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Why do parades?


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Everyone says money. ok... How much money are we talking about for an average parade?

The little band I teach gets invited to do the Princeton U P-rade each year...we get about a $2K donation to the band, plus bus(ses) paid.

The P-rade is the Princeton U alumni parade held each spring, usually the week after Memorial Day. It's billed as the "biggest sloppy parade in the world". :thumbup:

Each 5-year alumni group has to hire a music unit...class of 2010, 2005, 2000, 1995, etc....

Both my kids marched it a few times, as my son graduated HS in 98 and my daughter in 04. Ends up I marched the P-rade in 1970 while a MM in Garfield!

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Absolutely it is the money - but (dare I say it), "back in the day (72-76 or so)" our weekend shows usually revolved around some community festival which included a parade. The norm was to practice in the morning, march a parade, practice more then do a show. The next day was often the same thing again.

My favorite? In 1976 during our July 4th parade marathon in northern Wisconsin, we had to drive from parade #1 to parade #2 (of 4) through a LITTLE town that had ONE main road....and it was closed due to a parade! We were able to break into their parade with our buses & truck! Given a little more notice, we may have broken out the instruments and marched the mile through this little burg, but instead all three buses broke into song (windows were open - no A/C) with the drummers banging on the overhead racks and playing anything they could find! We actually received a nice ovation for our impromptu efforts!

jim

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The little band I teach gets invited to do the Princeton U P-rade each year...we get about a $2K donation to the band, plus bus(ses) paid.

The P-rade is the Princeton U alumni parade held each spring, usually the week after Memorial Day. It's billed as the "biggest sloppy parade in the world". :thumbup:

I LOVE the P-rade! I taught West Windsor-Plainsboro HS drumline for many years back in the early 80's (#### fine line if I do say!) and it was always a highlight of the year!

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During the Bristol parade in 05 a guy I marched with had to crap so bad that he had to get out of the block and go ask to use someones bathroom in full uniform and then catch back up with the corps

lololol :thumbup: someone like a private home?

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I LOVE the P-rade! I taught West Windsor-Plainsboro HS drumline for many years back in the early 80's (#### fine line if I do say!) and it was always a highlight of the year!

That is who I teach now! I am the arranger of all the music, winds and percussion, and I teach them in the fall. Currently working this year's show, Tan Dun's "Crouchjng Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

BTW...I judged you all the time in EMBA back then.

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Absolutely it is the money - but (dare I say it), "back in the day (72-76 or so)" our weekend shows usually revolved around some community festival which included a parade. The norm was to practice in the morning, march a parade, practice more then do a show. The next day was often the same thing again.

I remember marching LOTS if fireman's parades in the 60's; I was in a little parade corps from 64-67 and a GSC corp in 68 and 69. Used to have the BEST birch beer (I was 11 in 64!). You would buy a mug and were able to fill it as many times as you wanted! For the adults, they had beer...same deal with the mugs.

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I don't know what the pay scale is for the July 4th weekend parades in and around the Baltimore, MD, area.... but several DCA corps from as far south as Georgia and Florida have made the trip in years past, and/or are making the trip to march in several of the area parades this year. So I gotta figure those corps are paid enough money to make it worth their while.

The Baltimore area has several parades, all staggered. A corps can fit in 4-5 on the weekend. Heck, the organizers probably stagger the start time on purpose, so the corps, bands, fire trucks etc can make numerous apperances.

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The Baltimore area has several parades, all staggered. A corps can fit in 4-5 on the weekend. Heck, the organizers probably stagger the start time on purpose, so the corps, bands, fire trucks etc can make numerous apperances.

Corps years ago were sometimes so desperate to stay afloat and needed cash so bady that they'd resort to the old " split the Corps, double the take " plan on these parades. They'd take half the Corps and send to one community parade... the other half to a nearby community for their parade.. both in the similar time frame. Most times, the half corps was so good, they were better than even many of the full size community marching bands in some of these parades. Parades were SO important to a Corps revenue stream, that cashed strapped Corps did what they had to do to maximize their time spent with these parades.

Edited by BRASSO
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Brasso....... Im perty sure I know which drum corps your talking about....

Im just wondering which director that might have been......

That was a good story !!!!!!

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