Your Odd Housing Stories

[Geneva]

1974 around the World Open and CYO in Boston. We pulled into some HS on a hilltop in Lowell around 2 AM and crashed on the gym floor. When we awoke early the next AM all of our pants had vanished! Quite a scene with everyone running around in their underwear only to find all the pants strewn about the overgrowth at the edge of the schoolyard with wallets emptied!. It was the last time I ever saw my HS class ring.

[DRB]

I recall the Schaumburg Guardsmen staying in a monastery somewhere in PA where we actually had dorm rooms (or similar) with twin beds. Ended up being there a few days due to transportation issues. It was drum corps heaven to have beds.

[GregW]

Ever been to an odd housing site? Let's hear your stories.

Marion, Ohio 1973 - Stayed at the Fire Hall. Bells ringing all night long

Butler, PA 1973 and 1974 - Some school on a hill with nothing around. Fog sets inearly and leaves late.

Marion, OH 1972 - Closed school on a main drag. Toilets flush after you arise.

Hey Keith - It's funny that you mention the school in Butler. I stayed there with the Argonauts in 76 for the American Internation Open, and it was one of the few pictures I took because it was so different. Sorry about the quality, it's been sitting in a scrapbook for 30+ years, but I'll bet you this is the school you're talking about. Small world eh :)

Edited March 11, 2010 by GregW

[KeithHall]

No, this school was an elementary school, one story and a lot of land.

Hey Keith - It's funny that you mention the school in Butler. I stayed there with the Argonauts in 76 for the American Internation Open, and it was one of the few pictures I took because it was so different. Sorry about the quality, it's been sitting in a scrapbook for 30+ years, but I'll bet you this is the school you're talking about. Small world eh :)

[TrainWreck]

• in 81 and 82 the Blue Devils stayed in a barn at the fairgrounds in Quincy Ca.
  
• In Montreal (81) we slept on the floor of a hockey rink. Had to climb something like 900 stairs to get in and out of that place.
  
• Iowa always had the moving floors. It worked out ok, though. The bugs were big enough to carry our luggage in for us before we stepped on them.
  
• I suppose many nights on the bus is too obvious to list :)
  
• Many nights sleeping in classrooms and hallways only to be woken up by summer school and kids walking through us on their way to classes.
  

[Greg Ramsey]

Not exactly Drum Corps housing, but Royal Cavaliers Youth Band were on our way to Casper to perform with the Troopers in 1971 and we had to stop at a KOA campground somewhere I think in Montana. We arrived after dark and and just laid out on the ground. We were coming from the Seattle Seafair parade and shows. Obviously we were camping under the stars. Middle of the night there came some screams from the girls area. The rumor was they has seen some bears near where they were sleeping. Next morning we woke up to find we were next to a pasture and there were cattle grazing nearby.

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Well it was funny as hell at the time. :-)

Greg

[baritone1972]

Anaheim Kingsmen in 1976 stayed on the property of a business park in Tempe (Phoenix) Arizona that was still under construction so of course we slept outside. The low temperture was probably 99 degrees. When I woke up in the morning I was within four feet of a scorpion that didn't look as though he had his coffee yet...

[BigDale]

I recall the Schaumburg Guardsmen staying in a monastery somewhere in PA where we actually had dorm rooms (or similar) with twin beds. Ended up being there a few days due to transportation issues. It was drum corps heaven to have beds.

Or those rare occasions when you stayed in the dorms at Whitewater!

[kansasDC]

In 1980, my corps was leaving the World Open finals in Lynn, Mass when bus 2 (my bus) lost an airbag. My Dad, (the Director) got on the phone and made a bunch of calls. Next thing we know, we're sleeping at 27th Lancers Hall . Thanks to George B for bailing us out!!

[Michael Boo]

1977, on way from DCI Worlds in Denver to VFW Nationals in Minneapolis: We stayed in the gym at Murdo High School in Murdo, South Dakota. ("Home of the Coyotes.") We got in real late after a pleasure stop at Mount Rushmore and were awoken quite early by the clanging of free weights behind the curtain on the stage. The entire football team was up there and they were enjoying making as much noise as possible.

1976 at Keefe Tech in Framingham, Massachusetts: The door to the gym was open in the middle of the night for ventilation. We were in a fenced compound, so we weren't worried about people coming in during the night. What we didn't factor were the guard dogs on the campus. One came in during the night and started sniffing the feet of one of our members. We all awoke to his terrifying yell, "There's a guard dog in here!" In his drowsy stupor, he thought we was going to be the dog's breakfast.

1976 at a campus of Oakland Community College in Pontiac, Michigan: The gym was surrounded by glass that went to the floors and it was fully open to the surrounding community. A bunch of little kids kept looking in and they would laugh whenever if they saw someone in their underwear.