest of the line. I was so excited that I nearly dropped my horn, a G-D baritone with a rotor! Soon, I was nearly as good a player as some of the other kids and moved into the 3rd seat of the 2nd baritones. In the Spring, we played a concert in Canastota, NY and competed against other corps in the Penn-York circuit. the competition was won by the Auburn Purple Lancers. We placed second. I'll never forget that night. My first actual drum corps competition, or so i thought. The next week, Phil Cerameli, Guy Marnell, Len Carey, and Joe Zampi, along with Arlene, Big Chuck, and Mr Seabrook, took us outside to begin learning our field show for the summer. Our first competition was to be in Auburn, NY! I marched Marauders for 4 years, 1969-1972. I joined the US Navy in December, 1972 and was unable to march in the Marauders because of duty and the distance I would have to travel to get to rehearsals and competitions. My first few months in the Navy were spent in Orlando, FL and Great Lakes, IL, where I visited the Chicago Cavaleirs' reheasals nearly every weekend. However, I did not try to join the corps because I knew that the Navy would be assigning me to a new duty station in late May, 1973. And they did. After getting my new assignment, I took a few days leave and visited my family in Syracuse. I also hooked up with my old corps, the Marauders, on the last weekend before reporting to Bainbridge, MD and actually rehearsed the music and drill with them prior to a competition in the Albany area. Since I could not learn the entire show in one day, I could only watch as the corps competed against some other corps I had seen at World Open and US Open in previous years. One of those corps was Blue Rock, from Wilmington, DE. Wilmington is only 70 miles or so from Bainbridge, MD, so I asked some of the Blue Rock people if they had room for another baritone player. They gave me the information I needed and after reporting in at my new duty station, I made it to the very next Blue Rock rehearsal and started learning the music and drill. Two weeks later, I was marching a spot in the line! What a rush! I was actually part of a DCI charter member corps! The summer of '73 went by so quickly and I had so many great and not so great times, that it is just a blur now. DCI championships was one of the highpoints of my drum corps life. Just being on the same field with all of the other DCI corps was such a rush! But the thing that stands out most for me is that the drum corps I was a part of in my youth gave me a place to be, things to do, and a purpose. They made me feel like I belonged to a family and that I was a part of something good. That is what I dream of sharing with other kids, who, right now, have nothing, but the streets to call home, brother or family. I dream because I have Drum Corps, and Drum Corps has me. Edited March 7, 2010 by INSIDETHEFORTY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slitzen62 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Come on Ron, I see you on the streets at many DCI shows... you can't fool me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitBos Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 You need to ask? Considering how many years I have been sweating in the hot summer sun to put butts in the seats, you need to ask? I'll take that as a big "YES!" then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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